Are E-Cigarettes Actually Good or Not?
Are e-cigarettes actually good or not? Like countless other products, e-cigarettes first became popular in Europe and the United States before spreading to China. What makes them different from many other products is that before e-cigarettes took off in t
Are e-cigarettes actually good or not? Like countless other products, e-cigarettes first gained popularity in Europe and America before spreading to China. Unlike other products, e-cigarettes were invented by a Chinese, Han Li, before they became popular in Europe and America (the earliest patent belongs to American Herbert Gilbert, but it was never commercialized. For those interested, there is an interview with this still-living American elder). They were initially promoted and sold in China.
E-cigarettes began appearing in Europe and America in 2006 and quickly gained traction, especially in the United States, where they gradually transitioned from a niche product to a mainstream consumer item found on the shelves of convenience stores, akin to chewing gum. Products that gain popularity in Europe and America tend to radiate globally, especially since e-cigarettes naturally fulfill a basic need and embody a fashionable culture. Moreover, they have been featured in Hollywood films and used by numerous celebrity users.
There are Hollywood stars like Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner. The first and third photos are from the set of the film "Legend," a visually stunning movie that film enthusiasts should not miss. Tom Hardy plays the dual roles of London’s gang bosses, which is quite impressive. Of course, this is unrelated to the article, and I digress, my apologies.
The image below shows these Hollywood actors enjoying e-cigarettes in a carefree manner:
This trend began to spread to China in the second half of 2014. The reasons include the influence of European and American pop culture, but more importantly, at that time, the e-cigarette export market was in dire straits. Shenzhen manufacturers, who had made a fortune in the previous years due to the booming European and American markets, began to pivot and aggressively promote e-cigarettes domestically for survival. Although these Shenzhen manufacturers, who only focused on production and not branding, had an unappealing approach, they indeed allowed e-cigarettes to start sprouting in an unhealthy manner in China. E-cigarette experience stores began appearing in major cities, and sporadic sightings of people using them on the streets became more common. Industry exhibitions began to be held, and the e-cigarette user community started to emerge and mature.
In foreign forums or among domestic consumers, questions like "What are e-cigarettes?" and "Do iQOS and Ploom count as e-cigarettes?" are frequently asked. Among the many new tobacco products, what kind of existence are e-cigarettes? To answer such doubts, or to help consumers choose suitable products without sufficient information, we need a more systematic and comprehensive introduction.
Wikipedia defines e-cigarettes as "a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a flavored liquid." E-liquid is "usually made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine, and flavorings." This definition is generally accurate, but the question of whether products like iQOS and Ploom fall under the category of e-cigarettes remains unanswered. Many people might argue that iQOS and Ploom clearly do not fit the above definition of e-cigarettes, yet searches on Taobao suggest "iQOS e-cigarettes," indicating that the vast majority of consumers are still unclear.
We can start with the "New Tobacco Products" departments of major tobacco giants. They may not all be called this, but they all have similar departments.
For the past twenty years, tobacco giants have been under increasing pressure from governments and anti-tobacco organizations. Meanwhile, the steadily declining tobacco sales and the slowly forming societal perception that smoking is unhealthy and no longer cool hang over them like a sword ready to drop (for well-known reasons, this excludes China). Speaking of this, film enthusiasts should not miss the movie "Thank You for Smoking," which tells the story of American tobacco giants banding together to form a PR company to combat anti-smoking government departments, attempting to "Bring Sexy back to smoking." Aaron Eckhart, who plays the star of Gotham City in Batman, portrays the spokesperson for American big tobacco. I digress again, my apologies.
Thus, the "New Tobacco Products" is the best way for major tobacco companies to prove that they are not profit-driven monsters making good citizens sick. The big tobacco companies have begun to develop "harm-reduction" new tobacco products to tell the public that, yes, they are the devil, but a responsible one. Consequently, the world has become beautiful again. Big tobacco diligently researches and sells new tobacco products primarily composed of "Smokeless Tobacco" products. They tell the public, "For those who don’t want to die quickly, we offer these new tobacco solutions: Snuff, Snus, Tobacco gum, Chewing tobacco, Dipping tobacco." Before e-cigarettes spread, this move allowed big tobacco to breathe a sigh of relief, seemingly allowing them to continue their business as usual. They knew that these "harm-reduction" new tobacco products would never replace the sexy Marlboro cowboy, thus not affecting their revenue. However, just as they were enjoying their hot pot and singing, the emergence of e-cigarettes abruptly changed the game. This product is different from the new tobacco products developed and sold under the control of big tobacco; first, it was not developed by them, and they were not pleased to see such products emerge. Secondly, the experience of e-cigarettes is vastly different from snuff and other products. Users can closely simulate the experience of smoking, exhaling clouds of vapor. As a result, the entire scene spiraled out of control. Users embraced this product, and the most fatal aspect is that e-cigarettes were produced by some small factories in Shenzhen, gaining significant momentum in the market dominated by big tobacco. Big tobacco, feeling the heat, could not sit idly by, so they first attempted to persuade the government to legislate against e-cigarettes to stifle them in their infancy. However, it was too late, and they could not find legislative grounds for this move, so it was ineffective. Consequently, big tobacco was forced to join the game. A landmark event was in 2012 when the American company Lorillard acquired Blu, becoming the first major tobacco company to boldly enter the e-cigarette market. In the following years, all major foreign tobacco companies followed suit, especially in 2013.
