Basics of UK Vaping Laws & TPD Compliance

April 13, 2022
10:17 am

Understanding UK Vaping Laws & TRPR/TPD Compliance

Learn the basics of UK vaping laws, what TRPR/TPD compliance is and how to check if e-liquids are registered with the MHRA.

As the UK vaping industry has grown exponentially over the last decade, governments have had to react to the changes and have raced to introduce laws to regulate and control the sector. In May 2016, the EU introduced its Tobacco Products Directive, or TPD laws, which govern and regulate the sale of e-liquid and nicotine products.

In 2017, a year after the UK voted to leave the EU, the British Government introduced a similar system specifically for the UK, known as the Tobacco & Related Products Regulations (TRPR).

So what are the differences and why does it matter?

What are UK vaping laws?

Nicotine containing products in the UK must comply with part 6 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR). The main requirements under TRPR are the following:

Maximum bottle size of 10ml for any liquids containing nicotine.
Tanks and e-liquid cartridges (including pods) cannot hold more than 2ml of liquid.
E-liquids must not contain more than 20mg (2%) of nicotine.
All e-cigarettes and e-liquids must be registered with the MHRA before they can be sold.
E-cigarettes (including mods, pods and disposables) must carry health warnings on the packaging.
Restrictions on certain ingredients in e-liquid, including vitamins, caffeine, taurine and others.

What is the difference between TPD & TRPR laws?

The main difference is that TPD laws are made and enforced by the EU, whereas TRPR laws are the UK interpretation of those laws post-Brexit and apply specifically to the UK.

TPD laws were introduced in May 2016 by the European Union, which were intended to merge and unify laws across the bloc that regulate the manufacture and sale of products containing nicotine.

In the same year, however, the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU. A year later in May 2017, the UK government rolled over the EU TPD laws (with some changes) and created its own version known as the Tobacco & Related Products Regulations, or TRPR.

How do I check if e-liquids are listed with the MHRA?

It’s easy to check if e-liquids and vape products are listed on the MHRA database. There are two simple ways to check vape products against the MHRA’s official lists:

Searching on the official MHRA website (there are two lists, a legacy list and a new list – be sure to check both).

The VapeClick website which combines both MHRA lists into one, to make it simple and easy to find registered liquids and e-cigarettes.

We can register your e-liquids for TRPR/TPD on your behalf!

If you choose Vape Manufacturing as your e-liquid supplier, you have the option to use our white label services where you can add TPD registration to your order. We will then contact the MHRA on your behalf and register/list your e-liquids with them.

That way, you can spend more time on the things that matter – building a loyal customer base and marketing your brand!