UK Government e-cigarette regulation is encompassed in The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which is UK / European Union (EU) legislation covering the manufacture and sale of all tobacco containing products and tobacco related products. Liberty Flights are compliant with the TPD, so you can be assured of the highest quality when shopping with us. 

Even though e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, the TPD legislation does include all electronic cigarettes which are classed as ‘novel tobacco products’. The reason e-cigarettes are included in the Tobacco legislation is because the nicotine used in e-liquid containing nicotine, is derived from the tobacco plant. Your e-liquid does not contain tobacco but it’s seen by the regulators as being ‘tobacco related’.  

The British Government implemented TPD on 20th May, 2016. 
In the UK, the Department of Health is responsible for TPD implementation and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are responsible for the notification process, meaning they manage the registration and approval of manufacturers vaping products and finally Trading Standards is the body responsible for enforcing the TPD.

What does the TPD legislation require of UK manufacturers?

All e-cigarette manufacturers must notify the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) six months before placing any vaping product on the market and gain approval to market the products. The main compliance factors for registration with the MHRA are:

• E-liquids must not contain caffeine, vitamins, colour additives, carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants.
• Compulsory warning text on all labelling and packaging stating “This product contains Nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance”
.
• All clearomizers, tanks and cartridge are restricted to 2ml capacity
.
• E-liquid bottles are restricted to 10ml
 bottle size.
• Nicotine concentration cannot be more than 2% w/v (weight per volume).
• No sale to under 18's and age.
• All e-cigarette advertising is banned.

What does the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) review in their compliance process?

E-liquid compliance requires

• List of all ingredients and their safety classifications.
• Toxicological risk assessments of all ingredients to ensure they don't contain any nasties like diacetyl and acetyl propionyl.
• Copies of labels and packaging
.
• Evidence of child resistant and tamper evident caps with non-removable nib.

Vaping hardware requires

• Characterisation of emissions at medium and high power
.
• Nicotine dose per puff
.
• Chemical compound testing 
• Demonstration of leak-free refilling mechanism
.
• Full specification and details of manufacturing process
.
• Copies of labels and packaging
.
• Inclusion of leaflet outlining instructions, safety information and warnings. 

What does all this mean for Australian vapers purchasing Liberty Flights Vapes?

You can be assured you're buying premium quality products. Liberty Flights is one the largest and leading manufacturers of premium vaping products in the UK. Liberty Flights take regulation compliance and product quality seriously and we are compliant with the TPD. Liberty Flights is also a founding member of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to representing the UK’s independent vape industry and vaping consumers.

Further Reading:  

E-cigarettes: regulations for consumer products

Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016