As vaping grew in popularity, campaigners and activists grew concerned that these products could lead to a new generation getting hooked on nicotine. According to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism:

“…teenagers in the north of England were 3 times as likely to vape regularly as those in London.”

However, the government intervened and set up laws barring minors from getting into vaping. In the UK, there is a set UK legal vaping age.

Many vapers enjoy creating huge vaping clouds

What is the UK legal vaping age?

The minimum age for vaping in the UK is 18. You must be 18 years of age to buy e-liquids or e-cigarettes from a UK vape shop or an online store.

What is the history of vaping laws in the UK?

Initially, the UK did not have any laws prohibiting or limiting the age at which any person could purchase e-cigarettes or vaping products. Over the years though as vaping became more popular, lawmakers saw the need to add some control.

The first vaping laws were passed in 2015 with “UK law on the advertising of e-cigarettes”. Legislation has been reviewed constantly since and many of the efforts have revolved around controlling and implementing legislation that controls the sale of vape products to minors.

Vaping has significantly grown in popularity as more people turn to e-cigarettes compared to regular smoking of tobacco. Furthermore, people looking to quit smoking have resulted in vaping as a way of stopping the habit.

As such, with the growing preference for vaping, the government sought to place measures to ensure minors do not have access to vaping products.

It is expected that the government will continue to enact more legislation relating to the minimum age for vaping.

What are the laws on UK legal vaping age?

In 2015, laws were enacted to bar retailers from selling vaping equipment such as e-liquids or e-cigarettes to buyers who are below 18 years of age. These laws were enacted for both high street stores and online websites.

O-Rangz is a popular vaping product available from Next Day Vapes

Under the same legislation, it was also illegal for an adult to purchase e-cigarettes for underage users. The laws also banned smoking in private vehicles if they had occupants who were below 18 years.

Furthermore, under the same laws, it is an offence for a minor to try and buy e-cigarettes, and the retailer could get fined up to £2,500 if caught attempting to sell vaping equipment or e-liquids to minors.

Moving on, the laws on vaping were tightened in 2016 with “Use of e-cigarettes in public places

and workplaces”. Changes and additions to the legislation linked to vaping included:

A requirement to have all e-liquids and e-cigarettes filed with the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency before going into the market
The capacity of refillable tanks for e-cigarettes was restricted to no more than 2ml
All e-liquids on retail could not be sold in quantities more than 10ml
All e-liquids were required to have a nicotine strength of no more than 20mg/ml. This is unless the products having a higher rating were filed as medicine and fulfilled the set criteria
All e-liquids packaging had to be child-resistant and tamper-evident.
Stimulants such as caffeine, taurine, or colourings should not be added to the vape juices
There were also new rules and guidelines devised on the labelling

What if the e-liquid has 0% nicotine?

There is a grey area when it comes to nicotine. The legislation is not specific on 0% nicotine liquids. The general agreement is that the sale of 0% nicotine liquids is contested. However, many reputable vendors (including us) do not sell any e-liquid to minors.

Need further advice?

If you are not a minor and you are looking to get into vaping, you have come to the right place. You can reach out to us on our contact form and we will guide you on the ideal vape mod for you, e-liquids, batteries, coils, and even starter kits.