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Category: Science & Innovation

  • S.Korea Releases Harmful-Ingredient Results for Tobacco Products

    S.Korea Releases Harmful-Ingredient Results for Tobacco Products

    South Korea released its first product-level harmful-ingredient test results for 465 tobacco products on Oct. 29, covering 256 conventional cigarettes, 104 heated-tobacco products, and 105 liquid e-cigarettes. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found formaldehyde, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in all 256 cigarette products, all 104 heated-tobacco products, and 99 of the 105 e-liquids tested. The tests covered 44 ingredients in cigarettes and heated-tobacco products and 20 in e-liquids, including nicotine, tar, and other potentially harmful substances.

    The government said it plans to develop testing methods to measure emissions generated during e-cigarette use, rather than testing liquids alone, and to begin testing and disclosing results for synthetic-nicotine products in 2027. The initial testing covered tobacco-derived nicotine products. Results for e-liquids reflect the contents of the liquids themselves and do not establish users’ exposure during inhalation or allow direct comparisons of health risks between product categories.

  • Study Says AI Bots Flooded UK Tobacco and Vape Consultation

    Study Says AI Bots Flooded UK Tobacco and Vape Consultation

    A study published in Tobacco Control found that 90,835 of the 118,756 responses to the UK government’s 2023 consultation on tobacco and vaping legislation were identified by the Department of Health and Social Care as fraudulent. Nearly all the bot-generated submissions opposed proposed restrictions on disposable vape sales. After the responses were excluded, 79.6% of valid respondents supported the restrictions, according to researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath.

    The researchers said the volume and consistency of the submissions suggested a coordinated campaign, but they could not establish who organized it or what its precise objective was. They described the findings as the first documented instance of large-scale automated interference in a formal UK public health policy consultation. Action on Smoking and Health Deputy Chief Executive Caroline Cerny called for safeguards against the use of technology to manipulate public consultations.

  • Social Media Leads Nicotine Pouch Discovery in UK, Haypp Finds

    Social Media Leads Nicotine Pouch Discovery in UK, Haypp Finds

    Social media is the leading source of new brand and product information for U.K. nicotine pouch consumers, with 66% of users discovering brands, products, and retailers through social platforms, according to research by online retailer Haypp. Search engines ranked second at 59%, followed by recommendations from friends and family at 44%. One-quarter of respondents said they discover new nicotine pouch brands through influencers.

    Haypp Head of External Affairs Marina Murphy said social media has become an important channel for product recommendations and discovery among pouch consumers. She noted that provisions of the U.K. Tobacco and Vapes Act addressing advertising are scheduled to take effect June 1, 2027, banning advertising of nicotine products, including paid online advertisements and sponsored social media posts. The research highlights the role of social media in nicotine pouch marketing and consumer information as the new restrictions approach.

  • Geek Bar Leads with Youth Vapers

    Geek Bar Leads with Youth Vapers

    About 1.44 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in early 2025, with 64.1% of youth vapers reporting use of Geek Bar, according to an Oct. 5 Public Health Alert published by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and NEJM Evidence. The analysis of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that 5.2% of students currently vaped, while approximately 460,000 used nicotine pouches, 69.2% of whom reported using Zyn.

    Fruit was the most popular vape flavor, while mint led among pouch users. The report noted that Geek Bar’s share had increased sharply from 2024, when Elf Bar was the leading brand. The FDA has said Geek Bar products are not authorized for sale in the United States.

  • NCR Voyix Integrates TruAge Digital Age Verification

    NCR Voyix Integrates TruAge Digital Age Verification

    NCR Voyix and the National Association for Convenience Stores (NACS) announced an integration of TruAge’s digital age-verification solution with NCR Voyix point-of-sale technology for U.S. convenience and fuel retailers. The integration allows retailers to verify customers’ ages, identify fraudulent or expired IDs, and check purchase limits using physical or digital driver’s licenses. NCR Voyix said the solution is designed to strengthen compliance for age-restricted purchases without adding steps for store employees.

    The integration is available to NCR Voyix RPOS customers through Cullinan Group, while the company’s new Voyix POS for CFR solution includes native TruAge support. NACS said the addition of NCR Voyix brings TruAge access to technology platforms serving approximately 75% of the convenience retail market, while Cullinan said the certified integration is currently available to more than 20,000 NCR Voyix RPOS stores.

