The Law on Electronic Cigarettes and E-liquids in France: What You Really Need to Understand.

Electronic cigarettes now hold a significant place in the French landscape. For some, they represent an alternative to smoked tobacco. For others, they raise public health concerns, issues of minor protection, advertising, liquid composition, and market control. In France, the legal framework for electronic cigarettes and e-liquids is not based on mere tolerance: on the contrary, there is precise regulation, built at both European and national levels. This regulation governs manufacturing, presentation, sales, advertising, labeling, use in certain places, and, since 2025, the ban on single-use vaping devices, often called "puffs."

To fully understand the law, it must first be recalled that vaping products are legally identified in the Public Health Code. French law distinguishes classic tobacco products from vaping products. The electronic cigarette is therefore not simply treated like a traditional cigarette, even if some rules are similar, especially concerning the protection of minors or advertising regulations. The current framework largely stems from European Directive 2014/40/EU, transposed into French law, which imposed harmonized rules on the manufacturing, placing on the market, and presentation of nicotine-containing products.

In practice, the first major rule to remember is that the sale of vaping products is prohibited to minors under 18 years of age. The Public Health Code clearly states that it is forbidden to sell or offer vaping products free of charge to a minor, and the seller must demand proof of age. This point is fundamental because the French legislator's logic is to limit access to these products for young people, even when the product is not tobacco in the classic sense. Since the decree of June 27, 2025, the repression of sales to minors has been further strengthened within the regulatory arsenal applicable to tobacco and vaping products.

The second important rule concerns places where vaping is prohibited. In France, you cannot use your electronic cigarette everywhere. The Public Health Code prohibits vaping in schools and establishments intended for the reception, training, or accommodation of minors. It is also prohibited in closed collective transport, as well as in closed and covered collective workplaces. This rule aims to protect non-users and prevent the trivialization of vaping in certain collective spaces. The decree of April 25, 2017, specified the conditions for applying this prohibition, including the obligation to inform in the places concerned.

Commercially, advertising for vaping products is highly regulated. In France, direct or indirect propaganda or advertising for vaping products is prohibited. This prohibition is enshrined in the Public Health Code. However, there are some exceptions, for example, for certain professional publications or for posters inside establishments that market these products, provided they are not visible from the outside. This means that a seller cannot freely promote electronic cigarettes like any ordinary consumer product. The law seeks to avoid overly attractive communication, especially towards young people.

This advertising ban has concrete consequences for shops, brands, and websites. Communication that is too aggressive, too glamorous, too lifestyle-oriented, or that suggests the product is harmless, can quickly cause problems. French law does not allow complete marketing freedom for these products. The regulation of commercial messaging is therefore a central point for all professionals in the sector. In parallel, heavy penalties exist for non-compliance with rules relating to illicit propaganda or advertising. The Public Health Code provides for a fine of up to 100,000 euros for certain offenses related to prohibited advertising.

Regarding e-liquids, French and European law also imposes precise technical requirements. One of the best known concerns the maximum nicotine concentration: it cannot exceed 20 mg/ml. This limit does not come out of nowhere. It was set within the regulatory framework derived from the European directive and adopted into French law, notably by the order of May 19, 2016. For consumers, this means that a nicotine-containing e-liquid legally marketed in France cannot exceed this threshold. For professionals, this means that a product beyond this limit cannot be placed on the market under the normal conditions of common vaping law.

The law also regulates volumes. In France, refill bottles containing nicotine cannot exceed 10 ml. Similarly, single-use cartridges and the tanks of some devices are limited to 2 ml. Here again, the legislator's objective is to control safety, limit the risks of accidental nicotine exposure, and standardize products on the market. These technical limits are now well known to serious professionals in the sector, but they remain essential to recall in a blog post, as they are part of the core of the regulation.

Beyond nicotine and volume, the law also requires a certain level of ingredient quality. The texts stipulate that nicotine-containing products must use high-purity ingredients, except for technically unavoidable traces related to manufacturing. They also require that, apart from nicotine, the substances used do not present a risk to human health, whether heated or not, under the conditions provided by the texts. Theoretically, this does not mean that every authorized product is "risk-free," but it does mean that there is a regulatory requirement for the quality and safety of marketed formulations.

