The Resurgence of Disposable E-cigarettes in the UK

At this month's UK Electronic Cigarette Summit, Liam Humberstone, Technical Director of Totally Wicked, a UK electronic cigarette retailer, and board member of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), delivered a speech titled "The Resurgence of Disposable E-cigarettes". Humberstone discussed the development of the e-cigarette industry and the recent surge in popularity of disposable e-cigarettes.

Screenshot source: UK Electronic Cigarette Summit.

Back in 2013, disposable electronic cigarettes were a product type believed by many to be in its infancy. Industry advocates and the entire industry were convinced that all e-cigarettes would be refillable, reusable, and rechargeable open systems. We can try to trace how disposable e-cigarettes were revived, understand the market forces driving growth, examine the scope of ethics and moral standards behind positive marketing activities, and fully study the "new consumers" of disposable vapor products that we can objectively understand. We will also compare these new users to our industry's existing customers before the latest arrivals of disposable e-cigarette products. In short, what impact do the brightly colored and flavorful new e-cigarette products have on the entire nicotine market: will consumers choose to smoke e-cigarettes, cigarettes, or other options?

From an industry perspective, this has directly led to stricter regulations. In November 2013, the focus was on Europe, and regulation shifted from TPD2 to TPD3. In the eight years since then, what advantages and disadvantages has Directive 2014/40/EU had on the diverse e-cigarette market it affects? To what extent has the market's persistent diversity been caused by changes in regulations? Was the UK's advanced position in reducing nicotine harm through vaping designed, "encouraged," or just a happy accident? Why do France, Germany, and the UK's vape markets have such apparent differences? Finally, as an industry sector, what requests can we make of policymakers and regulators that are in the best interests of our customers now and in the future? Unlike today's disposable e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes from a decade ago looked just like traditional cigarettes. However, at that time, the technology used was similar to that used today, including internal structure and e-liquid vaporization. As Liam said, "Beneath the surface differences, there isn't too much of a disparity," as shown in the diagram below.

Screenshot credit: UK Electronic Cigarette Summit.

Over the past two years, the value of the disposable e-cigarette market in the UK has skyrocketed from £10.6 million to £671 million, an increase of 63 times. Meanwhile, open-system refillables and pod systems have remained steady, as shown in the graph below.

Screenshot Source: UK Vaping Summit

Single-use products are more popular among young users, with a seven to ten year age difference between users of single-use products and those who use 10-milliliter products, as seen in the two screenshots below. The two popular single-use products depicted in the images are from Shenzhen IQI Technology Co., Ltd and Shenzhen Geekvape Technology Co., Ltd. These companies have grabbed hold of the industry's growth trend, and have now become top exporters of single-use e-cigarettes to the UK.

Screenshot provided by the UK Electronic Cigarette Summit.

Interestingly, there is a preference for the "cotton candy ice" flavor among users aged 46 to 70. Therefore, as Liam puts it, "don't assume who might like what (flavor)" as shown in the following image.

Screenshot source: UK electronic cigarette summit.

In addition, Liam commented on the EU TPD3 and EU consumer taxes, stating that these policy reforms may have a negative impact on the development of the vaping industry. He also mentioned that the outcome of the next election will play a significant role in determining the future of the TRPR in the UK, as it is subject to government changes. Furthermore, tobacco control measures may become less prioritized in policy-making.

Further reading:

2021-2022: The Reemergence of Disposable E-cigarettes - A Journey of Rebirth for an Industry