Altria commissioned an investigation: Zero Nicotine products contain nicotine, and many well-known brands mislabeled nicotine concentrations

Altria commissioned an investigation: "Zero Nicotine" products contain nicotine, and many well-known brands mislabeled nicotine concentrations

Altria commissioned an independent laboratory to investigate illegal e-cigarette brands and found that 9 out of 12 brands made false statements about the source of nicotine, 10 brands mislabeled nicotine concentrations, and 2 of the 14 e-cigarette products claiming to be "zero nicotine" contained too much nicotine.

Recently, Altria released a research report titled "Illegal e-cigarette products generally mislabel nicotine ingredients" (hereinafter referred to as the "report") on its official website, saying that it commissioned an independent laboratory to investigate illegal e-cigarette brands in the US market. The analysis found that 9 out of 12 e-cigarette brands made false statements about the source of nicotine; 10 out of 12 e-cigarette brands misreported their nicotine concentrations; 2 of the 14 e-cigarette products claiming to be "zero nicotine" contained too much nicotine.

"Zero nicotine" e-cigarette products contain nicotine

The report stated that 2 of the 14 "zero nicotine" e-cigarette products contained more than trace amounts of nicotine.

Due to the lack of product management and manufacturing controls, illegal manufacturers circumvent regulation and sell e-cigarette products labeled "zero nicotine" that actually contain excessive amounts of nicotine, including:

Mr Fog Zero Nicotine SW15000 Banana Pancake tested to contain 1.8% nicotine

North FT12000 Zero Nicotine Blue Slurpie tested to contain 0.1% nicotine (weight)

Misrepresenting the source of their nicotine

The report said that 9 of the 12 illegal e-cigarette brands made false statements about the source of nicotine and used a different type of nicotine than they claimed.

In 2020, manufacturers began flooding the U.S. e-cigarette market with flavored disposable products claiming to use synthetic nicotine to circumvent the FDA's 2020 PMTA submission deadline. However, in 2022, the U.S. Congress gave the FDA regulatory authority over synthetic nicotine products. Therefore, any e-cigarette products placed on the market after the established deadline (regardless of whether they contain synthetic or tobacco-derived nicotine) are considered illegal until they obtain a Marketing Authorization Order (MGO). This includes products that transition from synthetic to tobacco-derived nicotine. In addition, illegal manufacturers who prioritize profits over product integrity may use tobacco-derived nicotine instead of synthetic nicotine for cost-saving reasons.

Analysis:

• Only 3 of 12 brands (25%) accurately labeled the type/source of nicotine.

• 9 brands (75%) had misleading labels.

Specific brand misleading situations:

• 100% misleading labels: Breeze Smoke and King Vape (all 4 SKUs of both were misleading).

• 75% misleading labels: HQD, Lost Mary and Lost Vape (3 of 4 SKUs of each brand were misleading).

• 50% misleading labeling: Elf Bar, Esco Bars, Geek Bar, and Mr. Fog (2 of 4 SKUs for each brand were misleading).

• 0% misleading labeling: Fume, Juicy Bar, and Loon (all SKUs were correctly labeled).

Misleading labeling of e-cigarette brands on nicotine type or source | Source: Altria

Mislabeling nicotine concentration

The report said that 10 of the 12 illegal e-cigarette brands mislabeled their nicotine concentration; 6 of them mislabeled nicotine content in all tested SKUs.

The lack of manufacturing and quality control in the illegal market leads to serious consumer protection issues, including potential product safety risks. Similar to the mislabeling of nicotine source, profit-driven illegal manufacturers may be incentivized to reduce nicotine content, thereby reducing their cost of goods. Most worryingly, nicotine concentrations below the label may affect the ability to support smoking adults to switch from combustible cigarettes.

Overall:

• 17% (2 brands) of products correctly labeled nicotine concentration.

• 83% (10 brands) of products have mislabeled nicotine concentration.

Specific brand performance:

• 100% labeling errors: Elf Bar, Fume, Geek Bar, Juicy Bar, Lost Mary and Lost Vape (all 4 SKUs of these six brands were labeled incorrectly).

• 75% labeling errors: Loon (3 out of 4 SKUs were labeled incorrectly).

• 50% labeling errors: Mr. Fog (2 out of 4 SKUs were labeled incorrectly).

• 25% labeling errors: Esco Bars and Kang Vape (1 out of 4 SKUs of these two brands were labeled incorrectly).

• 0% labeling errors (all correct): Breeze Smoke and HQD (all 4 SKUs were labeled correctly).

Some e-cigarette brands have misleading labeling of nicotine concentrations | Source: Altria official website