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Uniform vape designs could reduce their appeal among young non-smokers
Standardizing the color and branding of disposable vaping devices may deter young people who have never smoked or vaped from even trying tobacco control. But a potential trade-off is that there is a risk that fewer people will switch from smoking to vaping, the researchers say. Vaping has become popular among young people in many countries over the past decade with the introduction of cheap disposable devices over the past decade, researchers said. Previously published research suggests that colorful brand packaging can increase the appeal of cigarettes and vapes to young people. It...
Uniform vape designs could reduce their appeal among young non-smokers
Standardizing the color and branding of disposable vaping devices may discourage young people who have never smoked or vaped from even trying themTobacco control.
But a potential trade-off is that there is a risk that fewer people will switch from smoking to vaping, the researchers say.
Vaping has become popular among young people in many countries over the past decade with the introduction of cheap disposable devices over the past decade, researchers said.
Previously published research suggests that colorful brand packaging can increase the appeal of cigarettes and vapes to young people. However, there is no evidence as to whether standardizing the appearance of disposable vape devices themselves would affect their appeal and perceptions of harm, they add.
To find out, researchers relied on 15,259 respondents to the Online International Tobacco Control Youth and Adult Youth Survey. All respondents were between 16 and 29 years old and lived in England, Canada or the USA.
They were randomly assigned to view images of either 4 branded disposable vapes (7638 participants) or 4 standardized white disposable vapes (7621) and asked which vape products they would try and how harmful they thought they would be to them.
Analysis of the responses showed that standardization increased the percentage of those who were not interested in trying at least one of the displayed vapes. Just over 67% of the standardized group said they were not interested in trying any of the devices shown, compared to just under 63% of those in the branded group.
The smallest effect of standardization was observed among those who had never vaped or smoked: 93% of those in the standardized group reported no interest compared to just over 91% of those in the branded group.
The greatest impact was observed among those who had smoked but not vaped within the past month, up to 47.5% in the standardized group compared to 37.5% in the branded group.
Among those who had vaped but not smoked, 20% of standardized packages shown reported no interest in trying them, compared to 16.5% of branded devices shown.
Similar effects were seen in people who both smoked and vaped (13.5% vs. 9.5%) and in those who previously smoked or vaped (just over 72.5% vs. 65%).
However, the impact of standardization on participants' perceptions of the displayed vaping product was minimal.
Just over 31% of the standardized group viewed the vape product as less harmful than smoking, compared to just under 33% in the branded group. There was no clear difference in the way standardization affected perceptions of harm across smoking and vaping groups.
Product and packaging regulations have been used by several countries to reduce the appeal of cigarettes. In January 2024, the British government announced plans to introduce new measures to ensure vape manufacturers implement standardized packaging for their products, but it is not clear what this would look like, the researchers say.
"Our results suggest that incorporating regulation into device design in a new policy further reduces the appeal of vapes for young people. Compared to people who have never smoked or vaped, the reduction in interest was more pronounced among smokers, who may benefit from using vapes to quit smoking."
“There is a risk that the public health benefits of preventing youth uptake of vaping could be offset by a decrease in the number of young people switching from smoking to exclusive vaping or an increase in relapse from exclusive vaping to smoking, including dual use,” they add.
They conclude: “For countries interested in discouraging vaping among young people, standardizing the color of vaping devices, alongside standardized packaging, can be considered a potential policy option.
"However, it may have unintended consequences of discouraging those who smoke from switching to vaping, which should be further investigated and perhaps balanced with other targeted policies to promote smoking cessation."
Sources:
Tattan-Birch, H., et al. (2025) Impact of standardizing the color and branding of vape devices on product appeal among young people: a randomized experiment in England, Canada and the United States. Tobacco Control. doi.org/10.1136/tc-2024-059210.