Special Report

The show had become an important check-in point for Chinese manufacturers and brand owners looking for signs of change in the U.S. market after months of softer demand. Instead, participants said the event highlighted a more restrained mood: traffic in the vape section was uneven, standout launches were limited, and conversations often failed to turn into orders.

Recent inspections and cargo disruption have led some logistics operators in the China-U.S. vape trade to see early signs of another U.S. border crackdown on illicit e-cigarettes. With late April to early May viewed as a key risk window, the market is watching closely. The bigger question is not only whether enforcement will tighten, but whether it can be sustained.

Sesh said its Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) for 64 nicotine pouch SKUs has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and advanced to the Filing stage, entering substantive scientific review. Industry experts say the development signals that the application has crossed a key technical and regulatory threshold, while also highlighting growing divergence in regulatory capability and market positioning within the nicotine pouch category.

The FDA updated public records on the PMTA authorization of a Glas vape product, renaming “Glas G Device” to “Glas G² Device” and releasing the order letter detailing scientific review and marketing restrictions. Company disclosures suggest the platform may include age-verification technology. If confirmed, Glas G² could be the first vape with device-level age verification to receive an FDA MGO. Glas executives also said menthol and other flavored pods could gain authorization in the future.

China’s 2026 “Two Sessions” again raised the issue of consumption tax reform. As the largest source of consumption tax revenue, the tobacco tax system—its collection stages, tax structure and regional revenue distribution—has re-entered the policy discussion. This article outlines the structure of China’s tobacco consumption tax, past adjustments and key areas of debate, providing international readers with background on one of the country’s most important tax categories.

Breeze Smoke and Glas, Inc. have separately requested White House review under Executive Order 12866 as the FDA advances draft guidance on flavored ENDS (RIN 0910-ZC78). The guidance aims to clarify evidentiary standards under the statutory “appropriate for the protection of public health” (APPH) framework. The parallel filings highlight industry concern over regulatory predictability, particularly as Glas’s PMTA review status has recently drawn market attention.

Escalating tensions involving Iran are disrupting air transit routes heavily used for China’s vape exports to Europe, preventing the usual post–Lunar New Year freight rate decline. While Europe-bound capacity reliant on Middle East hubs faces pressure, shipments to the United States remain largely unaffected for now. However, potential jet fuel price increases could broaden cost pressures globally.

France’s top health agency has confirmed that vaping is less harmful than smoking — but not risk-free — reshaping the country’s regulatory trajectory. As Paris withdraws a proposed vape tax and debates stricter ingredient, emissions and youth-protection rules, the ANSES report signals not prohibition, but tighter technical oversight. For manufacturers, retailers and EU policymakers, France may be previewing Europe’s next phase of nicotine governance.