Labeling is another pillar of the legal framework. Packaging units and outer packaging of vaping products must include a certain number of mandatory mentions. These include the list of ingredients, nicotine content, safety recommendations, an indication to keep the product out of reach of children, as well as a health warning. Mandatory mentions must be written in French and be legible for the consumer. The order of May 19, 2016, also specifies certain technical modalities for inscribing these mentions and verification methods related to nicotine content.

Prior to commercialization, manufacturers and importers cannot freely place any product on the market without formalities. Nicotine-containing vaping products are subject to prior notification. Information on composition, emissions, toxicological data, and labeling must be declared before placing on the market, with a six-month delay. In France, Anses plays a central role in this system, as it receives, analyzes, and publishes certain information relating to declared products. It must be understood that this notification is not a marketing approval, but a mechanism for regulatory monitoring and control.

This declaration system shows that the vape market in France is not a "free" market in the absolute sense. There is a minimum regulatory traceability, a logic of control, and a capacity for public surveillance. Anses also indicates that data on products marketed in France that have been declared for more than six months are made public to some extent, with information on their characteristics and composition, within the limits of business secrecy. This contributes to stricter regulation than many consumers imagine.

A major change recently occurred: puffs, i.e., single-use electronic vaping devices, are now banned in France. Law No. 2025-175 of February 24, 2025, officially prohibited these single-use devices. This measure was adopted for both public health reasons, particularly due to their strong appeal to young people, and environmental reasons related to the disposable nature of these products. Since this law, the sale or offering of puffs is no longer merely a commercial or health debate: it is a clear legal prohibition.

This ban on puffs profoundly changes a part of the market. For several years, these products had high visibility due to their ease of use, wide variety of flavors, and attractive design. But precisely, it is this attractiveness that has been widely criticized. The legislator considered that they encouraged young people to enter the nicotine world and that they posed a clear environmental problem. From now on, in France, professionals who want to remain compliant must move away from this single-use segment and prioritize offerings that comply with the new legal framework.

It should also be remembered that not all products used with an electronic cigarette automatically fall under the same regime, especially when moving away from classic nicotine vaping. Depending on the case, some products may fall under other regulations, for example, when they are presented as having a therapeutic effect or when they fall under other health or chemical rules. This is particularly why the market for alternative substances or certain very specific liquids must be approached with caution. Vaping law does not cover everything uniformly, and a product can shift into another legal category depending on its composition or presentation.

For physical stores and e-commerce sites, compliance with the law is not limited to "not selling to minors." It is also necessary to monitor the compliance of product sheets, packaging, promotional visuals, marketing messages, and sold references. A misleading presentation, an undeclared product, incomplete labeling, or illicit advertising can expose professionals to administrative or criminal penalties. Controls by the DGCCRF and the work of Anses show that authorities remain active in this market.

From the consumer's perspective, the law pursues several objectives simultaneously. It aims to limit young people's access to nicotine. It seeks to impose a minimum of safety on composition and packaging. It wants to prevent the trivialization of vaping through advertising. It also aims to allow market surveillance through product notification. Finally, with the ban on puffs, it wants to reduce environmental impact and curb the spread of products particularly attractive to adolescents. Therefore, it is not a regulation built around a single issue, but around a balance between consumption, public health, and market control.

In summary, electronic cigarettes and e-liquids are permitted in France, but within a strict legal framework. Sales are prohibited to minors. Advertising is heavily restricted. Vaping is prohibited in several collective places. Nicotine-containing e-liquids must comply with specific nicotine and volume limits. Packaging must include mandatory mentions. Products must be notified before being placed on the market. And since 2025, single-use vaping devices, puffs. Anyone who sells, imports, distributes, or promotes this type of product in France must therefore know these rules precisely.

For a blog, the most important thing is to convey a simple idea: vaping is not illegal, but it is not a completely free product either. It operates within a specific regulatory framework, more demanding than often believed. Any serious brand, serious reseller, and informed consumer therefore has an interest in understanding this regulation, as it determines commercial compliance, product safety, and the credibility of the sector.