Vape Market Weekly News (March 1st to 7th, 2025 )

China

• On Mar. 4, 2025, Taiwan's National Health Administration announced the draft amendment to the Tobacco Hazard Prevention Act, which will add provisions on the confiscation of items for e-cigarettes and heated cigarettes that have not been approved for marketing. In the future, all illegal products must be destroyed by businesses or individuals who illegally manufacture, import, sell, supply, display, or use them in addition to receiving fines. Additionally, online platform operators must cooperate in removing illegal tobacco advertisements within 24 hours of receiving the notice, otherwise they can be fined up to NT$2 million. Source

Thailand

• On Mar. 1, 2025, police in Bangkok, Thailand, smashed an illegal e-cigarette warehouse and seized 350,000 e-cigarette products with a total value of about $880,000. Source
• On Mar. 3, 2025, the Bangkok Metropolitan Government of Thailand announced a new plan to crack down on the sale and use of e-cigarettes around campuses, with the goal of achieving a 100% smoke-free environment. Source
• On Mar. 5, 2025, the Royal Thai Police carried out an anti-e-cigarette operation within 7 days, cracking a total of 666 cases, arresting 690 suspects, and seizing 450,000 e-cigarette-related items, with a total value of about 1.24 million US dollars. Source
• On Mar. 6, 2025, Thailand's Minister of Prime Minister's Office said that comprehensive measures will be taken to combat e-cigarettes, including strengthening customs enforcement, developing a whistleblowing platform, using AI to manage online sales, and all seizures will be seriously dealt with and referred to the Anti-Money Laundering Committee to trace the flow of funds and seize assets. Source
• On Mar. 7, 2025, Thai police destroyed a large electronic cigarette warehouse and seized 30,000 pieces of electronic cigarette products worth more than 90,000 US dollars. The seized products have brand logos such as "Luckee", "RELX", and "Geek Vape". Source

France

• On Mar. 2, 2025, the French government's plan to ban the sale of nicotine pouches has sparked criticism from industry and experts who fear it will contribute to the growth of the illicit market. At present, there is no uniform regulation of nicotine bags at the EU level, and a ban in France could push the EU to discuss legislation to replace tobacco products more broadly. Source

Australia

• Sales of e-cigarettes in the Australian market continue to soar, with more varieties and flavors than ever before, and prices still low. Last year, the Australian Border Force intercepted 6.3 million e-cigarettes. Despite this, there are still a large number of illegal e-cigarettes flowing into the Australian market, and experts have criticized the complete failure of tobacco control policies. Source

UAE

• On Mar. 3, 2025, PMI Middle East announces the launch of its heated tobacco product, IQOS ILUMA i, in the UAE. Source

Japan

• On Mar. 3, 2025, PMJ recently announced that it will be the first in Japan to launch its first flavor-type conventional new product "SENTIA Smooth Violet" in its heated tobacco product "IQOS ILUMA i" series and "IQOS ILUMA" exclusive cartridge brand "SENTIA". Source

Netherlands

• On Mar. 3, 2025, the Dutch health minister criticized the EU's decision to postpone tobacco-related legislation, calling on the EU to impose stricter restrictions on new tobacco and nicotine products, including regulation of cross-border sales and social media promotion, in response to market changes and health risks. Source

United States

• On Mar. 3, 2025, several members of the U.S. Senate introduced the Ending the Tobacco Loophole Act, which imposes a federal tax on e-cigarettes and coordinates tax rates on all tobacco products. The goal of the bill is to reduce tobacco and e-cigarette use and reduce related medical expenses. Source
• On Mar. 3, 2025, PMI plans to sell its cigar business for more than $1 billion, further focusing on new tobacco products. It is reported that PMI's traditional cigarette business is still its main source of revenue at present. Source
• On Mar. 4, 2025, the U.S. state of Tennessee plans to implement strict management of the e-cigarette industry, including imposing a 10% tax, establishing a state-level product registration system, and banning products that have not been approved by the FDA. Source
• On Mar. 4, 2025, a bill to create a registry for e-cigarette products failed in the committee. Republican state senators have introduced Senate Bill 252 to give state tobacco enforcement more powers to regulate unregulated e-cigarettes, especially disposable e-cigarettes from China. Source
• On Mar. 4, 2025, the U.S. state of Oregon discusses a bill to ban the sale of flavored nicotine products, which would also ban promotional giveaways and other free distributions of all tobacco products, whether flavored or not. In addition, all cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco products can only be sold at licensed retailers. Source
• On Mar. 5, 2025, the San Francisco City Attorney's Office announced a verdict alleging that two owners of 11 cigarette shops from San Francisco to San Jose violated state and local laws by operating and selling illegal flavored tobacco products in San Francisco Smokeless, fined them $250,000, and stopped selling prohibited goods. Source
• On Mar. 5, 2025, ITC supported Juul Labs' non-infringement judgment in the patent infringement case, dismissed Altria's infringement allegations of two e-cigarette technology patents, and pointed out that NJOY failed to meet the economic example portion of domestic industry requirements. Source
• On Mar. 5, 2025, US tobacco products seller BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP filed a notice with a cannabis producer, Olympic Reef LLC, in the U.S. federal court on Monday (3rd), announcing that they had reached a settlement in the "Juicy" product trademark lawsuit. Source
• On Mar. 6, 2025, the European Patent Office ruled that Philip Morris International retained the patent for electronic cigarette power supply systems and rejected the objection of British American Tobacco subsidiary Nicoventures. The bureau believes that PMI's patent design has a unique structure and that Nicoventures failed to prove that its product "Vuse Solo" was published before the patent application. Source
• On Mar. 7, 2025, according to the report of CDC, the number of e-cigarette users in the United States increased by more than the number of people quitting smoking, with the number of smokers decreasing by 6.8 million, while the number of people using e-cigarettes alone increased by 7.2 million. Source

