Key Takeaways
- French anti-tobacco group Contre-Feu released a statement on April 14 accusing e-cigarette manufacturers of promoting youth nicotine addiction through targeted marketing.
- The group called for plain packaging for all vaping products, stricter rules on flavor naming, and a ban on online sales.
- Contre-Feu said its 2025 survey of 13- to 16-year-olds found that more than half said fruity or sweet flavors were the main reason for trying e-cigarettes.
- The article cited data from the French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends showing that in 2022, 57.00% of French 17-year-olds had tried e-cigarettes and 6.20% used them daily, a figure said to have tripled since 2017.
- The article also said the French e-cigarette market generated nearly EUR 1.60 billion in revenue last year and had more than 3 million consumers.
2Firsts, April 15, 2026
According to the report, French anti-tobacco group Contre-Feu, formerly known as ACT, Alliance contre le tabac, has placed the e-cigarette industry in its sights and in a press release dated April 14 accused manufacturers of creating “a new generation of smokers.”
Contre-Feu called for tighter regulation of vaping products
Contre-Feu called for “concrete measures” to protect adolescents, including plain packaging for all vaping products. The group also requested “strict supervision of flavor naming” and a ban on online sales. Contre-Feu said these measures are essential to prevent the industry from recruiting a new generation of nicotine-dependent consumers.
The group said packaging and flavors are being used to attract young people
According to the group, manufacturers rely especially on packaging and taste to appeal to young consumers. Contre-Feu cited attractive flavor names such as “Licorne” and “Barbe à papa,” and also referred to products using video-game-style branding such as “Vape of Legends” and “Call of Vape.”
Survey data cited fruity and sweet flavors as the main trial driver‘
Contre-Feu cited its 2025 survey on e-cigarette use among 13- to 16-year-olds, saying that more than one adolescent in two in that age group reported that fruity or sweet flavors were the main reason for trying e-cigarettes. The group said that, contrary to the industry slogan of a “smoke-free world,” the goal is not to move people out of dependence but to bring them into it.
Youth experimentation and daily vaping levels remain a focus in France
The report also said that in 2022, nearly 57.00% of French 17-year-olds said they had already tried e-cigarettes. Data from the French Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends showed that 6.20% reported vaping daily that year, a figure the article said had tripled since 2017.
At the same time, Santé publique France recorded a strong decline in smoking in the country. The report said the daily smoking rate in France stood at 18.00% in 2024, while the share of daily smokers among people aged 18 to 75 fell from 28.60% to 18.20% over 10 years.
The group said tobacco companies are shifting their efforts toward vaping
Contre-Feu director Marion Catellin said that to offset the decline in tobacco consumption, major cigarette makers are moving their efforts toward vaping products and other so-called reduced-risk products, using flavors, packaging, and promotions to attract young people. She said 62.00% of their marketing budget is devoted to promoting reduced-risk products, including e-cigarettes, and warned that without concrete measures France risks seeing the emergence of a new generation dependent on nicotine.
The statement also said nicotine, classified as a poisonous substance under the French Public Health Code, can increase anxiety, worsen depressive symptoms, and disrupt cognitive development in adolescents.
The e-cigarette market was described as highly profitable
The group also argued that e-cigarettes represent a highly profitable market in France. According to data cited from Xerfi, the market is expected to grow by about 4.00% per year through 2027. Figures from Anses cited in the article said the French e-cigarette market generated nearly EUR 1.60 billion in revenue last year and had more than 3 million consumers.
The report also said that between 2018 and 2025, Europe saw EUR 18.70 billion in credit and EUR 27.90 billion in investment supporting the nicotine market, including e-cigarettes. Contre-Feu said that although the market is currently considered fragmented, tobacco companies clearly intend to regain control. The group specifically mentioned British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, and said the latter had even organized free distribution of its Veev e-cigarette in bars frequented by students.
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