While we are asking the question whether self-regulation could work for the vaping industry, in theory this is actually happening at the moment. Governments, medical bodies and regulators around the world have been clamouring for some time now to rein in the significant expansion of the industry. They have tried an array of different tactics, all of which involved negative marketing, although a trebling of the electronic cigarette user base in the UK between 2012 and 2014 shows how successful they have been!

Does the industry want self-regulation?

Despite the fact that critics of the vaping industry would have you believe that it is something of a “Wild West” business arena this is most certainly not the case. There are certainly a lot more responsible electronic cigarette companies operating today than the sector is given credit for. While the politicians ponder their next move it has come down to the industry to effectively “look after itself”. The next question, is self-regulation the long-term answer for the vaping industry? Continue reading →

At this moment in time there is no doubt that e liquid and vape pens are grabbing the lion’s share of the headlines as sales continue to rise. Despite the fact that so-called electronic cig-a-likes have been around for longer than e liquids they do not seem to receiving as much coverage. This has prompted many people to question whether we have seen the end of electronic cig-a-likes in favour of e liquid and vape pens.

Electronic cig-a-likes

While there is no doubt that sales of electronic cig-a-likes have fallen over the last couple of years there is also no doubt that there is a core market for these products. In simple terms they offer the ability to enjoy exactly the same physical attributes when using an electronic cig-a-like compared to a tobacco cigarette. These products were designed to be of a similar shape and a similar weight to the traditional tobacco cigarette thereby allowing electronic cigarette users to replace the experience on a “like-for-like basis”. Continue reading →

When we say big guns, they don’t come any bigger than the US government which has launched a startling attack on the electronic cigarette industry. There is an ad campaign ongoing in the US which seems to criticise the electronic cigarette industry for reducing tobacco intake across the smoking community. Yes, the fact that electronic cigarettes allow people to switch from tobacco seems to be a negative in the minds of US politicians?

Has the industry finally arrived?

When you see the US government rolling out an array of adverts, with the tagline “I started using e-cigarettes but kept smoking. Right up until my lung collapsed.”, you know the industry is in the sights of the authorities. Interestingly initial observations seem to suggest that the general public is more believing of the vaping community and the vaping industry than the US government. This high risk strategy seems to be encouraging exactly the opposite reaction than the authorities had hoped for. Continue reading →

While many industries would be extremely pleased to report growth of 5% in one quarter, the electronic cigarette industry has been growing at a significantly greater rate for some time. Confirmation that US sales growth had fallen to “just 5%” during the fourth quarter of 2014 is a slight concern but there are reasons behind this lacklustre performance.

Even though the long-term trend is most certainly positive a number of factors have now come together to create short-term uncertainty. Continue reading →

The last week has been an interesting time for the UK electronic cigarette industry with news that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has decided to include electronic cigarettes in its UK inflation calculation. This effectively means that electronic cigarettes have been recognised as a popular consumer item in the UK and added to the “average shopping basket” used month by month to calculate consumer price changes. While from a regulatory point of view this move means absolutely nothing there are some benefits which the industry will feel in the short to medium term.

Increased exposure for the vaping industry!

Even supporters, never mind critics, are surprised that the vaping industry is still alive and kicking bearing in mind the mauling it has taken from the tobacco companies and the politicians. This is an industry which has been ridiculed, discarded and the subject of malicious rumours and untruths but is still here and fighting the fight. The inclusion of electronic cigarettes in the UK inflation figure could turn out to be a very interesting and valuable move. Continue reading →

At first glance it may seem a little bizarre to use No Smoking Day in the UK to promote vaping products and electronic cigarettes but in reality this could be the perfect moment. While critics will have a different opinion, supporters of the vaping industry are determined to highlight the enormous differences between tobacco cigarettes and their electronic counterparts. So, with that in mind perhaps No Smoking Day is the perfect moment to push the message home?

Flavoured Water V Tobacco Smoke

There are many differences between electronic cigarettes and tobacco counterparts but perhaps the most visible relates to the flavoured water emitted by vaping devices against tobacco smoke released when lighting your tobacco cigarette. While opinion is divided, there seems to be a general consensus that tobacco smoke contains in excess of 4000+ toxins some of which have yet to be identified by medical practitioners. Continue reading →

Over the last few weeks we have seen the emergence of a number of US vaping groups created purely and simply to raise funds to fight for the industry through the courts. This has created a very interesting situation and a significant shift in direction from the recent softly softly approach to fighting vaping critics. A recent event in California raised in excess of $100,000 in just three hours with more events planned and excitement growing about the potential to raise the profile of the industry.

Will UK vapers follow suit?

While there is no doubt that the UK vaping community is growing there is also no doubt that the US market is currently streets ahead of any other vaping business arena. The ongoing issues with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as untruths and misinformation spread by critics of the industry seem to have prompted US vapers to put their money where their mouths are. Will this be a wake-up call for UK vapers? Continue reading →

Many of you who read this headline will wonder “what US style vaping tax” because so far we have not even received confirmation of future regulations from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). However, a look at the situation in more detail will show that while the FDA investigation into the industry seems to have stalled a number of US state authorities are now looking at introducing their own vaping regulations.

While there has been talk of specific vaping taxes in years gone by, the vast majority of this speculation was dismissed as fanciful and naive. So, why are vaping industry supporters more concerned about a US style vaping tax today? Continue reading →

While the UK authorities have been very quiet on the subject of vaping, leaving it to the European regulators to make the first move, there are many who believe the BMA (British Medical Association) holds the key to the future. It is not difficult to dig up any newspaper articles in which the BMA is highly critical of the vaping market therefore it is perhaps with justification that some in the vaping community are concerned.

Why are the UK government so quiet on the matter?

As we touched on above, the UK government, and many other European allies, have been particularly quiet on the subject of vaping as the European regulator takes the lead. However, the proposed regulations do allow for specific states to put their own stamp on local regulations and many are likely to do so in due course. Continue reading →

Over the last few weeks we have seen a number of medical research trials announcing their findings and if you take them on headline value they can be very confusing. As ever, the mass media seems obsessed with eye-catching headlines which very often fall apart when you look at the underlying findings. However, very often by the time the small print has been covered the damage has been done and confusion can often rein amongst consumers.

Why is the data so confusing?

As we touched on above, sensationalising the results from electronic cigarette medical research is what grabs the attention of the wider public and readers. Indeed only last week we had two trials suggesting there could be issues with e liquid only to find that in the small print the situation was nowhere near as bad as had been suggested. Continue reading →