Plain packaging of vape pods reduces young people's interest in trying them, but does not reduce interest among adults, according to a new study led by UCL and King's College London researchers.
The study, published in the journal Lancet Regional Health and carried out in collaboration with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School researchers, looked at survey responses from 2,770 young people in Great Britain (aged 11-18) and 3,947 adults (18+) in the UK who were shown either branded vape pod packs or standardised packs.
The research team found that 53% of young people said that their peers would be interested in trying vapes in normal branded packaging. This dropped to 38% if the packaging was standardised, with a white background and black lettering. Among adults, on the other hand, interest remained similar whether packs were standardised in white or branded.
The researchers also found that standardised packaging did not affect how harmful adults perceived vapes to be compared to cigarettes.
The UK's Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently before the House of Lords, will give the government powers to regulate packaging, display, advertising and flavours of vapes to reduce their appeal to young people. However, policymakers must balance protecting children with the role vaping plays in reducing smoking.
Earlier this year, ASH reported that 7% of 11-17-year-olds in Great Britain currently vape, an estimated 400,000 adolescents, 40% of whom vape daily.
Lead author Dr Eve Taylor, based at UCL's Department of Behavioural Science & Health and formerly at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London, said: "Vape packaging and flavour regulations need to strike a delicate balance. They must aim to deter young people and people who do not smoke, while at the same time avoid 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."
Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of ASH, said: "This is important research which illustrates how policymakers could better regulate vapes to protect children without damaging them as a quitting aid for smokers. 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."
The researchers used data from the 2024 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Youth Survey, an online survey of 11- to 18-year-olds in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland), and ran their own survey of adults using a UK sample that was representative of age, sex and ethnicity.
Respondents were randomly assigned to view four brands of vape pods either in fully branded packs, standardised white packs with brand flavour descriptors (e.g. "Blue Razz Lemonade") or standardised white packs with more straightforward flavour descriptors (e.g. "Blueberry Raspberry Lemonade"). In the adult survey only, some respondents were shown a standardised white pack with a code ("FR127") instead of a flavour description.
Adult respondents were asked which of the packs they would be interested in trying, or if they would be interested in none, while adolescent respondents were asked which of the packs their peers would be interested in trying, or if they would be interested in none.
Over half of adolescents (53%%) reported that their peers would be interested in trying one of the branded packs. This dropped to 38% when packs were standardised in white.
The team found that standardising flavour names had little additional effect on adults' and young people's interest, with flavour codes only reducing interest among adults who did not vape or smoke.
In their paper, the researchers noted that packaging was a primary marketing tool for vape companies. Packs vary substantially, with bright colours and youth-appealing elements such as cartoon characters.
Among the limitations, the researchers noted that the different wording of questions for adults versus young people (asking about peer interest rather than directly asking about the respondent's interest) might have skewed the results. However, they pointed to earlier research finding that perceived peer interest among adolescents broadly matched an individual's own interest.
The team also noted that a greater proportion of adults in their sample vaped compared to other representative UK samples, so reported interest in vaping may be higher than the UK population in general.
The study received funding from Research England.
