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Investigation with National Trading Standards find ‘nicotine free’ vapes are falsely advertised

  • A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) initiative tracked the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales, working with Salford City Council
  • Tests carried out on ‘nicotine free’ vapes find one in every eight products were found to contain nicotine 
  • Consumers exposed to nicotine in significant quantities, equal to the amount in a packet of 20 cigarettes

Led by National Trading Standards (NTS), Salford City Council’s Trading Standards team alongside Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and the Trading Standards team in Berkshire, have worked collaboratively to test ‘nicotine free’ vapes on sale to UK consumers and track the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales.

As part of Operation Joseph, the DHSC government funded initiative was set up to tackle specific aspects of enforcement and compliance around the sale of vaping products. The project includes collating national data on enforcement, helping to support local authorities and increase enforcement activity as well as targeted testing and port seizure work. 

Close-up of person vaping

According to data released from NTS at the end of 2024, the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales found:

  • 1.19 million illegal vapes seized by Trading Standards in 2023-24, a 59% increase
  • 299,224 vapes confiscated in Quarter 4 2023-24
  • 24% of 775 test purchases in Quarter 4 2023-24 resulted in illegal sales of vapes to under 18s

Consumers who expect to buy nicotine free products have been warned, as a result of the investigation, that they are being unknowingly exposed to nicotine and its addictive effects in significant quantities.

The key findings of 76 products sold and tested as nicotine free vapes showed that:

  • More than one in every eight (13.2%) of products tested contained nicotine in amounts ranging from 0.06 mg/ml to 27.02 mg/ml, the amount equivalent to a packet of 20 cigarettes
  • Of the products found to contain nicotine, they also exceeded the limit on the amount of e-liquid permitted in vapes
  • Consumers have unknowingly taken high levels of nicotine in significant quantities, with eight of ten samples failing at part of tests

Councillor Barbara Bentham Lead, Member for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Community Safety at Salford City Council said: “As a key priority in our Corporate Plan, it’s pivotal that we make sure that everyone in Salford has the opportunity to live longer, healthier and happier lives. That means protecting the health of our residents and in particular, safeguarding children from the flood of dangerous, illegal products that are being sold in our city and across the UK.

“As a growing national concern, we are committed to working with partners like National Trading Standards to remove illegal vapes from our communities and urge businesses to ensure that vaping products are not sold to children. Those who choose to ignore legal regulations will face thorough investigations to enforce compliance so that we continue to ensure the highest standards of safety are met.”
 
Suspected cases can be reported to the Citizens Advice consumer service by calling 0808 223 1133.

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Date published
Monday 17 March 2025

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