Asia: Market and regulatory data analysis of the vaping sector

Where do we go from here? How new rules will affect world vape markets

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st January 2022

Consumers will continue to increasingly spread usage out over different alternative nicotine products, partly driven by further, stricter vaping regulation across the globe throughout 2022, ECigIntelligence predicts ...

ECigIntelligence's 2021 predictions reviewed: did our crystal ball work?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th January 2022

We look back at predictions ECigIntelligence published at the start of 2021. Real events and developments confirmed ECigIntelligence’s analysis in many cases, though Covid delayed things ...

Independent study confirms previous findings over smoke and vapour toxicity

Written by ECigIntelligence | 14th January 2022

A new paper successfully replicates three key studies comparing the toxicity of cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapour on lung tissues ...

Global Trends survey details slowdown in growth of worldwide vaping market

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th January 2022

Vaping products have continued to take a share of the worldwide retail market away from smokable tobacco over the past three years, with sales of combustible cigarettes declining by 5% – but the rate of...

2021 reviewed: false dawn for vaping, or some light showing at the tunnel's end?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th January 2022

Could 2021 be remembered as the year we first started to see some light at the end of the tunnel? Only time will tell for sure, but there were clues ...

Public health professor brands Taipei's
e-cigarette ban 'unfair' and 'senseless'

Written by ECigIntelligence | 27th December 2021

A new blanket ban in Taiwan’s capital on the sale and import of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is heavy-handed and nonsensical, a public health expert at the city's medical university says ...

RLX blames 'volatile market' for what it expects to be a temporary revenue drop

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 7th December 2021

RLX Technology saw a drop of 34% in its net revenue for the third quarter of the year but has expressed optimism that this will be a temporary reversal ...

New year resolutions: countries to watch for budgets and vaping taxes in 2022

Written by ECigIntelligence | 1st December 2021

Governments worldwide are presenting their budget bills for 2022, with some of them proposing changes in the tax regimes applied to vaping products ...

China brings e-cigarettes under the national Tobacco Monopoly Law

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th November 2021

Li Keqiang, premier of the State Council of China, has approved with immediate effect an addition to the Tobacco Monopoly Law, clarifying what has been a grey area surrounding the regulation of e-cigarettes ...

Israel implements instant new e-cig tax to fight against 'the harms of smoking'

Written by ECigIntelligence | 24th November 2021

E-cigarette retailers in Israel are facing a new tax similar to the existing one on traditional tobacco products. The tax on all e-cigarettes was imposed this week by order and came into effect immediately ...

Hong Kong council approves 'milestone' ban on e-cigarette imports and sales

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th October 2021

Hong Kong’s lawmakers have passed a bill banning the import and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products ...

Vaping products make up 36% of patent applications for alternatives to smoking

Written by ECigIntelligence | 18th October 2021

Patents for tobacco alternatives have been booming in recent times as tobacco companies position themselves as contributors to a smoke-free world, with a 9.1% year-on-year increase in patents related to vaping ...

Kyrgyzstan bans vaping in public places and prepares new e-cig restrictions

Written by ECigIntelligence | 15th October 2021

The use of e-cigarettes and tobacco in public places became illegal this week in Kyrgyzstan – where there is also a proposal to ban both disposable and open-system e-cigs ...

BAT urges Middle Eastern governments to adopt tobacco harm reduction

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 17th September 2021

British American Tobacco (BAT) is engaging with national authorities in the Middle East to encourage adoption of tobacco harm reduction (THR) policies ...

It’s PSG-eekvape as e-cig maker gains promotion with leading football club

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 25th August 2021

Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer Geekvape has signed a deal with top French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for the 2021-2022 season – a deal tied up in regulatory restrictions ...

RLX blames threat of tighter Chinese regulation for Q2 slowdown in growth

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th August 2021

RLX Technology has reported a slowdown in its revenue growth for the second quarter of the year due to “external factors” ...

Taiwanese regions and cities follow same trend in tightening e-cig public usage

Written by ECigIntelligence | 16th August 2021

The most populous city in Taiwan has recently joined eight regions in implementing new legislation restricting the use and sale of e-cigs and heated tobacco ...

