The UK government has announced plans to introduce plain packaging for vaping products in an effort to reduce their appeal to children and young people. Under the proposals, e-cigarette devices would be limited to three colours—white, black, or grey—and sold in simple, unbranded packaging. Flavour descriptions would also be restricted to basic names such as "apple" or "mint," with names referencing sweets, desserts, or alcoholic beverages prohibited.
The Department of Health and Social Care unveiled the 12-week consultation on Friday, which also suggests moving vaping products out of sight in retail outlets, potentially placing them behind counters. The measures would align the treatment of vaping products more closely with existing regulations on tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and cigarette papers, which the government also plans to place under plain packaging and remove from duty-free displays in airports.
Health Secretary James Murray described the colourful packaging and enticing flavour names currently used by some vape manufacturers as targeting young people and said this practice was “wrong.” He emphasized the government's commitment to protecting children and young people from nicotine addiction and building on the success of similar plain packaging rules introduced for tobacco in 2017.
The proposed restrictions come amid rising concerns about youth vaping. Charitable organisations report that one in five children aged 11 to 17 have tried vaping, while another estimate suggested that as many as 11 million youths had experimented with e-cigarettes in 2025. Health advocates argue that brightly coloured devices and flavour names inspired by sweets and desserts have contributed to vaping’s popularity among young people.
Professor Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, supported the government's approach, stating that strong, meaningful regulation is necessary to shield children from the harms of nicotine addiction and to curb what he called “crass exploitation” of vulnerable groups.
The proposals form part of a broader legislative framework established earlier this year through the Tobacco and Vapes Act, which introduced powers allowing the government to incrementally raise the minimum age for tobacco purchases, aiming to phase out smoking among younger generations.
The consultation invites feedback from the public and stakeholders over the coming three months before final regulations are determined. The government intends that these measures will ultimately reduce the appeal of vaping to minors while continuing to offer alternatives to adult smokers seeking less harmful nicotine products.