Innovation

Shopify has instructed merchants using its web-hosting services to remove vape products from their online stores by July 8, 2026. The policy expands beyond illegal products and applies to all electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), marking a broader shift in online platform oversight of nicotine sales.

Reuters reported on July 13, 2026, that India is seeking to dismiss Adani Airports’ legal challenge over nicotine pouch sales at Mumbai International Airport’s duty-free shops. Adani denies wrongdoing and argues that existing drug and cosmetics regulations do not apply to duty-free sales or nicotine pouches.

A patent published on February 24, 2026, by China Tobacco Hubei Industrial Co., Ltd. introduces a “nicotine jelly” product designed to combine rapid and sustained nicotine delivery. By integrating both free and microencapsulated nicotine, the product aims to address key limitations of traditional nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), while also raising new regulatory and product classification questions.

A newly published China Tobacco patent proposes a holder-free heat-not-burn stick that integrates the filter, tobacco substrate, heating element, controller and power source into one cigarette-shaped product. It stands out not just for eliminating the external heating device, but for explicitly highlighting two less common goals in heated tobacco: restoring cigarette-like social sharing and enabling post-use recovery through a recoverable component group.

According to a LinkedIn post published by Sesh CMO Josh Metz on February 25, 2026, Sesh Products has introduced a 200-pouch nicotine pouch refill bag sold with a reusable metal can. In a U.S. MO market dominated by 20-pouch plastic cans, the product offers a larger retail unit size. The company lists a standard price of USD 49.99, with a uniform 15% discount currently applied, bringing the price to USD 42.49.

U.S.-based medical startup Qnovia Inc. reported positive results from its first-in-human clinical trial of RespiRx, an inhalable nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) device designed to support smoking cessation.

Recently, the US e-cigarette market has launched several innovative products from brands like VOZOL, GEEKBAR, and SMOK. These new products feature technological advancements, improved user experience, and innovative designs, showing clear trends of personalization and intelligence.

At the beginning of the 2025 Spring Festival, the CFU 11F of FirstUnion Group grandly launched a special edition, focusing on the current market with the theme of "technology leads ____?" and submitted five answers.