UK Vaping Laws: TPD Explained

The need for TPD explained to existing vapers is necessary for your future purchases. TPD  stands for 'Tobacco Product Directive', a series of rules and regulations established by the European Union to regulate and increase the safety of tobacco and tobacco-related products.

The TPD covers various aspects of tobacco and related products, such as manufacturing, producing, and selling cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco vapes, and  e-liquids. The TPD aims to better control these substances and devices through legislation, recommendations, and information campaigns, hoping to create a safer environment for using these products.

In conclusion, the regulations of the TPD cover - the marketing and production of tobacco products (packaging, labelling and ingredients), restrictions on the advertising of tobacco products, the creation of smoke-free environments, taxes, preventative measures against illegal trade of these products, and anti-smoking campaigns. When it comes to vapes and e-liquids, the TPD has introduced rules that:

• Set a minimum quality for safety and quality.

• Ensure consumers are provided with information on nicotine-containing products.

• Protect children and prevent them from starting to use these products.

It's worth noting that the UK was still part of the EU when this piece of legislation was introduced, and it is still something the UK follows even after it departed from the EU in 2020.

The European Union brought the TPD into effect on 14th May 2014, and it was then enforced in the EU Member states almost two years later to the day on 20th May 2016.

TPD rules concerning vapes and e-liquids came into effect a year later, in May 2017, and with them came new laws and regulations that the UK still follows today. These include a new ban on disposable vapes from June 2025 and a new tax on e-liquids set to be enforced from October 2026.

Since 2017, UK manufacturers and retailers have had to comply with regulations regarding the manufacture and supply of e-liquids and vape devices. Here's what they entail:

• E-liquid containers can only have a maximum capacity of 10 ml.

• Pods and tanks can only have a maximum capacity of 2 ml.

• The nicotine strength of e-liquids can be no more than 20 mg/ml.

• All e-liquid bottles must be child-resistant and tamper-evident.

• E-liquids cannot contain caffeine, taurine or colourings.

• All products must be submitted to the MRHA before they can be sold.

• Relevant warnings and information about the product in question must be present.

As a vape product distributor, Ecigone upholds these regulations to ensure you're getting the best quality products. We only source our products from reliable distributors to ensure they meet not only the  TPD  regulations but also our own high standards. We're committed to bringing you top-quality products that are held to the strictest standards, along with the best customer service we can provide.

While TPD laws are pretty robust and cover many bases, some products out there fall into a bit of a grey area and technically fall outside these regulations. First, we know that the maximum e-liquid capacity is 10 mg. This helps regulate the amount of nicotine per bottle. But when it comes to shortfill e-liquids, they can get around this restriction by providing their e-liquids without nicotine. 

Shortfills come in either 5 ml or 100 ml bottles and can have nicotine added to them by way of a 10 ml nicotine shot. This also lets vapers customise their nicotine strengths more precisely.

Regarding vape devices, we know that from June 2025, disposable vapes will be banned in the UK. While they comply with TPD standards, the ban comes from other issues surrounding them, like electronic waste and minors taking up vaping. There are, however, disposable-style vapes that get around the TPD restrictions and the ban, and these devices are called Big Puff Vapes. 

Big Puffs are technically disposable but come with much bigger batteries and puff counts. Many of these devices are rechargeable and have prefilled refill cartridges - internal or replaceable. It's this difference that, while over the TPD limit for e-liquid capacity, manages to put them outside TPD restrictions and more in line with pod kits. 

While these products are currently in the TPD grey area, I fully expect the UK government to pass laws or extend the TPD regulations to include them, especially Big Puff vapes. For now, though, they are free for us all to enjoy (responsibly, of course).

The initial worry when the TPD laws came in was that the numerous ranges of e-liquids would decline, and the prices would go up. The restriction to 10ml bottles and 20mg/ml could have spelt disaster. But it didn't. In recent years, vaping has thrived, with more lines of vape juice being produced than ever before, along with more shortfalls - bigger bottles with no nicotine that can have it added separately - so vapers can still enjoy all their favourite flavours despite the new TPD laws.

While these new restrictions did cause some minor inconveniences in the vaping industry, the change has been positive. Manufacturers have improved the designs of their hardware, so we're seeing some of the most innovative kits around. The added safety precautions like child-proof caps and tamper-resistant measures have made vaping safer than ever, not to mention the full disclosure of ingredients used in vape juices, allowing vapers to enjoy their vaping sessions with peace of mind.

So that's TPD. Restrictions in the name of safety always tend to be a good idea, as it benefits us as consumers to ensure the devices and products we use are safe to consume. Regarding further TPD restrictions, we'll have to wait and see what happens, especially regarding Big Puff Vapes and shortfill e-liquids. We already know that a tax on e-liquids will be coming into force from October 2026, so it stands to reason that more of these types of restrictions are imminent.

As for Ecigone, we will continue to hold our products to the highest possible standards to ensure you can enjoy the best vaping experience possible. We will also bring you all the latest vaping information as it becomes available.