The Government has announced a crackdown on the vape category, including proposals for a display ban and plain packaging.
Subject to consultation, the Department of Health and Social Care proposals are designed to deter children from wanting to try the products, with measures taking in flavours, packaging and promotion.
The proposed measures include:
- Restrict shop displays in the same way as tobacco products
- The introduction of plain white packaging with restrictions on text colour, imagery, limited branding and standardised safety information
- Restricting flavour names to only simple recognisable descriptions (e.g. “Apple”), banning concept and sensory names as well as names relating to confectionery, sweets, desserts and alcohol
- Mandating manufacturers of vape devices to make them white, black or grey, with no images, limited branding, no cosmetic lights and screens only displaying safety information (e.g. battery level)
According to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray, the measures are being proposed to curb youth access. “The evidence is clear: there are too many young people experimenting with vapes, attracted by the array of flavours, bright colours and marketing displays. We want a healthier future for the next generation, so we must act now to reduce the appeal of addictive vapes to our children.”
There are also further measures planned for the tobacco category, also subject to public consultation:
- Extending existing plain packaging requirements and health warnings for cigarettes across all tobacco products, herbal smoking products, cigarette papers and heated tobacco devices.
- Introducing positive quit-support messages inside all tobacco products, including cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, herbal smoking products and heated tobacco devices
- Extending existing tobacco display restrictions to all tobacco related products, cigarette papers, herbal smoking products
- Removing an existing display exemption for bulk tobacconists, including duty-free shops and airports, meaning that tobacco products would be restricted from display in these settings
- Restricting heated tobacco devices to a drab brown colour the same as tobacco packaging, with no images, limited branding, no cosmetic lights and screens only displaying safety information (e.g. battery level)
The consultation will last 12 weeks from launch and the proposed regulations in it stem from powers within the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April.
”Regulatory overkill”
However, if the proposed regulations are implemented, the vape category would be subject to restrictions similar to the tobacco category, which many in the industry feel is “overkill”.
Gillian Golden, IBVTA CEO, warned that these measures could halt the UK’s plans to be smoke-free by 2030.
“There is a real danger that ‘regulatory overkill’ will hamper the future of vaping as the UK’s leading quit aid for adults.
“If vapes were banned from display in the same way as tobacco products, this risks the Government’s goal of the UK becoming smoke-free by 2030 and could potentially kill off the responsible dedicated vape shops already struggling to compete with the illicit trade.
“Even worse, these proposals may contribute to continued misperceptions about the harm of vaping relative to tobacco smoking. New ASH data has found that only 6% of GB adults can accurately reflect that vaping is a lot less harmful than smoking. It is difficult to see how these proposals would counter those misperceptions.”
Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at thinktank IEA, added: “Most people wrongly believe that vaping is at least as dangerous as smoking. This ignorance has led to vapers switching back to cigarettes and to smokers not switching to vapes. The government should be hammering home the message that vaping is a much safer alternative.
“Instead, it is sending the message that vapes are as bad as cigarettes by treating the two products the same. The forthcoming vape tax combined with a display ban and plain packaging will keep people smoking.”
Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, welcomed the proposals.
“Reducing the appeal of vapes to children with tighter controls on flavours, packaging and promotion, will be key to addressing the concerning rise in youth vaping.
“There is no legitimate reason for nicotine products to come in neon packaging, feature cartoon images, or use flavours and branding designed to catch a child’s eye. Products designed, packaged, and promoted in ways that appeal to children have likely contributed to one in five 11- to 17-year-olds having now tried vaping.
“Councils have long called for an end to vapes being dressed up like sweets and sold within arm’s reach of the pick and mix. This consultation is the moment to close the loopholes that have enabled these products that appeal to children to remain on sale.”
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