Filled with elegant gowns, formal courtships, and shiny reputations, drug use is a seemingly out-of-place concept in the Bridgerton world. The second season of the series proves otherwise, as we frequently see the powerful Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) sniffing a mysterious powder in between choosing diamonds and tracking down Lady Whistledown (Nicola Coughlan). The Queen often abruptly takes leaves from conversations or waves down her servant to fuel her habitual use of the fine powder that is called “snuff.” As the wealthiest woman in the show, the snuff takes its place among her luxurious accessories, from her jewelry collections to her purebred Pomeranian.

The second season of Bridgerton follows the eldest Bridgerton brother, Anthony, played by Jonathan Bailey, and his chaotic love story with Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley. Beyond their messy relationship, we watch Queen Charlotte create elaborate plans to catch the infamous anonymous columnist known as Lady Whistledown and compete with her power by investing in the social season’s diamond more than ever. With such high stakes and pressure, it’s no wonder the Queen needs a quick hit to manage and calm herself. On the other hand, Colin (Luke Newton) and Benedict (Luke Thompson) Bridgerton’s storylines take the drug aspect slightly up a notch, yielding a string of frivolous scenes that balance out the more dramatic ones in the show, whilst also progressing Benedict’s character development. Before we immerse ourselves in the hotly-anticipated third season coming May 16, let’s clear this up: What exactly is the Queen sniffing in Bridgerton?

What Is Queen Charlotte’s “Snuff” in ‘Bridgerton’?

Although it’s easy to mistake what Queen Charlotte sniffed as cocaine, it was actually concentrated tobacco in the form of a powder that was ingested via snorting. The real Queen Sophia Charlotte, whom the character was inspired by, was famously known for her habit of using snuff, and it even earned her the title of the “Snuffy Queen.” Unlike its nicotine counterpart, the pipe, snuff was odorless, making it very popular and fashionable among the elite. However, flavors could be added to it, eliciting different fragrances and tastes, kind of like the Regency period version of vaping. In fact, according to historian Dr. Will Tullet in Smell in Eighteenth-Century England: A Social Sense, smoking pipes or cigars in public was considered socially improper, thus snuff was the more polite way to get that hit of nicotine. Of course, Rosheuvel isn’t sniffing multiple bumps of real snuff on set — and as she told Decider, the powder she is sniffing is basically sugar. “I think it’s like glucose stuff. At the end of the day I’m like, yeah, wild sugar rush. It’s harmless, it’s fine. Absolutely harmless.”

Throughout Bridgerton‘s spinoff series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, we can see why she falls into this habit later on in life. Although the show is only loosely inspired by true events, King George III’s (James Fleet) mental health conditions and the pressures of maintaining the royal line by producing heirs were very real problems for the young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio). Smoking tobacco or indulging in other personal vices to relieve stress is fairly common among the middle and lower class, so why shouldn’t the monarch do the same? It functions to both make Queen Charlotte a tad more relatable (since her eclectic wigs tend to do the opposite) but also clearly demarcates her status among the upper class. Snuff is a classy drug and was used extensively among members of the ton who could afford it, though we don’t really see anyone else using it in Bridgerton, further elevating the Queen’s position but also emphasizing her stress.

‘Bridgerton’ Touched on Opium Use Through Colin and Benedict

Season 2 of Bridgerton also explores another form of drug that was taken by many of the upper-class members: opium. In the Bridgerton household, Colin returns home from his worldly adventures, discovering the narcotic effect of a certain powder that contains opium. He offers this to his brother Benedict, who is anxiously awaiting a reply from a prestigious art school, claiming that “travelers use it as a way to open their minds and transcend ordinary anxieties.” Proceeding to mix the entire bag into a tea and devour it, Benedict clearly manages to “transcend” by the time the awkward Bridgerton-Sharma dinner arrives in Episode 3. As Thompson told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s such a gorgeous moment. When I read it, I thought it’s one of those moments that makes this show great in the sense that it’s got a modern feel in that you feel like it’s something that two brothers would do nowadays, but transposed into Regency.” He also acknowledged how both Lukes were having “too much fun” during the scenes, being told to dial it down several times whilst they reveled in the moments of being “a bit free and silly.” Not only was it a delight for him to perform, but it was also a delight to watch these more relatable and light-hearted moments as a break from the more serious ones.The strict rules and regulations surrounding recreational drug use today were considerably more lax in the eighteenth century. Opium was very common among the population during the Regency period, especially since opium combined with alcohol was used often to treat colds and coughs. According to drug and medicine historian Lucas Richert, opium was marketed differently to different classes, but it was essentially available to anyone. The elite often had “gold-coated pills or tonics containing gold, opium, and expensive spices” while lower-class members bought opium with less costly ingredients. So it’s no surprise that Colin would’ve been able to gain access to them, and Benedict’s narcotic use is honestly the perfect addition to his development into a wealthy tortured artist.

Bridgerton‘s brief exploration into narcotic use could not have come at a better time, adding a layer of much-needed frivolity to the formal atmosphere. It also impacts the way we perceive these characters now: illuminating the Queen’s addiction and stress as well as Benedict’s gradual transformation. The charm of Bridgerton is its ability to seamlessly incorporate modern ideas into a markedly “civilized” Regency setting, from its orchestral covers of recent pop songs to the revelation of underground partying in this period.