TPD Compliance
WHAT IS TPD
TPD stands for Tobacco Products Directive (Tobacco Products Directive 2014/14/EU (TPD)), an initiative created by the EU to regulate tobacco products, how they’re advertised and how they can be sold to consumers. The principle behind it is to increase the health protection and awareness surrounding tobacco products. TPD covers every aspect of tobacco production and retail from their manufacture, where they can be sold, how they can be displayed, what their packaging looks like and how they’re sold.
It applies to all tobacco products including rolling tobacco, cigarettes, cigars as well as vaping tech and e-liquids. The regulations ensure ingredients are tested before they’re sold to consumers and must be displayed on the packaging. TPD also applies to where people can use tobacco products and regulate how they’re taxed.
WHY DOES IT APPLY TO VAPING?
Vaping products are still classified as tobacco products, even though they don’t contain tobacco leaf itself. The reason for this is that much of the nicotine that’s used in e-liquid is distilled from the tobacco plant as it contains the highest concentration in any plant. There are now synthetic forms of nicotine as well but any product containing nicotine still falls under TPD regulations.
WHEN DID IT COME INTO EFFECT?
The TPD was established in May 2014 and became law on the 20th of May 2016. What this meant for vaping retailers was that any remaining non-compliant stock had to be sold before this date. As a result, some brands that were previously available may no longer be on shelves and the way in which e-liquid is sold has changed.
What are the regulations/how does it affect vaping?
There are a number of regulations, most of which affect the size of e-cigarettes capacity and how e-liquid is sold. By and large though, much of it from a consumers point of view remains the same. The main change was the way in which e-cigarette products had to be labelled.
- E-cigarette tanks including pod systems can now only contain a maximum of 2ml of e-liquid.
- The maximum bottle size of e-liquid containing nicotine is now 10ml
- The highest strength nicotine e-liquid you can get is 20mg (that’s 20mg of nicotine per millilitre of e-liquid). In contrast to the States which can go as high as 50mg
- All nicotine-containing e-liquids must be packaged in child-resistant bottles
- Products cannot contain caffeine or taurine
- Packaging must indicate that the product contains nicotine and advertise the fact that nicotine is an addictive substance
- All e-cigarettes and e-liquids must be submitted to the MHRA for approval before they can be sold
What Vape Superstore are doing to be compliant
Since TPD came into effect, The Vapour Shop have followed the guidelines set in place to become totally TPD compliant. All of our tanks are under the 2ml maximum capacity, no matter whether you’re buying a tank on its own or as a part of a kit.
E-liquid containing nicotine are sold in a 10ml maximum capacity bottle. If you’re looking for larger bottles that contain nicotine, you can now utilise short fills instead. They’re larger bottles of e-liquid which you mix with a concentrated 10ml bottle of nicotine to mix to a low-dose nicotine strength.
Each of the e-liquids that are produced by Vape Superstore have all been submitted and notified to the MHRA for certification, all of which have passed and declared as TPD compliant.
None of the products you find at The Vapour Shop contain taurine or caffeine. They’re also all diacetyl free, an ingredient that there has been concern over causing popcorn lung. All of the ingredients used in e-liquids are listed on their packaging and all of them will come with a nicotine warning too.