The UK government has launched a consultation proposing that vapes be sold in plain packaging and kept out of sight in shops, aiming to reduce their appeal to children. Health Secretary James Murray announced the 12-week consultation on July 10, 2026, which would mandate that vape devices come only in white, black, or grey, mirroring previous tobacco plain packaging laws.
Restrictions on Flavors and Marketing
The proposals also ban flavor descriptions such as 'apple' and references to sweets, desserts, or alcohol. Packaging would be standardized with restrictions on text color, imagery, and branding. The Department of Health and Social Care stated that these measures are designed to prevent marketing to children while allowing vapes to remain available for adult smokers trying to quit.
Health Secretary James Murray told the Press Association: 'Today, we're launching a 12-week consultation about our plans to make vaping less attractive for children and young people... we want to make sure children and young people don't start it in the first place.'
Evidence of Youth Vaping
Nearly 19% of 11–17-year-olds in Britain have experimented with vaping, according to a poll by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash). Professor Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, welcomed the consultation, stating: 'For those of us working with children every day, it is clear that only strong and meaningful regulation will protect them from the harms associated with nicotine addiction.'
Balancing Harm Reduction
While vaping is less harmful than smoking, officials emphasize it is not risk-free. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Ash, said: 'Protecting children from harmful vape marketing is the right thing to do... There is a careful balance to strike with regulations. While vapes are not harm-free, they are significantly less harmful than smoking, and vapes have helped millions of people successfully stop smoking in recent years.'
Research on Plain Packaging
Research led by UCL and King’s College London, published in 2025, found that plain packaging reduced children's interest in vaping. Over half (53%) of children and young people surveyed believed peers would be interested in trying vapes in usual packaging, but this dropped to 38% for standardised packaging. Among adults, interest remained consistent regardless of packaging style.
The consultation also proposes adding inserts to cigarette packs with quitting resources and extending plain packaging to all tobacco products, including rolling papers and cigars. Officials cite the success of standardised cigarette packaging since 2017 as a precedent.
