Contre-Feu denounces the aggressive marketing of vaping products and calls for neutral packaging

As traditional smoking declines, e-cigarettes are emerging as the new battleground for the tobacco industry and its partners. By targeting teenagers with visual codes drawn from pop culture and appealing flavors, manufacturers are accused of facilitating the initiation of nicotine addiction among young people, prompting anti-smoking groups, led by the Contre-Feu coalition, to demand urgently stricter regulations.[1].

E-cigarette marketing designed for young people in response to the decline of traditional smoking

The tobacco industry is increasingly incorporating pop culture references into the colorful design of its e-cigarettes, with packaging inspired by video games, manga, candy, and even football clubs, in addition to offering sweet and fruity flavors. The goal is to make these products more appealing to younger consumers and increase their market visibility.

According to Contre-Feu, this strategy comes at a time when smoking is declining in France, while e-cigarettes are emerging as a new growth driver for the industry. The e-cigarette market represents €1.6 billion in revenue in France and more than 3 million daily users.

Among teenagers, the use of electronic cigarettes has increased significantly in recent years. Indeed, according to a 2022 ESCAPAD survey by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT), nearly 57% of 17-year-olds had already tried electronic cigarettes and 6.2% vaped daily, a proportion that has tripled in 5 years.

According to another OFDT study, EnCLASS 2024, Between 2014 and 2024, experimentation with electronic cigarettes increased significantly among high school students. (from 35.1 % to 46 %), a more marked increase among girls (48.7 %) than among boys (43.2 %) and in vocational high schools (from 36.8 % to 58.7 %) than in general and technological high schools (34.2 % to 41.5 %).

Widespread distribution within society with the active complicity of tobacconists

Contre-Feu also points out that the government has implemented several support mechanisms to facilitate the diversification of tobacconists over the years. Among these is the transformation fund, whose main objective is to enable tobacconists to become less dependent on the sale of tobacco products. While tobacco manufacturers see e-cigarettes as a growth driver, tobacconists also benefit.

Moreover, many tobacconists continue to violate existing regulations to ensure greater profits on these products. According to surveys conducted by the independent institute Audirep at the request of the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), it appears that 55 % tobacconists display illegal advertisements in their shops promoting vaping products. On the other hand, A third of tobacconists continue to sell vaping products to minors., This contributes to making addictive products accessible to increasingly younger consumers. In general, tobacconists are particularly lacking in mandatory signage regarding these protective prohibitions. Thus, 45 of them were in violation in this study.

Contre-Feu is campaigning to denounce promotional and advertising practices surrounding vaping.

To denounce these strategies, Contre-Feu chose to act on a well-known symbol of the French landscape: the tobacco carrot.[2]. The organization appropriated this emblem, replacing it with playful and colorful signs inspired by the visual codes of e-cigarette products sold on the market. The operation aims to highlight marketing deemed particularly attractive to teenagers and to show how these products are presented in public spaces. According to the collective, this campaign should also serve to raise awareness of the risks of nicotine addiction.

This event will be filmed and broadcast on social media and streaming platforms, and will also be covered in the press. The general public will also be made aware of it through the various social media channels of content creator and historical popularizer Nota Bene, who has over 2.7 million followers.

Anti-tobacco organizations are calling for stricter regulation of these products in France and also in the EU.

The group reiterates its recommendation for the implementation of plain packaging for all vaping products., a request long supported by all public health experts, including the CNCT, and inspired by the proven plain packaging of cigarette packs. According to Contre-Feu, this measure would limit the appeal of the products and reduce the influence of the tobacco industry's marketing strategies: this method aims to «"Just like with cigarettes"» of «"to shatter the attractive image that the product may have"», "S," says Loïc Josseran, president of Contre-Feu."If we're dealing with a standardized product, with a standardized font, we're already going to lose the visual appeal, the attraction that the product itself creates.".

The issue of strengthening regulations on vaping products involves several dimensions: A ban on flavorings, but also on all forms of advertising without exception, control of retail distribution with the elimination of online sales, regular inspections of retailers and deterrent sanctions against offenders, etc.. This trend towards better control of these products is not limited to national borders; more and more countries have embarked on this path, and this major issue is one of the challenges of the current revisions to European legislation. In this regard,  France is taking strong measures.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Press release, Vaping marketing: Contre-Feu appropriates the symbol of tobacco shops to denounce the targeting of young people, Counter-Fire, published on July 1, 2026, accessed the same day

[2]Contre-Feu denounces the industry's new carrot, Counter-Fire, published on July 1, 2026, accessed the same day

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