Indonesia

• On Mar. 4, 2025, Indonesian customs dismantled an illegal tobacco factory, found 800,000 OK BOLD cigarettes without tax labels, and seized tobacco labels and production equipment such as cigarette making machines. Source

Malaysia

• On Mar. 4, 2025, Terengganu lawmakers said a proposal to ban the use and sale of e-cigarette products in the state is ready and will be discussed in the state executive council in the near future. If the ban is approved, all types of e-cigarettes, regardless of flavor or content, will be banned in Dengzhou. Source
• On Mar. 5, 2025, Malaysia's Ministry of Education has passed new rules, and students who repeatedly use e-cigarettes may face a 14-day suspension or even expulsion. Source

Switzerland

• On Mar. 4, 2025, the Swiss parliament passed a bill to partially restrict tobacco advertising, and the Chamber of Deputies approved new rules banning tobacco advertising in print media and venues accessible to minors. Source

Poland

• On Mar. 4, 2025, the Health Committee of the Polish Senate passed an amendment to the law explicitly banning the sale of flavored heated tobacco products and introducing a nine-month transition period to ensure that producers adapt to the new regulations. The Senate plans to consider the bill in plenary session on March 12. Source

Vietnam

• On Mar. 4, 2025, Vietnamese media surveys pointed out that although the ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products has come into effect, the relevant transactions in the market are still active. Transactions on online platforms and social networks are difficult to regulate, and the buying, selling and use. Source

Romania

• On Mar. 5, 2025, Romania proposes to increase fines for smoking in non-smoking establishments to a maximum of $490 per person, expand smoking prohibitions, and the bill also requires sales to be accompanied by certification documents from manufacturers or importers, and requires e-cigarettes and other products to be labeled with a health warning for 30% of the area on the packaging. Source

South Korea

• On Mar. 5, 2025, British American Tobacco's e-cigarette brand "Vuse" sold more than 1 million cigarettes within half a year of its launch in South Korea, and won the 2025 Korean Consumer Evaluation Best E-cigarette Brand Award, becoming the No. 1 brand in the Korean e-cigarette market. Source
• On Mar. 6, 2025, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it will issue a draft regulation to regulate the detection and testing methods of harmful ingredients in traditional cigarettes, heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, and said that it will adopt the enhanced collection method recommended by the World Health Organization for smoke (emissions) detection. Source

Croatia

• On Mar. 5, 2025, according to data from the Croatian Public Health Research Agency (HZJZ), 38% of adults in the country smoke and 44% of students have used e-cigarettes, calling for a total ban on smoking in public enclosed places and legislation to reduce smoking rates. Source

Israel

• On Mar. 6, 2025, Israel's Ministry of Health has announced that it is mandatory to print graphic warning images on cigarette packages to deter smokers. The material will include images depicting decaying organs, people on ventilators, and children surrounded by cigarette smoke. These regulations will apply to a wide range of tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs, and chewing (snuff) tobacco. Israel will be one of the first countries in the world to require a joint health warning for e-cigarettes and their ingredients. Source

United Kingdom

• On Mar. 6, 2025, according to preliminary statistics, the UK's new tobacco products market size is close to 3.8 billion pounds in 2024. It is estimated that the UK's new tobacco products market size will exceed 15.7 billion pounds in 2030. Source
• On Mar. 6, 2025, the British Trade Standards Bureau tested and found that some "nicotine-free" electronic cigarette products actually contain nicotine, the nicotine content far exceeds the standard, and the e-liquid volume of all products exceeds the standard. According to the National Bureau of Trade Standards, the nicotine content in these e-cigarettes ranges from 0.06 mg/ml to 27.02 mg/ml, which is equivalent to the amount of nicotine in a pack of 20 cigarettes. Source