At this point, the entry of the big players made things even more interesting. The previously lukewarm new tobacco departments of the giants became lively, and the categories of new tobacco products expanded into three main parts:
Electronic Cigarette
Heat-Not-Burn products
Smokeless Tobacco products
E-cigarettes are handheld electronic devices that vaporize flavored liquids, which is the common understanding of e-cigarettes. The "flavored liquid" refers to e-liquid, which is generally made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine, and flavorings. Unlike Heat-Not-Burn products like iQOS, which heat processed traditional tobacco, e-cigarettes use liquid nicotine-containing e-liquids for vaporization. One heats a liquid to evaporate it, while the other heats a solid to a critical state that produces vapor without combustion. E-cigarettes can be further divided into three types:
Cig-A-Like: These disposable or semi-disposable e-cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes and are similar to the original design by Han Li. They attempted to promote in China during the 2003-2004 period but failed, leading to a decade-long silence in the Chinese market until recent signs of revival. However, starting in 2006, this product completed market education for e-cigarettes in Europe and America, with several well-known leading brands emerging at that time. Most of these early leading brands, except for NJOY, have been acquired by big tobacco in recent years.
The image below shows some representative Cig-a-like brands, a game primarily played by major tobacco companies.
Open Tank System: Open system e-cigarettes refer to devices from the Ego era to the present, including box mods and dripping devices. Open Tank Systems encompass countless models, with prices ranging from dozens to thousands of yuan. The continuous development of open systems in recent years has led to two outcomes. The positive outcome: due to more open and playable products, e-cigarettes have begun to be widely accepted by consumers abroad. Meanwhile, vaping has become a cultural phenomenon. Because of the negative connotation of e-cigarettes and "smoke," the vaping community abroad uses a specific term to describe the act of vaping: "Vape." This term was named Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2014, indicating its popularity. The negative aspect: such low-barrier products have led to a chaotic and mixed industry. While the acceptance of e-cigarettes as a trendy cultural phenomenon in the domestic market is better than in the early 2000s, there is still a risk of e-cigarettes being confined to a niche market.
E-cigarettes began appearing in Europe and America in 2006 and quickly gained traction, especially in the United States, where they gradually transitioned from a niche product to a mainstream consumer item found on the shelves of convenience stores, akin to chewing gum. Products that gain popularity in Europe and America tend to radiate globally, especially since e-cigarettes naturally fulfill a basic need and embody a fashionable culture. Moreover, they have been featured in Hollywood films and used by numerous celebrity users.
There are Hollywood stars like Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner. The first and third photos are from the set of the film "Legend," a visually stunning movie that film enthusiasts should not miss. Tom Hardy plays the dual roles of London’s gang bosses, which is quite impressive. Of course, this is unrelated to the article, and I digress, my apologies.
The image below shows these Hollywood actors enjoying e-cigarettes in a carefree manner:
This trend began to spread to China in the second half of 2014. The reasons include the influence of European and American pop culture, but more importantly, at that time, the e-cigarette export market was in dire straits. Shenzhen manufacturers, who had made a fortune in the previous years due to the booming European and American markets, began to pivot and aggressively promote e-cigarettes domestically for survival. Although these Shenzhen manufacturers, who only focused on production and not branding, had an unappealing approach, they indeed allowed e-cigarettes to start sprouting in an unhealthy manner in China. E-cigarette experience stores began appearing in major cities, and sporadic sightings of people using them on the streets became more common. Industry exhibitions began to be held, and the e-cigarette user community started to emerge and mature.In foreign forums or among domestic consumers, questions like "What are e-cigarettes?" and "Do iQOS and Ploom count as e-cigarettes?" are frequently asked. Among the many new tobacco products, what kind of existence are e-cigarettes? To answer such doubts, or to help consumers choose suitable products without sufficient information, we need a more systematic and comprehensive introduction.
Wikipedia defines e-cigarettes as "a handheld electronic device that vaporizes a flavored liquid." E-liquid is "usually made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine, and flavorings." This definition is generally accurate, but the question of whether products like iQOS and Ploom fall under the category of e-cigarettes remains unanswered. Many people might argue that iQOS and Ploom clearly do not fit the above definition of e-cigarettes, yet searches on Taobao suggest "iQOS e-cigarettes," indicating that the vast majority of consumers are still unclear.
