Over time we’ve finished a number of experiments with uncommon vape flavours. Fairly often we’ve finished this for a little bit of enjoyable, however typically the outcomes have shocked us.
A great few years in the past, for instance, we went to a vape present with a small vary of very uncommon flavours.
One in every of them was barbecue sauce flavour and, as you’d anticipate, most individuals completely hated it. However one aged man informed us it was the very first thing he’d tasted since having a stroke.
The identical occurred with a Voop Juice vary we created for April Idiot’s Day. These e-liquids have been intentionally designed to style terrible, and I discovered the Cheese and Onion flavour disgusting. However some individuals truly appreciated it.
The purpose is, there are a number of forms of e-liquid and hundreds of flavours available on the market now. Some are uncommon and enchantment to a small viewers, whereas others have gained big recognition amongst hundreds of vapers. The good thing about that is that, it doesn’t matter what your style desire is, there’ll be one thing on the market that you simply’ll love.
And that’s essential, as a result of the extra you take pleasure in vaping, and the additional you progress away from tobacco flavours, the much less probably you might be to return to smoking.
Contents
How flavours assist people who smoke swap to vaping
Does the analysis again this up?
A 2013 survey of over 4000 vapers, led by Konstantinos Farsalinos, discovered that 48.5% of vapers felt that proscribing e-liquid flavours would improve cravings for cigarettes, whereas 39.7% felt that fewer flavours would make it much less probably for them to stop smoking.
Since then, non-tobacco flavours have turn into extra essential in initiation. In Konstantinos’ authentic survey, nearly all of vapers began with tobacco flavours, however a later survey which seemed on the flavour preferences of over 70,000 vapers discovered that non-tobacco flavours (within the US) have been the predominant selection when beginning vaping. The examine concluded that banning flavours might result in a lower in individuals beginning vaping and a rise in individuals switching again from vaping to smoking.
That is backed up by analysis by Russell et al, which discovered that menthol and tobacco flavours now rank in fifth and sixth place amongst grownup vapers. In a press convention organised by the New Nicotine Alliance, Russell talked additional concerning the outcomes, saying:
Proof from our personal analysis suggests {that a} considerably increased proportion of people who smoke preferring to vape non-tobacco flavors go on to fully stop smoking cigarettes inside three months.
In different phrases, non-tobacco flavours result in the next success fee when switching fully from smoking to vaping. This has been backed up by a examine by Lin Li et al that discovered:
Use of fruit and different candy flavored e-liquids is positively associated to people who smoke’ transition away from cigarettes.
One other smaller examine by Pacek et al surveyed 240 younger adults who twin use (each vape and smoke). Of their survey, 17% of younger vapers mentioned they’d smoke extra if flavours have been restricted to tobacco and menthol.
The concept that particular flavours could possibly be essential is backed up by trade analysis by JUUL, which discovered that vapers who used Mint or Menthol flavours have been 23% extra more likely to swap to vaping than those that used tobacco flavours.
May flavours help twin vapers?
Not everybody switches to vaping instantly. In spite of everything, your first puff on an digital cigarette doesn’t imply your final puff on a tobacco cigarette.
One survey reveals that 46% of twin vapers have fully switched to digital cigarettes after a 12 months however, for others, it may take for much longer.
One Dutch examine discovered that twin vapers have been extra probably to make use of tobacco, menthol or mint flavours. In distinction, individuals who solely vaped have been extra probably to make use of fruit or candy flavours. Nonetheless, this was a comparatively small examine with solely 61 unique vapers studied.
My private expertise is that all kinds of flavours may help twin vapers retain curiosity. I’ve seen individuals who proceed to smoke just a few cigarettes a day experiment with a whole lot of totally different flavours. If flavours may help retain curiosity, then twin vapers will smoke much less, hopefully not return to 100% smoking and ultimately swap to 100% vaping.
Maybe, for some, it’s only a matter of discovering that good e-liquid (and with hundreds of flavours on the market, that may take a while).
What influence do flavour bans have?
If flavours encourage individuals to change to vaping, it stands to purpose that banning them might have the other impact. New analysis is now backing this up.
One US examine by Friedman et al which examined 376,963 18-29 12 months olds discovered that flavour bans led to a 3.6% lower in every day vaping. Nonetheless,, there was a 2.2% improve in every day smoking charges in comparison with states the place there weren’t flavour bans.
