Electronic cigarette: the rules change in France in 2026

The French government has begun a new stage in its action against tobacco and vaping, with far-reaching measures planned for 2026. The health minister Catherine Vautrin announced at the end of May 2025 a plan intended to protect the younger generation from nicotine products. The plan is part of the ambition of a “tobacco-free generation”, the idea that children born from 2025 onwards should never become smokers as adults. With that in mind, the electronic cigarette, whose use is rising as tobacco use falls, finds itself in the sights of the health authorities. The stated aim is twofold: to preserve public health by reducing the appeal of these products to the youngest, while supporting smokers who want to give up the conventional cigarette. The measures to come, due to take effect by the first half of 2026, touch on several key aspects of the electronic cigarette. They include new rules on packaging, a ban on certain products (in particular disposable devices), a reduction in the permitted nicotine levels, and limits on the variety of products available on the market. These changes come with clear public health objectives: to reduce the risk of nicotine addiction among young people, to prevent a way into tobacco and to reduce the negative effects on the environment.

Plain packaging: uniform packs for e-cigarettes

In order to reduce the marketing appeal of electronic cigarettes, France plans to extend the plain packaging principle to all vaping products. In practice, the packaging of e-cigarettes and e-liquid bottles will have to adopt a standardised format with no brand logos or attractive designs. The measure brings the presentation of vaping products into line with what has applied to conventional cigarettes since 2016. Single colours, uniform typefaces and clearly visible health warnings will become the norm for vaping devices. By removing every visual distinction and every playful or aesthetic aspect of the packaging, the public authorities want to reduce the appeal of the product, particularly to the youngest. As one smoking specialist explains, “moving to plain packaging would change things enormously”, since a less heavily marketed product loses its power to attract those new to it. The aim is therefore to make the e-cigarette a plainer product, seen above all as a possible risk-reduction tool rather than as a fashionable object. Plain packaging for vaping products is expected to come into force during 2026, in line with the national tobacco control programme for 2023-2027.

The end of disposable electronic cigarettes: the ban on “puffs”

Another major change is the ban on disposable vaping devices, commonly known as puffs. These small single-use electronic cigarettes, often colourful and cheap, grew rapidly among teenagers in recent years. Since 26 February 2025, it has been prohibited to sell or give away these disposable electronic cigarettes in France. The law, adopted unanimously by Parliament, aims to withdraw these single-use products from the market in order to protect young people from the risk of nicotine dependence and to reduce their environmental impact. Puffs were criticised for their appeal to minors, because of their playful design, their ease of use and their low cost, and for the pollution generated by millions of small plastic devices with batteries. By removing them from sale, the authorities hope to prevent vaping from becoming commonplace among teenagers and to stop these products from opening the way to tobacco use later on. It is also an environmental measure, welcomed by environmental associations, intended to reduce the toxic waste linked to these disposable devices. In practice, since 2025 consumers have had to turn to reusable, rechargeable e-cigarettes, which makes the act of vaping a more considered one.

Nicotine: a lower maximum level

The government also wants to lower the nicotine concentration permitted in e-cigarette liquids sold in France. Catherine Vautrin said she was working with the national health safety agency (ANSES) and the national authority for health (HAS) to set a new nicotine ceiling lower than the current one. “The aim is to reduce the phenomenon of addiction and to help people give up,” the minister explained in justifying the measure. Nicotine is the molecule that creates dependence in vaping: limiting the dose per product is intended to make the habit less addictive in the long run. Under the current plan, the reduction in the maximum nicotine level should come by the end of the first half of 2026, after scientific advice has been sought on the appropriate level. Today, European regulation (the TPD) sets the maximum nicotine content of e-liquids at 20 mg/mL.

That threshold could therefore be lowered (the precise new ceiling has yet to be defined). The public health intention is clear: to make it easier for vapers to give up nicotine completely, by preventing them from maintaining their dependence indefinitely through high doses. It should be noted that the initiative raises questions among some specialists. Smoking specialists point out that if nicotine is reduced too far, the vaper may compensate by vaping more to satisfy their need for nicotine. In other words, a less concentrated liquid could encourage more puffs or prolonged use of the e-cigarette, which is not necessarily the intended result. That view suggests the impact of such a measure on user behaviour needs careful assessment. From the authorities’ point of view, however, lowering the nicotine available remains a way of curbing addiction among the youngest and of encouraging, in time, complete withdrawal from nicotine.

Fewer varieties of e-liquid available

Alongside nicotine, the variety of flavoured liquids is to be restricted. The market currently offers a multitude of e-liquids with attractive and fanciful themes, which have contributed to the success of vaping with certain audiences. The government plans to limit strictly the number of variants on offer, banning those judged too attractive to the youngest. “I also want to reduce the number of flavours in vaping products,” said Catherine Vautrin, again setting a horizon of “the end of the first half of 2026”. Technical expert work is under way to determine which types of liquid will be covered by these bans. It will most likely be products with flavours that are too playful or too sweet, very popular with teenagers, so as to make the electronic cigarette less tempting to an audience that did not smoke to begin with. The restriction is part of the wish to reduce the pull of vaping. The health authorities point to the “pleasure” side of certain e-liquids, which they say could encourage new users to vape without necessarily having smoked before. By restricting the available palette to plainer tastes (classic flavours, for example), vaping would return to being a less recreational cessation tool. Here too, experts qualify the real impact: to date, studies do not show any significant gateway leading from vaping to tobacco among young people. The public authorities nonetheless prefer to apply a precautionary principle to avoid any entry into nicotine dependence. In practice, for consumers, this means that from 2026 the choice of e-liquids in shops will be narrower: many fanciful flavours could disappear from the shelves, refocusing the offer on plainer options.

What impact for consumers in 2026?

On 1 January 2026, the landscape of the electronic cigarette in France will be markedly more regulated than before. What does that mean for those who vape? First of all, plain packaging will change the appearance of products: it will be no surprise to see e-liquid bottles and electronic cigarette packs all in the same colour with large health warnings, without logos or illustrations. For the consumer, buying equipment or liquids will become a more standardised experience, similar to buying a pack of conventional cigarettes where only the product name distinguishes one from another. The measure does not affect how the product works, but it may reduce its visual appeal, particularly for younger occasional customers. Second, the ban on puffs will have a direct effect on the habits of younger and beginner vapers. These small disposable devices, often used as an easy introduction to vaping, will no longer be legally available. Users will have to turn to rechargeable devices.