Research led by University College London and King’s College London suggests that selling vape pods in plain packaging could dissuade young people from buying them – but the same cannot be said for adult consumers.
Funded by Research England and published in The Lancet Regional Health journal, the study was undertaken alongside the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and researchers from the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
6717 respondents were surveyed in total; this included 2,770 people aged 11-18 in Great Britain and 3,947 adults aged 18+ in the UK. Each respondent was shown four brands of vape pod packaging at random, either fully branded or standardized with a white background and black lettering.
Within the standardized packaging, some packs displayed brand flavour descriptors such as ‘Blue Razz Lemonade’; others were more straightforward, with descriptions like ‘Blueberry Raspberry Lemonade’. Adult respondents alone were shown a standardized white pack that replaced the flavour description with a code (FR127).
Younger respondents were asked which of the packs their peers would be interested in trying, if any, while adult respondents were asked which of the packs they personally would or wouldn’t try.
While the researchers admit that the changes in wording may have skewed the results, they point to earlier research indicating that peer interest among adolescents closely aligns with individual interests.
According to the study, 53% of young people believe their peers would be interested in trying vapes in normal branded packaging. When shown a standardized pack, the figure decreased to 38%.
Conversely, standardized packaging did not affect adult consumers’ perception of the harm caused by vapes compared to cigarettes. Standardizing flavour names did not appear to affect interest among young people or adults, and flavour codes only reduced interest among adults who did not vape or smoke already.
However, the team noted that their sample of adult consumers consisted of more vapers than other representative UK samples, which may have affected the reported interest in vaping among over-18s.
With ASH estimating that 400,000 adolescents in Great Britain were vaping in 2025, 40% of whom vaped daily, the researchers highlighted that vape companies use packaging as a primary marketing tool – often utilizing bright colours, cartoon characters, and other design elements that appeal to young people.
“Vape packaging and flavour regulations need to strike a delicate balance,” said Dr Eve Taylor, lead author based at UCL’s Department of Behavioural Science & Health (formerly at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London). “They must aim to deter young people and people who do not smoke, while at the same time avoiding discouraging people who smoke from using vaping to quit.
“Our findings, in line with past evidence, show that regulating vape packaging might be helpful by reducing vaping’s appeal to adolescents but not adults. This gets us close to striking that balance.”
“This is important research which illustrates how policymakers could better regulate vapes to protect children without damaging them as a quitting aid for smokers,” adds Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of ASH.
The UK announced in Tobacco and Vapes Bill in 2024. This legislation is set to regulate the packaging, display, advertising, and flavours of vapes to avoid appealing to young people, as well as banning anyone born on or after 1st January 2009 from purchasing tobacco.
“Parliament must now get on and pass the Tobacco and Vapes Bill so detailed regulations can be laid, without which it will be much more challenging to reduce teen vaping,” Cheeseman adds.
Previous research has also highlighted a generational shift in packaging trends. Duo found that 56% of Gen Z consumers are unlikely to return to a retailer if their e-commerce packaging isn’t sustainable or resourceful, while McKinsey & Company suggests that younger generations are more willing to pay extra for more sustainable packaging designs.
In another study, ‘significant discrepancies’ were found between the actual cannabinoid compositions of cannabis-based products sold in Portugal and the claims made on their labels – raising concerns for consumer safety.
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