  • BAT Survey Highlights Potential Impact of UK Vape Rules on Retailers

    BAT Survey Highlights Potential Impact of UK Vape Rules on Retailers

    A survey commissioned by British American Tobacco suggests proposed UK rules on the packaging and display of vapes and nicotine pouches could affect small retailers by limiting product choice and visibility. The Censuswide survey of 2,000 former smokers found that 31% buy nicotine products from corner shops or local newsagents, while 79% said flavor choice is important when selecting products and 31% said seeing multiple options on display influenced their purchase.

    BAT said restrictions on flavors, standardized packaging, and product displays could make it harder for retailers to manage stock and could contribute to missed sales. The government consultation on the proposed rules closes Oct. 2.

  • Menthol Prolongs Nicotine Effects in Rats: Study

    Menthol Prolongs Nicotine Effects in Rats: Study

    New research published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience found that male rats exposed to menthol-containing e-cigarette aerosols experienced nicotine effects that were stronger and lasted longer than those observed in rats exposed to nicotine alone. Researchers from Daegu Haany University used 81 male rats to examine the effects of nicotine and menthol aerosols, measuring changes in body temperature, nicotine levels, and nicotine metabolism by-products after exposure.

    The study found that combining menthol and nicotine prolonged nicotine-induced reductions in body temperature, with differences remaining significant 120 minutes after exposure, and increased levels of certain nicotine by-products in the blood. The researchers said the findings indicate menthol may alter the intensity and duration of nicotine’s physiological and drug-cue effects rather than functioning solely as a flavor additive. The researchers plan to examine the underlying brain signaling mechanisms and whether the effects differ between male and female rats.

  • E-Cigarette Directories Did Not Reduce Flavored Sales: Study

    E-Cigarette Directories Did Not Reduce Flavored Sales: Study

    A CDC Foundation study published in JAMA Network Open found that e-cigarette directory laws in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana did not produce sustained reductions in flavored e-cigarette sales. Researchers analyzing retail scanner data from January 2021 through April 2025 found no significant changes in nicotine sales or product availability in Alabama or Oklahoma, while Louisiana saw an initial decline in both after its directory was published. Louisiana sales rebounded within eight months and eventually exceeded pre-directory levels, driven in part by menthol prefilled cartridges and flavored disposable products not listed in the state directory.

    By April 2025, products not listed on state directories accounted for more than half of per-capita e-cigarette nicotine sales in all three states, raising questions about whether directory laws, as currently implemented, can effectively restrict unauthorized products.

  • UK Survey Highlights Vape Waste and Recycling Confusion

    UK Survey Highlights Vape Waste and Recycling Confusion

    A survey of 1,001 UK adults commissioned by nicotine pouch company übbs found significant gaps in public understanding of vape waste and battery disposal. While 62% knew vapes contain batteries and 73% viewed vape waste as at least somewhat of a problem, 46% said they would dispose of a used vape in general waste or household recycling. Only 12% correctly estimated that more than 10 million vapes are discarded in the UK each week.

    The survey also found that 33% of respondents said a cash-back or deposit scheme would most encourage responsible disposal, followed by more recycling points in shops at 31%. The findings come as the UK continues to address vape waste following its June 2025 ban on single-use vapes.

  • VTA Poll Finds Support for Science-Based Vape Regulation Reform

    VTA Poll Finds Support for Science-Based Vape Regulation Reform

    A nationwide survey in the United States commissioned by the Vapor Technology Association (VTA) found broad bipartisan support for reforming the FDA’s regulatory framework for vaping products, with particularly strong backing among President Donald Trump’s voters. Conducted by pollster Kellyanne Conway among 1,204 registered voters, including an oversample of 200 Trump voters, the survey found 71% support replacing the current FDA PMTA framework with science-based standards and 77% favor allowing vapor products with pending FDA applications that do not target youth to remain on the market while a revised system is implemented.

    The poll also found 65% of respondents support FDA reforms that would allow flavored vaping products for adults while maintaining youth protections, and 67% said regulations should reflect adult consumer demand for flavored products. At the same time, respondents strongly supported youth access restrictions, with 86% supporting robust age verification for all vape purchases, 84% favoring tougher penalties for retailers who sell to minors, and 80% supporting bans on youth-oriented marketing and product designs.

    VTA said the findings demonstrate public support for a streamlined, science-based regulatory pathway that differentiates adult access from youth prevention and promotes U.S.-based manufacturing. The association argued the current FDA regulatory system should be replaced with clearer scientific benchmarks that allow adult smokers access to authorized alternatives while enabling smaller manufacturers to compete alongside larger tobacco companies.