Separate analysis by Friedman discovered that for each vape pod not bought due to vape bans result in an extra 12 cigarettes bought, whereas Saffer et al and Cotter et al each discovered that flavour bans result in individuals substituting cigarettes for vaping.
Lastly, on the 2024 E-Cigarette Summit, Dr Jasmine Khouja shared an estimate of the influence of a vaping flavour ban:
This graphic solely referred to grownup vapers, however talks with youthful individuals prompt that there could possibly be comparable unintended penalties:
Many reported they’d smoke extra and even begin smoking as a result of it appeared “disgusting,” making it simpler for them to stop smoking than vaping. Others expressed pleasure about stronger and cheaper illicit merchandise turning into out there, notably from overseas. These responses spotlight the complexity of unintended penalties and underscore the necessity for continued analysis.
Conclusion
There’s big concern within the UK about kids taking over vaping. If tendencies comply with the USA, this could reverse, however clearly, regulators don’t wish to depend on this.
The issue is that implementing a flavour ban might have some unintended penalties, which might embody extra individuals smoking, fewer individuals switching to vaping and an increase in illicit merchandise that already make up a 3rd of the market.
The problem with a flavour ban lies in its unintended penalties, comparable to elevated smoking charges, fewer vaping transitions, and a surge in illicit merchandise, which already make up a 3rd of the market.
To keep away from these penalties, it’s essential to make nuanced selections on flavours that steadiness any enchantment to younger individuals towards the necessity to keep away from elevated smoking charges.
Article sources
Buckell et al, Ought to Flavors be Banned in E-cigarettes? Proof on Grownup People who smoke and Latest Quitters from a Discrete Alternative Experiment, Sept 2017, The Nationwide Bureau of Financial Alternative
Cotti, C. D et al (2024). The impact of e-cigarette taste bans on tobacco use (Working Paper No. 32535). Nationwide Bureau of Financial Analysis. doi.org/10.3386/w32535
Duyff R. et al, Sweet Consumption Patterns, Results on Well being, and Behavioral Methods to Promote Moderation: Abstract Report of a Roundtable Dialogue, Jan 2015, Advances in Vitamin, Quantity 6, Subject 1, Pages 139S–146S, doi.org/10.3945/an.114.007302
Farsalinos Ok. et al, Affect of Flavour Variability on Digital Cigarette Use Expertise: An Web Survey, Dec 2013 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Well being 2013, 10(12), 7272-7282; doi.org/10.3390/ijerph10127272
Farsalinos Ok. et al, Patterns of flavored e-cigarette use amongst adults vapers in the US: an web survey (Dropbox)
Friedman et al, Flavored E-Cigarette Gross sales Restrictions and Younger Grownup Tobacco Use. Flavored e-cigarette gross sales restrictions and younger grownup tobacco use. JAMA Well being Discussion board, 5(12), e244594, doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2024.4594
Friedman, A. et al E-cigarette taste restrictions’ results on tobacco product gross sales (2024) (Working Paper No. 57).
Lee et al, How does using flavored nicotine vaping merchandise relate to development in direction of quitting smoking? Findings from the 2016 and 2018 ITC 4CV Surveys Feb 2021, Pubmed, DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntab033
Pacek et al, Younger grownup twin combusted cigarette and e-cigarette customers’ anticipated responses to hypothetical e-cigarette market restrictions, July 2019, Journal Substance Use and Misuse, doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2019.1626435
Romijnders et al. “E-Liquid Taste Preferences and Particular person Elements Associated to Vaping: A Survey amongst Dutch By no means-Customers, People who smoke, Twin Customers, and Unique Vapers.” Worldwide Journal of Environmental Analysis and Public Well being, (2019) doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234661.
Russell et al, Altering patterns of first e-cigarette taste used and present flavors utilized by 20,836 grownup frequent e-cigarette customers within the USA, 2018, Hurt Discount Journal,
Saffer, H., Ozdogan, S., Grossman, M., Dench, D. L., & Dave, D. M. (2024). Complete e-cigarette taste bans and tobacco use amongst youth and adults (Working Paper No. 32534). Nationwide Bureau of Financial Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3386/w32534
Shiffman et al, The Affect of Taste Descriptors on Nonsmoking Teenagers’ and Grownup People who smoke’ Curiosity in Digital Cigarettes, PubMed, 2015 Oct;17(10):1255-62. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntu333. Epub 2015 Jan 7.
Juul labs presents new knowledge on the function of flavors in switching from flamable cigarettes, June 2019, Juul knowledge insights
