Europe: Why Are New Vaping Products Becoming Scarce?

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Europe: Why Are Fresh Vaping Products Becoming Scarce?

Fresh item launches have become increasingly rare among e-cigarette manufacturers, even as China's vaping exports remain up for the year.

The most likely explanation lies in Article 11 of the EU Batteries Regulation, which will require batteries to be removable and replaceable by the user from 18 February 2027.

This stands in stark contrast to previous years, when new products were arriving on the market almost every week.

Exports of vaping and heated tobacco devices increased by 6.1% to $2.24 billion, although they have remained below their 2025 levels every month since May (-8.2% from May to August).

Nicotine products: HS code 24041200 (disposable vapes, prefilled pods, e-liquids).

Devices: HS code 85434000, including heated tobacco devices.

The sharp decline in nicotine product exports in April (-30.1%) could be explained by China’s removal of VAT export rebates for these products on 1 April 2026.

For vaping hardware, however, these rebates will not be abolished until April 2027, sense their removal cannot explain the decline in gadget exports observed since May.

The reply may instead lie in Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 , which will apply from 18 February 2027.

The regulation replaces a 2006 directive on batteries, which required batteries to be removable from devices either by the user or by a qualified professional.

The regulation states that “Any natural or legal individual that places on the market products incorporating portable batteries shall ensure that those batteries are readily removable and replaceable by the end-user at any period during the lifetime of the product.

This provision will therefore require e-cigarette manufacturers, among others, to equip their products with batteries that vapers can easily replace themselves.

It is also worth remembering that the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) requires all new vaping products to be notified six months before they can be placed on the market.

This could explain the slowdown in new vaping product launches.

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