InterTabac 2025 is underway in Dortmund, Germany. 2Firsts’ on-site reporting finds that this year’s vaping halls feel noticeably different from last year.
First, in terms of exhibitors, the number of vaping brands has fallen, and the presence of major players is less pronounced than in 2024. Overall foot traffic is similar, but exhibitors’ enthusiasm is clearly lower. From booth size to finishing details, the change is palpable. Last year many stands featured dancers, DJs, and other performances; such spectacles are rarely seen this year.
Second, at the product level, genuinely new launches are scarce. Homogenization is striking: booths are dominated by pod-based and open-system devices with little real novelty. Many products use transparent tanks and “2+10” or “0+10” bundle formats, but differences among offerings are limited.
Conversations with multiple exhibitors suggest that, beyond a general slowdown in European innovation, regulatory pressure is a key driver. Germany’s rules are stringent; during the show, plainclothes customs officers were reportedly checking on site whether products carried tax stamps. A tax stamp implies compliance with the TPD (EU Tobacco Products Directive), which tightly restricts product formats and specifications—leaving manufacturers little room to design and innovate.
In fact, Europe’s broader novel-nicotine market is in a period of regulatory uncertainty. Without clear policy signals, companies are reluctant to commit to R&D and instead prefer to “replicate” existing winners.
Overall, this year’s Dortmund show feels more like a “cautious showcase.” Under regulatory pressure and market uncertainty, the industry’s appetite for innovation has clearly weakened.
For more on-the-ground coverage, visit the 2Firsts InterTabac Special Section.
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