ASA orders Relx and Louis Shaw to stop promoting e-cigarettes on Instagram

Market by The Drum

Jun.29.2022

The ASA concluded that it breached the Cap Code (Edition 12) 2.1, 2.3 and 22.12.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has directed Chinese e-cigarette brand Relx and Geordie Shore star Louis Shaw to stop promoting nicotine-containing e-cigarettes on Instagram.

In December 2021 an Instagram story on Shaw’s account showed a hand holding two boxes containing unlicensed e-cigarettes with the brand name RELX, with text stating: ‘@RELXUK’ and ‘GET YOUR OWN – RELAX WITH 15% OFF – LOUISXMAS15.’ This 15% discount code for the product was considered promotional by the ASA.

ASA orders Relx and Louis Shaw to stop promoting e-cigarettes on Instagram — ASA directs Relx and Louis Shaw to not promote e-cigarettes on Instagram in future

The ad also featured text saying, ‘This product contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance.’

The ASA concluded that it breached the Cap Code (Edition 12) 2.1, 2.3 and 22.12.

The post was investigated on two grounds:

The complainant challenged whether the ad did not make clear its commercial intent

The ASA challenged whether the ad breached the code by promoting unlicensed, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and their components on Instagram

Also read:

RELX Vapes Seized by Regulator Possibly due to Incomplete Docs

#E-cigarette #E-cigarettes and Tobacco #RELX Technology

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

Product | BAT Revises Japan's VELO Convenience Store Lineup, Adding ¥380 Mango Pouches as Selected SKUs Exit

Product | BAT Revises Japan's VELO Convenience Store Lineup, Adding ¥380 Mango Pouches as Selected SKUs Exit

British American Tobacco's Japanese subsidiary, BAT Japan, launched VELO Mango Ice Medium on November 2, 2026, with distribution expanding to selected 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, NewDays and Seicomart stores from November 3. The new oral tobacco product contains 15 pouches per can and retails for ¥380, featuring a mango and cooling flavor profile at Medium intensity. At the same time, BAT Japan raised prices on multiple existing VELO products from ¥360 to ¥380 per can and withdrew selected SKUs from convenience store distribution without discontinuing them entirely. The changes affect product assortment, pricing and retail channel allocation.

Russia's State Duma Passes Tobacco and Nicotine Ingredient Disclosure Bill, Targeting 2027 End to Trade-Secret Protection for Certain Harmful Ingredient Data

Russia's State Duma Passes Tobacco and Nicotine Ingredient Disclosure Bill, Targeting 2027 End to Trade-Secret Protection for Certain Harmful Ingredient Data

Russia's State Duma passed a government-sponsored amendment on November 11, 2026, by 414 votes to none, seeking to prevent businesses from classifying information on the presence and number of types of certain harmful ingredients in tobacco and nicotine-containing products as trade secrets. The measure covers ingredients capable of increasing nicotine dependence or exhibiting toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicity, including substances that acquire such properties during heating or smoldering. Bill No. 1286415-8 would amend Article 5 of Federal Law No. 98-FZ on Commercial Secrets and is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. The bill has cleared all three readings in the State Duma but has not completed the remaining legislative procedures.

Nov.12 by 2Firsts Perspectives

Special Report | Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing

Special Report | Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing

Nicotine analogues such as 6-methylnicotine are already appearing in e-cigarettes and oral pouches, even as key human evidence remains limited. A new Nixodine-S study adds nonclinical data showing differences from nicotine in cytotoxicity and receptor activity, while independent studies point to a more complex toxicological picture. With supply-chain activity growing and FDA seeking clearer authority over nicotine analogues, the industry now faces a larger question: what evidence is needed before these substances can credibly replace nicotine?

Russia's Vape Ban Decisions Reach 17 Regions With 39 More Considering Laws, Putting Over 3,000 St. Petersburg Retail Outlets in Focus

Russia's Vape Ban Decisions Reach 17 Regions With 39 More Considering Laws, Putting Over 3,000 St. Petersburg Retail Outlets in Focus

Russia's regional vape retail restrictions are expanding. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on November 7 that 17 regions had adopted decisions to ban vape sales, while another 39 were preparing or considering similar legislation. On November 12, lawmakers in Leningrad Oblast and the Republic of Karelia adopted bans scheduled to begin on March 1, 2027. A day earlier, St. Petersburg unanimously approved a five-year ban proposal in its first reading. The city has 615 specialist vape shops and more than 2,400 other retail outlets selling vaping products alongside other goods. Under Federal Law No. 186-FZ, enacted in June 2026, Russian regions may prohibit retail sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems and related liquids between March 2027 and March 2032. The legislation also restricts licensed suppliers from delivering covered products to retail premises in regions where bans apply.

Special Report | Altria's NACS Booth Raises Questions Over U.S. Tobacco Advertising Warnings

Special Report | Altria's NACS Booth Raises Questions Over U.S. Tobacco Advertising Warnings

During its coverage of Altria's booth at NACS Show 2026, 2Firsts documented product displays that prompted questions about U.S. tobacco advertising warning requirements. Following public comments from a former FDA official, 2Firsts sought responses from Altria and independently consulted U.S. regulatory lawyer Azim Chowdhury. Altria maintained that its B2B communications complied with applicable laws, while Chowdhury explained that federal warning rules provide no general trade-show exemption for e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The special report examines the broader regulatory implications.

On-Site Report | CTP Details PMTA Backlog, 180-Day Review Goal and sPMTA Process

On-Site Report | CTP Details PMTA Backlog, 180-Day Review Goal and sPMTA Process

FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products detailed new PMTA review data and process changes at the 2026 FDLI conference. Pending PMTAs fell from about 450,000 at the start of 2025 to 135,000 by September 2026. CTP also discussed its 180-day review goal, current sPMTA pilot, alternate-supplier planning, more than 50,300 pending SE reports, and lessons from the nicotine pouch pilot already being applied to ENDS review.

Related Topics

Related Read

Product | BAT Revises Japan's VELO Convenience Store Lineup, Adding ¥380 Mango Pouches as Selected SKUs Exit

Product | BAT Revises Japan's VELO Convenience Store Lineup, Adding ¥380 Mango Pouches as Selected SKUs Exit

Russia's State Duma Passes Tobacco and Nicotine Ingredient Disclosure Bill, Targeting 2027 End to Trade-Secret Protection for Certain Harmful Ingredient Data

Russia's State Duma Passes Tobacco and Nicotine Ingredient Disclosure Bill, Targeting 2027 End to Trade-Secret Protection for Certain Harmful Ingredient Data

2Firsts Perspectives

Special Report | Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing

Special Report | Can Nicotine Be Replaced? 6-MN Is Already on the Market While Key Human Evidence Is Still Missing

Russia's Vape Ban Decisions Reach 17 Regions With 39 More Considering Laws, Putting Over 3,000 St. Petersburg Retail Outlets in Focus

Russia's Vape Ban Decisions Reach 17 Regions With 39 More Considering Laws, Putting Over 3,000 St. Petersburg Retail Outlets in Focus

Special Report | Altria's NACS Booth Raises Questions Over U.S. Tobacco Advertising Warnings

Special Report | Altria's NACS Booth Raises Questions Over U.S. Tobacco Advertising Warnings

On-Site Report | CTP Details PMTA Backlog, 180-Day Review Goal and sPMTA Process

On-Site Report | CTP Details PMTA Backlog, 180-Day Review Goal and sPMTA Process