Knowledge base · October 10, 2026 · Stefan Bensmo

When Were Nicotine Pouches Invented? A Short History From Sweden to the US

Short answer: in the early 2000s, in Sweden. The first tobacco-free nicotine pouch was developed by Niconovum, a company founded by smoking-cessation researcher Karl-Olov Fagerström, and was sold as Zonnic — a medicinal nicotine replacement product — from around 2008. The consumer category as we know it started when Swedish Match test-launched ZYN in Colorado in 2014.

The roots: Swedish portion snus

Nicotine pouches borrow their format from Swedish snus. According to Swedish Match, the first portion (pouched) snus was launched in Sweden in 1973. When the EU banned oral tobacco in 1992, Sweden negotiated an exemption at its accession in 1995 — which is why the pouch habit, and the know-how to make pouches, stayed concentrated in Sweden while it disappeared elsewhere in Europe.

Who invented nicotine pouches?

The first tobacco-free nicotine pouch came out of Niconovum, a Swedish company founded by Karl-Olov Fagerström, a researcher known for his work on nicotine dependence. Its product, Zonnic, was registered in Sweden as a medicinal nicotine replacement product around 2008 — a quit-smoking aid, not a lifestyle product. In 2009, Reynolds American agreed to buy Niconovum for about $44 million, the first sign that tobacco companies saw more in the format than smoking cessation.

From medicine to consumer product

The shift came in the US. Swedish Match test-launched ZYN in 50 stores in Colorado in 2014, expanded to more than 4,000 stores in 11 western states in 2016 and went national in 2019. In parallel, on! — developed by Swiss Burger Söhne — went on sale in the US in 2016, and Altria bought 80% of it in 2019. BAT entered in late 2018 with Lyft in Sweden and the UK and VELO in the US, and in 2019 announced the move to one brand, VELO. In a few years, the pouch went from pharmacy shelf to gas station counter.

The full timeline

Regulation catches up

Regulation followed the market, not the other way around. In Sweden, an excise tax on tobacco-free nicotine products took effect on July 1, 2018 at 200 kr per kilogram (209 kr/kg in 2026), and the Act on tobacco-free nicotine products introduced an 18-year age limit from August 1, 2022. In the US, the FDA gave its first marketing authorization for nicotine pouches — 20 ZYN products — on January 16, 2025. In the EU, pouches still fall outside the Tobacco Products Directive, which is exactly what the TPD3 revision is set to change.

How big did it get?

According to a study in Tobacco Control (Alexandrou & Moodie, 2024), global nicotine pouch sales grew from 292 million units in 2018 to 20.2 billion units in 2023 — with 85% sold in the US. A product invented as a Swedish quit-smoking aid became, within a decade, primarily an American consumer category.

Our read The history explains the industry’s structure today. The technical know-how — and many of the contract manufacturers — is Swedish, while the volume and the regulatory gatekeeping are American. And the category is being regulated in hindsight: rules are being written for a product that is already in mass use, which makes regulatory change the biggest uncertainty for anyone building a brand.

What it means for you

• Swedish know-how is a real advantage. Product development and production competence in pouches is still concentrated in Sweden — use it, whether you manufacture yourself or through a partner.
• Plan for regulation catching up. The category grew faster than the rules; the next few years are about rules being written for products already on the market.
• “First” is a marketing claim. Even Swedish Match called ZYN the “first nicotine pouch” in 2016 — history says otherwise. Check category claims before you build communication on them.

We help brands develop products for a category where the rules are still being written — see product development.