China’s e-cigarette industry has strong competitiveness in the global market. Among them, Chinese companies own one-off brands such as Elf Bar and Lost Mary, Elux, Geek Bar, and SKE Crystal, which are widely recognized in the British and American markets. In the context of the sharp increase in overseas demand for disposable products and the stricter supervision of disposable products by various governments, the customs issued the “Guidelines on Promoting the Construction of Quality Assurance Systems for Exported Vape Products”, which will help reduce corporate compliance risks and provide support for the healthy and steady development of China’s vape exports. It is expected that the share of China’s vape export market is expected to be concentrated in companies that comply with regulations.
The main points are as follows：
The Disposable Vape Market is Growing Rapidly
The vape market continues to grow, especially for disposable products. According to the Oriental Tobacco News’ “2022 World Tobacco Development Report”, global vape sales growth has rebounded, with a year-on-year growth of 20.0% in 2022, reaching US$23.65 billion.
Among them, open vape and e-liquid increased by 8.1% year-on-year, reaching US$8.72 billion; closed vape increased by 28.2% year-on-year, reaching US$14.93 billion.
Disposable vape sales reached US$2.55 billion, nearly doubling year-on-year.
The United States (sales of US$9.00 billion), the United Kingdom (sales of US$5.03 billion), and Canada (sales of US$1.98 billion) are the top three markets in the world.
Vape Export Volume Increased Significantly in 2023
As of January-June 2023, vape exports grew rapidly year-on-year, but exports fell back in June. Customs data shows that in 2022, the total export value of vape and similar personal electronic atomization equipment and other non-combusted inhalation products containing nicotine reached US$9.886 billion, while the export value from January to June in 2023 was US$5.482 billion, year-on-year. An increase of 29.16%. Among them, the export volume in June was US$942 million, a year-on-year increase of 10.38%, but a month-on-month decrease of 6.66%.
In order to improve the quality and safety level of exported vape products, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has issued relevant documents. According to the bureau’s announcement, the “Guidelines on Promoting the Construction of Quality Assurance Systems for Exported Vape Products” issued on July 18, 2023, proposed that companies should take into account actual conditions, actively learn from international advanced technologies, rules, and standards, and strive to improve product quality. , ensure product safety, and comprehensively improve the quality and safety level of exported vape products.
US Market
Disposable vapes are growing rapidly, but the FDA has also tightened regulations on disposable products. As the world’s largest vape market, according to CDC official website data, as of the first four weeks of December 25, 2022, the sales proportion of disposable vape increased by 27.1 percentage points to 51.8%, with brands such as Elf Bar and Breeze Smoke ranking among the top five. However, according to the FDA’s official website, on June 22, 2023, the FDA issued warning letters to 189 retailers, requiring them to remove unlicensed tobacco products, especially Elf Bar and Esco Bars products.
UK Market
The proportion of disposable vape use has increased significantly in 2022, and young people prefer disposable products. According to data from the ASH official website, the number of vape users in the British market reached 4.3 million in 2022, accounting for 6.6 percentage points in the adult population, reaching 8.3%. Among them, the proportion of users who mainly use disposable products has increased significantly from 15.0% in 2021 to 27.7% in 2022, especially among young people, who have a higher usage rate:
48% among people aged 18-24
19% among people aged 25-34
The survey shows that 20.5% of people have used vape in 2023, of which 7.6% use it regularly or occasionally, and 69% of them use disposable products. Brands such as Elf Bar, Lost Mary, Elux, Geek Bar, and Crystal are among the brands most tried by young people.
Through the above data and opinions, it can be seen that China’s vape industry is continuing to flourish in the global market, and disposable products are showing a rapid growth trend worldwide. However, as countries tighten supervision over disposable products, Chinese vape export companies need to actively adapt and improve their product quality assurance systems to ensure corporate compliance and gain a larger share in the fiercely competitive international market.
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