China confirms its suspicious attitude towards 'unsafe' and 'harmful' e-cigs

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th June 2021

Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) have concluded that e-cigarettes are both “unsafe” and “harmful” in a report that assesses the health risk of vaping products ...

US investor sues Relx for not explaining risk of tightened Chinese regulations

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 16th June 2021

A Relx shareholder has filed a lawsuit in the US accusing the Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer of misinterpreting potential regulatory risk when filing for the US initial public offering (IPO) last October ...

'Betrayal' – Philippines health advocates condemn lowering of e-cig purchase age

Written by ECigIntelligence | 1st June 2021

Health advocacy groups in the Philippines have raised concerns about a recently approved bill lowering the minimum age to buy and use e-cigarettes from 21 to 18 ...

Jordan's Tobacco Unit enables businesses to bring e-cigs into the legalised market

Written by ECigIntelligence | 4th May 2021

Jordan’s Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) has licensed at least 184 establishments to display, sell, trade, and store e-cigarette devices, e-liquids and heated tobacco since such products were legalised in 2019 ...

Taiwan’s capital faces a blanket ban on tobacco alternatives as council decides

Written by ECigIntelligence | 3rd May 2021

The city council of Taiwan’s capital Taipei is this week considering a local ordinance for a blanket ban on the manufacture, import, sale, supply, display and advertising of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products ...

Legal uncertainties are cramping the vaping industry worldwide, says Relx

Written by ECigIntelligence | 19th April 2021

Changes and uncertainty over regulatory approach in some big vaping markets, and the rise in compatible products, are major current challenges for big players in the e-cigarette industry, such as Relx International ...

Regulatory pathways for e-cigarette products in Eurasia and the Middle East

Written by ECigIntelligence | 8th April 2021

How are e-cigarettes regulated in the former Soviet countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Middle-Eastern states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – and what are the similarities and differences between the...

Philippine e-cig industry calls for 'more realistic' cost calculations by tax officials

Written by ECigIntelligence | 31st March 2021

The Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association (PECIA) has called for “more realistic” excise duties on e-cigarettes during a consultation by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ...

Upheaval in China as draft e-cigarette regulations threaten massive changes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th March 2021

A new draft amendment to the Chinese Tobacco Monopoly Law to regulate tobacco-alternative products, including e-cigarettes, as traditional tobacco threatens big changes to the local vapour market, and has already hit share prices ...

Relx aims to raise $1bn in US stock sale amid concerns over regulation and tariffs

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 21st January 2021

China’s leading e-cigarette company, Relx, is hoping to raise up to $1.17bn from a US initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange ...

Beijing kicks off China's second round of inspections of vaping businesses

Written by Tao Hong | 21st January 2021

The Chinese government is increasing the regulatory pressure on the vaping industry and expects to strengthen the supervision of the e-cigarette market in the country this year ...

New pictorial warnings come into force in South Korea, but tax hike is averted

Written by ECigIntelligence | 13th January 2021

E-cigarette products marketed in South Korea must now meet new packaging requirements, including disturbing new graphic warnings – but the threat of big tax rises has been set aside for now ...

Chinese e-cigarette leader Relx moves towards $100m US stock market launch

Written by ECigIntelligence | 6th January 2021

The leading Chinese e-cigarette brand Relx has taken the first formal steps toward an initial public offering (IPO) in the US ...

Philippine memorandum lays down rules on labelling of tobacco alternatives

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th December 2020

A joint memorandum issued by a number of government agencies laying down rules for vapour products in the Philippines establishes new restrictions on flavours and changes to labelling requirements ...

China's e-cig market faces the possible threat of a government change of heart

Written by ECigIntelligence | 16th December 2020

A major new report from ECigIntelligence examines the Chinese vapour market and finds it could be threatened by a possible government crackdown – and the spectre of a takeover by the giant China Tobacco monopoly...

Podcast: E-cigarettes in China: market, regulation and outlook

Written by ECigIntelligence | 15th December 2020

China’s domestic e-cigarette market has quietly grown to become the world’s third largest by value. With relatively low vaping prevalence, high smoking rates, and a huge population, it has significant potential for further growth. But...