We can start with the "New Tobacco Products" departments of major tobacco giants. They may not all be called this, but they all have similar departments.
For the past twenty years, tobacco giants have been under increasing pressure from governments and anti-tobacco organizations. Meanwhile, the steadily declining tobacco sales and the slowly forming societal perception that smoking is unhealthy and no longer cool hang over them like a sword ready to drop (for well-known reasons, this excludes China). Speaking of this, film enthusiasts should not miss the movie "Thank You for Smoking," which tells the story of American tobacco giants banding together to form a PR company to combat anti-smoking government departments, attempting to "Bring Sexy back to smoking." Aaron Eckhart, who plays the star of Gotham City in Batman, portrays the spokesperson for American big tobacco. I digress again, my apologies.
Thus, the "New Tobacco Products" is the best way for major tobacco companies to prove that they are not profit-driven monsters making good citizens sick. The big tobacco companies have begun to develop "harm-reduction" new tobacco products to tell the public that, yes, they are the devil, but a responsible one. Consequently, the world has become beautiful again. Big tobacco diligently researches and sells new tobacco products primarily composed of "Smokeless Tobacco" products. They tell the public, "For those who don’t want to die quickly, we offer these new tobacco solutions: Snuff, Snus, Tobacco gum, Chewing tobacco, Dipping tobacco." Before e-cigarettes spread, this move allowed big tobacco to breathe a sigh of relief, seemingly allowing them to continue their business as usual. They knew that these "harm-reduction" new tobacco products would never replace the sexy Marlboro cowboy, thus not affecting their revenue. However, just as they were enjoying their hot pot and singing, the emergence of e-cigarettes abruptly changed the game. This product is different from the new tobacco products developed and sold under the control of big tobacco; first, it was not developed by them, and they were not pleased to see such products emerge. Secondly, the experience of e-cigarettes is vastly different from snuff and other products. Users can closely simulate the experience of smoking, exhaling clouds of vapor. As a result, the entire scene spiraled out of control. Users embraced this product, and the most fatal aspect is that e-cigarettes were produced by some small factories in Shenzhen, gaining significant momentum in the market dominated by big tobacco. Big tobacco, feeling the heat, could not sit idly by, so they first attempted to persuade the government to legislate against e-cigarettes to stifle them in their infancy. However, it was too late, and they could not find legislative grounds for this move, so it was ineffective. Consequently, big tobacco was forced to join the game. A landmark event was in 2012 when the American company Lorillard acquired Blu, becoming the first major tobacco company to boldly enter the e-cigarette market. In the following years, all major foreign tobacco companies followed suit, especially in 2013.
At this point, the entry of the big players made things even more interesting. The previously lukewarm new tobacco departments of the giants became lively, and the categories of new tobacco products expanded into three main parts:
Electronic Cigarette
Heat-Not-Burn products
Smokeless Tobacco products
E-cigarettes are handheld electronic devices that vaporize flavored liquids, which is the common understanding of e-cigarettes. The "flavored liquid" refers to e-liquid, which is generally made of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerine, and flavorings. Unlike Heat-Not-Burn products like iQOS, which heat processed traditional tobacco, e-cigarettes use liquid nicotine-containing e-liquids for vaporization. One heats a liquid to evaporate it, while the other heats a solid to a critical state that produces vapor without combustion. E-cigarettes can be further divided into three types:
Cig-A-Like: These disposable or semi-disposable e-cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes and are similar to the original design by Han Li. They attempted to promote in China during the 2003-2004 period but failed, leading to a decade-long silence in the Chinese market until recent signs of revival. However, starting in 2006, this product completed market education for e-cigarettes in Europe and America, with several well-known leading brands emerging at that time. Most of these early leading brands, except for NJOY, have been acquired by big tobacco in recent years.
The image below shows some representative Cig-a-like brands, a game primarily played by major tobacco companies.
Open Tank System: Open system e-cigarettes refer to devices from the Ego era to the present, including box mods and dripping devices. Open Tank Systems encompass countless models, with prices ranging from dozens to thousands of yuan. The continuous development of open systems in recent years has led to two outcomes. The positive outcome: due to more open and playable products, e-cigarettes have begun to be widely accepted by consumers abroad. Meanwhile, vaping has become a cultural phenomenon. Because of the negative connotation of e-cigarettes and "smoke," the vaping community abroad uses a specific term to describe the act of vaping: "Vape." This term was named Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year in 2014, indicating its popularity. The negative aspect: such low-barrier products have led to a chaotic and mixed industry. While the acceptance of e-cigarettes as a trendy cultural phenomenon in the domestic market is better than in the early 2000s, there is still a risk of e-cigarettes being confined to a niche market.
