Exclusive with LAMI's Southeast Asia Director Mr. Miao

Chill Brands H1 revenue fell 90% to $210,000, with a $3.1M operating loss tied to governance issues and one-off legal costs. The company exited the U.S., regained chill.com in Dec 2024, launched its Chill Connect platform, and raised £1M ($1.35M) via convertible debt in Apr 2025.

After Punjab's blanket ban on vaping, over 70 shop owners petitioned the Lahore High Court and secured provisional relief. The court suspended enforcement actions pending a July 3 hearing, initiating judicial scrutiny of the ban's legal foundations.

Imperial Brands’ e-cigarette brand blu has announced an upcoming “Summer Bundle” on its official website, highlighting cool-flavored products. Earlier this year, blu launched two pod-based devices—the BLU BOX KIT, which focuses on compatibility and safety, and blu 2.0, featuring adjustable flavor intensity and a power-saving mode.

The AL FAKHER brand has recently launched two cartridge-based shisha-style e-cigarettes in the European market: the AF 30K HYPERMAX ADVANCED and the Al Fakher Mini 3K. The former claims to offer 30,000 puffs and 45 flavors, while the latter focuses on portability, providing 3,000 puffs. Both products are now available in Europe.

While teen vaping hit a 10-year low, tobacco imagery in film and TV rose 70% in 2023, exposing around 17 million youths. Studies show such exposure triples the risk of nicotine use among teens, potentially undermining tobacco control efforts. 80% of Oscar-nominated films featured tobacco content, and music videos with tobacco imagery have surpassed 5 billion views.

The New South Wales (NSW) government in Australia plans to introduce the strictest nationwide legislation to crack down on the sale of illegal tobacco and e-cigarette products. Offenders face fines of up to AUD 1.5 million (approximately $990,000) and imprisonment for up to 7 years.