Indonesia heading towards a standard for vaping products 'to aid the market'

Written by ECigIntelligence | 26th November 2020

The Indonesian Ministry of Industry is planning to hold discussions by the end of the year as it works on a new national standard for e-cigarettes ...

Taiwan government to consider e-cig ban in amendment to Tobacco Hazards Act

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th November 2020

Taiwan’s Executive Yuan is expected to meet shortly to discuss the draft proposal to amend the country’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act submitted late last month by the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) ...

European surveys back up smoking cessation aim in e-cigarette users

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 13th November 2020

A new survey reveals that 80% of Europeans who switched to e-cigarettes to quit their habit have succeeded ...

JT launches new tobacco vapour device amid segment revenue decline

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 2nd November 2020

Japan Tobacco (JT) has launched in the domestic market a new tobacco-infused vapour device “Ploom TECH+ with” a few days after the manufacturer posted less revenue for its reduce-risk portfolio in the third quarter of...

Chinese officials inspect and remove e-cig vending machines – but is it legal?

Written by Marija Obradovic | 30th September 2020

Chinese officials have inspected more than 1,000 e-cigarette vending machines in the last two months – but there is some confusion within the industry about the legality of their actions ...

Korean government aiming to double e-liquid 'health promotion tax' from 2021

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 28th September 2020

South Korea has announced that it intends to double the National Health Promotion fee applied to e-liquids marketed in the country ...

Indonesian government under fire for 'reluctance' to update regulation

Written by ECigIntelligence | 21st September 2020

Tobacco control advocates in Indonesia have questioned the government’s lack of progress on revising the regulation on the safety of addictive ingredients in tobacco products and urged it to get the ball rolling ...

Russia and its Eurasian economic allies eye harmonised vaping rules by 2022

Written by ECigIntelligence | 31st August 2020

A joint regulation of e-cigarettes that will apply across Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is expected to be adopted by 2022 – but there is some scepticism about the timescale ...

Doubts remain as Taiwan considers the detail of law to ban e-cigarettes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th August 2020

Taiwan appears to be heading for a blanket ban on e-cigarettes, while leaving the door ajar for the possible approval of heated tobacco products ...

China takes next step towards its first national legislation on e-cigarettes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 12th August 2020

China is currently debating a bill that would create vape-friendly areas and restrict the public use of vaping products ...

South Korean government claims credit for 80% crash in e-cigarette sales

Written by ECigIntelligence | 11th August 2020

Sales of closed-system e-cigarettes in South Korea were down by 80% in the first half of 2020, a fall attributed by the government to its own ongoing policy efforts to discourage vaping ...

Smoore 'positively shocked' about its Hong Kong IPO response

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 5th August 2020

Chinese vaping manufacturer Smoore believes that the good round of investment that the company got after being officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange a month ago prove its “financial strength” ...

Philippines proposes new restrictions on online retailers, and a ban on advertising

Written by ECigIntelligence | 3rd August 2020

The Food and Drug Administration in the Philippines proposed new restrictions for vaping and heated tobacco products in the revised draft guidelines regulating their manufacture, importation, sale, packaging, advertising, and distribution ...

Tobacco control association proposes e-cig public use ban in Beijing

Written by ECigIntelligence | 28th July 2020

A Beijing-based tobacco association intends to submit a proposal to the legislators at the city’s people’s congress, prohibiting vaping in public areas in the near future amid lack of vaping “provisions” in the current local...

Jordan extends smoking restrictions to vaping – but will they be enforced?

Written by ECigIntelligence | 23rd July 2020

Jordan has brought e-cigarettes under tobacco regulations, including banning their use in indoor public spaces – but the e-cig industry does not expect the new regulations to be fully enforced ...

China Tobacco kicks off intensive compliance checks on e-cig sales

Written by ECigIntelligence | 22nd July 2020

Chinese authorities have decided to take further steps to toughen enforcement of e-cigarette regulations, increasing compliance checks in both online and offline channels ...

South Korea tries again to prohibit all e-cigarette advertising and promotion

Written by ECigIntelligence | 2nd July 2020

South Korea’s health minister Park Neung-hoo has announced a fresh plan to ban advertising and promotional activities for e-cigarettes and other tobacco-alternative products ...

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