Tobacco Flavors Reign in the E-Cigarette Industry

On October 1, 2022, the "Regulations on Electronic Cigarette Management" will officially come into effect in China, with tobacco flavor becoming the only flavor allowed for electronic cigarettes domestically. Across the ocean, numerous states and cities in the United States have already banned flavored electronic cigarettes, and the European Union recently proposed a ban on flavored tobacco products. As a result, the range of e-cigarette flavors is rapidly narrowing and tobacco flavor is becoming the mainstream choice.

Amid the surge in tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products, both the e-liquid and atomizer are being put to the test in terms of how well they can complement each other and create a tobacco taste that consumers will find appealing. This has become a new challenge facing the e-cigarette industry.

Creating an electronic cigarette that accurately replicates the taste of traditional tobacco is no easy feat, and this is one of the primary challenges currently being tackled by many companies in the industry. In order to achieve genuine flavor and a satisfying mouthfeel, the electronic atomizer core is absolutely essential. The macro positioning and hardware and software capabilities of atomizer manufacturers have become the crucial factors in solving this challenge.

Technical issue: "Key" Cannot Open "Lock

Faced with the onslaught of tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, companies in the industry are employing various strategies. Currently, most companies are minimizing the tobacco flavor to cater to fruit-flavored users, which has resulted in a multitude of similar products that lack uniqueness.

What conditions must a high-quality tobacco-flavored e-cigarette possess in order to stand out? The global vapor core R&D company, Huachengda, answers that high recognition, a full aroma, and superior taste will create a memorable experience for users while also avoiding issues such as dry burning, burnt cores, condensation, and oil leakage.

Image source: Huachengda Note: It is not possible to translate this accurately without additional context.

Although the ideology and direction are very clear, the atomization core with a "tobacco flavor" still has pain points - mainly reflected in the instability of the atomization core, that is, the situation where the "key" does not match the "lock" often occurs.

The instability of assembly is determined by the structure and material of the atomizing core. The main cause of the instability of the liquid flow rate is dry burning and core charring. Inconsistent heating cannot guarantee consistent taste throughout.

For example, let's consider ceramic and cotton cores. Currently, ceramic cores have a greater hardness and are easier to assemble, but their fine and small pore structure makes it difficult for high-viscosity e-liquids to pass through, resulting in unstable liquid flow. On the other hand, cotton cores are completely permeable and have larger pores that allow e-liquids to pass through smoothly (see figure 2), but they still run the risk of burning and becoming stuck due to high temperatures in the market.

Chen Ping, CEO and Chief Engineer of Huachengda, a global atomization core R&D company, stated that there is a significant difference between tobacco and fruit-flavored e-liquids. Using atomization cores designed for fruit flavors on tobacco-flavored e-liquids can result in completely different sensory characteristics and unsatisfactory taste reproduction. Based on this difference, Huachengda has optimized its atomization cores specifically for tobacco flavors, building upon their existing technology. Chen explained that ideally, different flavors of e-liquids require different types of atomization cores, similar to how a lock requires a certain key to unlock it.

Source: Huachengda. Translation: Surface of Ceramic Core under Electron Microscope. Source: Huachengda.

Surface of Cotton Swab Under Electron Microscope Image source: Huachengda

Empowering the future with technology: Exploring the "third type" atomization core.

Once the stability issue was resolved through the upgrade of the atomization core, Huachengda faced a new challenge: How to fully express the tobacco flavor in e-liquid and make it more authentic.

Huachengda has invested a significant amount of effort in optimizing the technology behind their vaping products. According to Chen Ping, improvements were made in the structure, materials, formulation, and heating element. For instance, the previous generation used a heating wire to vaporize the liquid, leading to overheating, burning, and even breaking. However, the new heating screen technology evenly distributes heat, resulting in a fuller vapor and a robust structure that is less prone to breakage. This technology maintains the original high flavor profile over time.

Design concept of CottonX cotton core. Image source: Huachengda.

Huachengda is constantly moving forward on the road of innovation. After intensive research, the "fiber core" was finally born, and a patent was applied for in 2021. The manufacturing process of the fiber core involves crushing fibers into pulp, then bonding them with adhesive to ensure material consistency while improving uniformity, stability, and atomization effect. This technology still has room for improvement. After mixing with e-liquid, some fibers gradually expand due to oil soaking, which affects the liquid flow rate. Therefore, more performance and material testing is needed before the fiber core can be widely used.

Huachengda's COTTONX cotton core and the fiber core currently under development have different sizes and can be adapted to different usage scenarios. The larger core can be used for disposable products while the smaller one can be used for replaceable cartridge products. These two materials work together in atomizing the e-liquid.

Screenshot of Huachengda's patent application for fiber core.

Improving user experience has always been a focus of the entire industry," said Chen Ping, citing the example of oil storage cotton design. Its original purpose was to prevent oil leakage, but the cotton absorbed a small amount of e-liquid, which made users feel like they were getting less for their money. For electronic cigarette manufacturers, this drives the pursuit of excellence.

The development of atomization cores is different from that of chips. Chips only need to be made smaller, from 10 nanometers to 5 nanometers and then to 2 nanometers. However, the development direction of atomization cores is still to be explored. Targeted development should be done according to different regulatory requirements and user needs. Therefore, the development of atomization cores should be divergent in nature. Only companies with stronger research and development capabilities can make more technological reserves and go further in the future.

The exterior of the global professional atomization core industrial base, Huachengda Company. Source: Huachengda.

Author/ Zhu Hongxu

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