TPD compliant products are critical in protecting consumers’ health, among other benefits. One of the areas where TPD regulations are thoroughly enforced is vaping. From vape pens to e-liquid bottles and caps, there are multiple standards and regulatory controls set by the TPD that manufacturers, suppliers, and even consumers must follow.
This article reveals all about TPD Compliance as it relates to vaping, beginning from the TPD meaning.
TPD Compliant – What Does It Mean?
What is TPD?
TPD stands for the Tobacco Products Directive. It’s a directive that regulates the sale and merchandising of tobacco related products in the European Union. The TPD was first created in 2001, but it was not until 2014 that the EU revised it to include e-cigarettes. By 2016, the directive came into full effect, and strong enforcements were made to ensure that vapes and electronic cigarettes followed it.
What is TPD Compliant?
This is the term for vape products/companies that fully comply with the TPD regulations. For instance, a TPD compliant vape juice has met every rule or regulation, most of which have to do with nicotine strength and ingredients.
What Are The Aims Of TPD?
The aims of the TPD include:
- To protect children from stimulants and stimulating products.
- To protect consumers by creating specific regulatory standards for the quality and safety of vape products/devices.
- To discourage young people from smoking by ensuring that enticing components and packaging aren’t used on tobacco or any related products.
- Tackle and stop the illegal supply of cigarettes and its related products in the EU.
- To protect customers by mandating production and retail companies to display helpful product information on the packaging or label.
What Are The Key TPD Regulations?
The TPD sets several regulations that affect the entire vaping community – consumers, producers, and retailers. Here are the key regulations:
1. Registering With MHRA
MHRA means the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. This agency makes sure that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet the required quality/safety standards. They also ensure that the supply chain for these items is safe and secure.
The TPD mandates all companies producing vapes and vape products to register with the agency. These companies are also required to notify the agency six months before releasing a new product for public sale.
2. TPD Restrictions for E-liquids
The regulations for e-liquids include:
- The strength of nicotine in an e-liquid must not exceed 20mg/ml or 0.2%.
- It must not contain components like caffeine, taurine, and colourings.
- Any e-liquid containing the addictive chemical must be subjected to emissions testing in a certified lab. This test helps to verify the contents of the e-liquid.
3. TPD Restrictions For Vape Bottles
When it comes to vape juice bottles, there are restrictions on bottle size, caps, and other things. Here are the restrictions:
- E-liquid bottles containing chemical should have no more than 10ml capacity per bottle.
- Vape bottles should have child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging such as child-proof caps. Also, the bottle should be unbreakable.
- The nozzle of vape juice bottles should be at least 9mm long and shouldn’t allow above 20 drops per minute.
4. TPD Restrictions For Labeling
The restrictions for labeling include:
- Companies must include a visible warning on the label. It should be something like, “This product contains a highly addictive substance.”
- There should be warning leaflets in the packaging.
5. TPD Restrictions In Advertising
The TPD Restrictions on advertising slightly vary depending on the country. Here are the regulations for advertising vape products in the UK.
- Promoting e-juice and vape devices is prohibited on the following platforms: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, periodicals, internet ads, cold emails, and social media.
- Promoting vaping devices is allowed on the following platforms: trade publications, blogs, videos, leaflets, posters, and billboards.
How To Tell If My E-liquid Is TPD Compliant?
The easiest way to verify if your e-liquid is TPD Compliant is to check the label. Companies that follow TPD guidelines in making their products are always proud to announce it on their product labels. This strengthens their reputation/credibility and puts them on the good side of the law.
You can verify any vape product’s compliance with TPD by checking it against TPD guidelines. For instance, you can check how much addictive chemical and artificial colors are used in a vape liquid.
Not all countries are very active in enforcing the TPD guidelines, but TPD UK doesn’t take any chances.
How To Tell If My Vape Tank Is TPD Compliant?
Vape tanks are not exempted from the TPD restrictions. Here’s what the TPD stipulates on them:
- The maximum measure for a disposable e-cigarette, single-use cartridge, or tank is 2ml.
- E-cigarette tanks should come with appropriate warnings (as stickers or inscriptions).
To verify your vape tank’s compliance with TPD, simply check the volume of the tank and look for any substance warning stickers on it. If these 2 conditions are satisfied, the vape tank complies with TPD.
How Do TPD Regulations Affect Vapers?
TPD regulations affect vapers to a considerable extent. Companies are forced to produce what the TPD prescribes rather than what the consumers want. In a region like the UK that strictly enforces these laws, you’ll find only TPD-regulated vape juice in supermarkets and stores.
Let’s say, for instance, you quit smoking, and you’ve gotten used to vaping high-chemical-concentration liquids. But then, you find out that all the stores in your area only sell 0.2% addictive chemical vape juices due to TPD guidelines. Situations like these can be disorienting and are what drive most consumers to seek DIY vape products.
Another thing most consumers do in situations like these is to use shortfills. These are 0% addictive chemical e-liquids to which customers can add their own chemical liquid/shot and then vape. That’s one easy way the vaping community bypasses TPD restrictions.
What Are The TPD Loopholes?
Although TPD is a legal requirement, there are many loopholes in the legislation, and some producers and importers have found a way around it. The TPD loopholes can be found in the following products:
Shortfills
When it comes to e-liquids, products only need to be TPD compliant if they contain the addictive chemical. To circumvent this regulation, producers have produced a range of short-fill products. Short-fills are also known as “shake and vape.”
The shortfills are addictive-free refills sold in 100ml bottles and are intentionally under-filled by the manufacturing company. They allow the consumer to fill up the bottle with e-liquids that contain the addictive chemical as well as taurine, and caffeine. Because this product is exempted from TPD regulations, producers get to skip restrictions on the size of the bottle and notification requirements. Consumers can purchase both the short-fill and an addictive-only e-liquid and mix the two to produce a addictive e-liquid refill.
Tube Extenders
One of the regulations of TPD restricts the size of the tanks to 2 ml. However, alongside the TPD-compliant tank, manufacturing companies often include a tube that the consumer can assemble with other parts to form a tank bigger than 2 ml. The tube isn’t subject to TPD restriction.
Squonk
Squonk is a box mod made up of a battery and a bottle. The Squonk allows consumers to feed the attached RDA bottom-up instead of dripping from above. Consumers can then apply e-liquid to the RDA easily.
Nexeem And TPD Compliance
We take TPD guidelines very seriously in creating products at Nexeem. All our 10ml bottles are TPD compliant. For instance, you’ll never find a Nexeem bottle without proper child-proof caps or tamper bands. You can check out our full array of bottles here.