National-Standard Vape Devices and Pods Go on Sale With Child Lock and Youth Warning Labels
Starting October 1, China's mandatory national standard for e-cigarettes officially takes effect, marking a new stage of law-based and standardized development for the vaping industry. In recent months, the sector has been undergoing a wave of compliance
Starting October 1, the "Mandatory National Standards for E-Cigarettes" will officially take effect, marking a new phase in the legalization and standardization of the e-cigarette industry. In recent months, the e-cigarette industry has been undergoing a compliance "storm," with fruit-flavored e-cigarettes set to be removed from shelves, and e-cigarette products that meet national standards gradually being launched for sale across various regions.<\/span><\/div>
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Countdown to the end of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes<\/span><\/div>
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“Only a few days left, stock up quickly!” “Only a few boxes of xx flavor left, once sold out, it’s gone!” Since September, e-cigarette user Mr. Hu has noticed that the updates from e-cigarette retailers he added to his social circle for convenience in purchasing cartridges have become increasingly frequent, with phrases like “running out of stock,” “last x days,” and “final batch” prompting Mr. Hu to stock up on a few boxes of fruit-flavored cartridges. In ten days, fruit-flavored e-cigarettes will be removed from shelves, and retailers need to clear their stock before then.<\/span><\/div>
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Currently, mainstream pod-based e-cigarettes have a stylish appearance, and when smoking, the device changes colors, with added flavoring agents providing an experience distinct from traditional cigarettes, making various fruit flavors a major selling point for e-cigarettes.<\/span><\/div>
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The new national standards for e-cigarettes emphasize strengthening protections for minors, detailing standards regarding e-cigarette flavors, usage safety, and protections for minors. Given that flavored e-cigarettes, including fruit, food, and beverage flavors, have a strong appeal to minors and can easily induce them to use, the new standards stipulate that products should not present flavor characteristics other than tobacco and clearly require that “the aerosol should contain nicotine,” meaning that nicotine-free e-cigarette products cannot enter the market for sale. After the implementation of the new standards, flavored e-cigarettes such as fruit, floral, and sweet flavors will become a thing of the past.<\/span><\/div>
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Recently, reporters visited several offline e-cigarette stores in Changsha, where fruit-flavored cartridges were still being sold normally, with no price increases observed, maintaining the original price of 99 yuan per box. However, most stores had emptied their trial cartridge displays, and the variety of flavors on the shelves was far less than before. Based on the store displays, it can be seen that fruit-flavored e-cigarettes are gradually exiting the market. “I’ve sold almost all of them here, and I can ‘wrap it up’ in a few days. Now there are only these 8 flavors left in the store, and only a few boxes of each,” said a RELX retail store owner.<\/span><\/div>
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New national standard products from multiple brands go on sale<\/span><\/div>
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According to the regulations during the transition period for e-cigarette regulation, October 1 will be the date when the "Mandatory National Standards for E-Cigarettes" fully take effect and e-cigarette regulation is fully implemented. At that time, all fruit-flavored e-cigarettes will be removed from shelves, and the national unified e-cigarette trading management platform will only provide tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes that meet national standards and devices with child locks.<\/span><\/div>
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Reports indicate that certified store owners nationwide can log into the national unified e-cigarette trading management platform to place pilot orders for national standard products starting September 13, allowing for comprehensive testing of the system, processes, and national standard products. Data shows that currently, 37 e-cigarette brands nationwide have at least 80 products approved for sale.<\/span><\/div>
