Key Points
- BAT said three products received Red Dot recognition in the Product Design 2026 category.
- The winning products are glo Hilo Plus, Vuse Pro One Box and Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition.
- BAT said the awards reflect collaboration across design, R&D, engineering and commercial teams.
- Red Dot describes glo Hilo Plus as a two-part tobacco heater with a pen and charging case.
- Vuse Pro One Box is a rechargeable e-cigarette with replaceable pods and USB-C charging.
- Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition uses motorsport-inspired design cues and exchangeable batteries.
2Firsts
July 17, 2026
According to BAT, three of its products — glo Hilo Plus, Vuse Pro One Box and Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition — have been recognised in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2026. BAT said the awards highlight its growing design capability and its focus on combining innovation, functionality and user-centred thinking.
BAT also said on LinkedIn that the three products each received the “Red Dot” distinction in the Product Design 2026 category. The company said the awards reflected collaboration across its design, research and development, engineering and commercial teams.
Three Winning Products Span Heated Tobacco and Vaping Devices
BAT’s announcement shows that the winning products come from the glo and Vuse lines. glo Hilo Plus is part of BAT’s heated product portfolio, while Vuse Pro One Box and Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition are Vuse e-cigarette products.
The Red Dot Design Award website lists glo Hilo Plus as a Product Design 2026 winner. It describes the product as a tobacco heater consisting of a pen and charging case, with a touch-sensitive AMOLED display. The Red Dot jury said the product combines an elegant two-part design with precise controls and ember-coloured accents that visually reflect the heating process.
Vuse Pro One Box is also listed as a Product Design 2026 winner. Red Dot describes it as a rechargeable e-cigarette with a compact anodised aluminium casing, seven colour options and a three-hued LED that indicates battery level, lock function and mode. The device supports replaceable pods, USB-C charging and a switchable VapourBoost mode.
Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition applies motorsport-inspired design elements to an e-cigarette device. Red Dot says the product uses a brushed aluminium face, a translucent back that shows visible circuit boards resembling an abstract racetrack, Racing Papaya details linked to the McLaren F1 Team collaboration, and two interchangeable batteries to extend usage time.
BAT Says Design Is Part of Smokeless Product Development
BAT said the three awards recognise individual products but also represent the evolution of design as a core capability within the company. Its in-house design function spans industrial design, user experience and sustainability, and helps shape products across the group’s portfolio.
BAT said participation in the Red Dot Awards allows the company to benchmark products against global brands and receive independent feedback from design experts. It also said Red Dot judges assess more than appearance, evaluating products on innovation, usability, functionality and design quality.
The Red Dot product pages list the manufacturer of all three winning products as British American Tobacco BAT, London, United Kingdom, with in-house design credited for each product.
Smokeless Product Competition Extends to Device Experience
For BAT, Vuse and glo are core brands in its smokeless product portfolio. The Red Dot recognition shows how major tobacco companies are placing greater emphasis on device appearance, materials, user interface, longer-term use and brand collaboration as part of smokeless product competition.
Vuse Pro One Box is positioned around a shift from disposable to rechargeable devices. Vuse Ultra x McLaren F1 Team Limited Edition emphasizes a limited-edition collaboration, motorsport design cues and exchangeable batteries. glo Hilo Plus combines a heating device with a charging case and uses a display and colour accents to reinforce product interaction and visual identity.
The awards do not address product safety or regulatory authorization status. They do show, however, that design is becoming a more visible part of how smokeless nicotine products are positioned, differentiated and experienced by adult consumers.
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Cover Image source: BAT
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