FLER at APE

SnowPlus has introduced a nicotine-free version of DASH in South Korea, adapting an existing overseas disposable platform for the local market. The Korean version retains the series’ flat duckbill-style mouthpiece, ceramic heating architecture and disposable form factor while reducing nicotine content to 0%. By comparison, the overseas DASH 4000 platform typically features 7.5ml of prefilled e-liquid, up to 4,000 puffs and a 530mAh rechargeable battery, with nicotine-containing variants available in some markets. The product update centers on formulation localisation rather than a new hardware generation.

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is expanding its Ploom heated product ecosystem with LYO tobacco-free nicotine sticks. Designed specifically for Ploom devices, LYO contains nicotine but no tobacco. Public information shows that the product has gradually entered several European markets, including Spain, Portugal and Germany, and was officially introduced in Romania in July 2026. The launch highlights JTI’s efforts to explore broader nicotine consumable formats beyond traditional tobacco-based sticks.

China’s vape exports to the U.S. reached approximately $1.58 billion in the first half of 2026, remaining broadly stable from a year earlier but still below previous growth momentum. 2Firsts’ analysis of China Customs data shows that the U.S. market has not simply returned to its previous trajectory after the enforcement shock and inventory-driven swings of 2025. Instead, export momentum is shifting across product categories. Vaping devices and atomization hardware increased 15.2% year over year, while 6-methyl nicotine-related and other nicotine substitute products surged 234.7%. Meanwhile, traditional nicotine-containing vaping products continued to face pressure.

Spanish newspaper El Confidencial interviewed Fred Monteiro, Regional Director for Americas and Europe at British American Tobacco (BAT). Monteiro said BAT supports setting regulatory limits for nicotine products but opposes Spain’s proposed 0.99mg nicotine-per-pouch limit, arguing that such a restriction could affect adult smokers’ transition to alternatives. He said nicotine regulation should be based on scientific evidence and harm reduction principles. Monteiro also said smoke-free products now account for around 25% of BAT’s Americas and Europe business and nearly 30% of its Europe business

Australia’s Coalition has unveiled a national illicit-tobacco policy that would cut tobacco excise by 80% and create legal, regulated and taxed adult markets for vaping products and nicotine pouches if it wins government. The plan proposes an excise of A$0.50 per millilitre of e-liquid and A$0.025 per milligram of nicotine in pouches, alongside A$200 million in additional enforcement and a A$60 million three-year public-awareness campaign. The Coalition says the package would narrow the price advantage of illicit products and undermine organised crime, while Labor and public-health groups warn that dramatically cheaper cigarettes could reverse long-term declines in smoking.

Philip Morris International (PMI) Chief Global Communications Officer Moira Gilchrist said artificial intelligence is changing how companies understand audiences, manage owned information channels and communicate business transformation. PMI is using AI-generated audience personas to test messaging while optimizing its corporate website and other owned channels for large language models. As PMI continues its transition from cigarettes toward smoke-free products, Gilchrist said owned data and corporate channels are becoming increasingly important in demonstrating the scale of that transformation.