At the same time that China has issued retail licenses, the adjustment of overseas e-cigarette policies is also particularly conspicuous.

Southeast Asia, with a population of 600 million, is an important emerging market for e-cigarettes in the world, and its every move has attracted much attention.

It is worth noting that the new e-cigarette policy in the Philippines is here.

It's a big turnaround! Pursuant to the newly issued Republic Act No. 11467 of the Philippines and its implementing rules and regulations, the sale and online retail of e-cigarette products other than tobacco and menthol flavors will be prohibited effective May 25, 2022, which is today. The introduction of this law marks that the e-cigarettes in the Philippines have entered a period of "license and legality". The Philippines will be another country in Southeast Asia to legislate on e-cigarettes after Indonesia. It also means that the new Philippine bill discussed earlier may liberalize flavor restrictions. Now it seems that "flavored" electronic cigarettes have not been liberalized.

The Philippines, with a population of 110 million and more than 16 million smokers, is an important emerging market for e-cigarettes in Southeast Asia. The introduction of the new legislation also marks the general trend of e-cigarette legislation compliance in Southeast Asia.

1. Fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes are prohibited. Documents released by the Philippines' FDA agency said the distribution, import, manufacture and sale of flavored e-liquids for use in e-cigarettes, except tobacco and menthol flavors, will be banned from May 25. This includes e-cigarette products and corresponding e-liquids. The document mentions "From May 25, 2022, production, trade, distribution, import, wholesale, retail and online retail/wholesale flavored liquid filling solutions are no longer permitted; manufacture, trade, distribution, import, wholesale, retail is prohibited and online retail/wholesale of vaping products (VP) of flavors other than regular tobacco or regular menthol.” Also represents other flavors that appeal to young people, such as fruit, candy, beverages, etc. are not allowed.

2. All e-cigarette participants must have a license. The FDA requires companies that engage in the e-cigarette business to apply for a license. Beginning May 25, a license to operate all vaping products and heated tobacco products (HTP) will be mandatory. All relevant establishments should obtain operating licenses before 25 May 2022 to produce, trade, distribute, import, wholesale and retail VPs and HTPs. All vapor product and heated tobacco product establishments are required to apply for the appropriate LTO through the FDA ePortal v.2 on the FDA website.

3. Electronic cigarettes cannot be sold near the school. The document states that the sale of e-cigarettes is prohibited within 100 meters of the school. It is prohibited to sell or distribute VP and HTP in schools, public playgrounds, youth hostels, recreational facilities for minors, areas frequented by minors, or within 100 meters of these venues.

4. Online sales of electronic cigarettes require a license, there are restrictions, and flavors other than tobacco and menthol cannot be sold. The measures mentioned that the Philippines prohibits the retail and online sales of e-cigarette products with flavors other than tobacco and mint. Online sales of vaping products and heated tobacco products are restricted by licensing. Mentions that "Vapor product (VP) and heated tobacco product (HTP) businesses that engage in online sales activities must have a License to Operate (LTO) as an online seller."

Online sales are required to comply with FDA rules. For example, for online retail activities, only FDA-licensed retailers are allowed to conduct secondary activities as online retailers; for online wholesale activities, only FDA-licensed manufacturers, traders or distributors whose secondary activities are approved as online wholesale . Online retailers/wholesalers can only operate and sell on platforms that require customers to have a verified customer account to access online store content. It means that retail and wholesale must be approved.

5. The age is still the standard line of 21 years old. The Philippines mentions that "e-liquids, solutions and refills containing proven or suspected attractive, toxic, harmful flavors and additives for persons under the age of twenty-one (21) shall be prohibited for addiction or sensitization." means E-cigarettes are prohibited under the age of 21.

6. Imported electronic cigarettes must be approved by the Philippines (FDA). The Philippine policy specifically requires that all imported electronic cigarette products need to obtain a license to operate (LTO) and a certificate of product registration (CPR) from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The new regulations in the Philippines give clear regulations on flavored electronic cigarettes, online sales, protection of minors, and distribution, import, manufacturing, and sales. The Philippines attaches great importance to the harm reduction of e-cigarettes. It is reported that Isko Moreno, the mayor of Manila in the Philippines, is a user who has successfully quit cigarettes by switching to electronic cigarettes. Meanwhile, some 1 million former Filipino smokers have switched to a new type of smoke-free product known as e-cigarettes.

In the Philippines, electronic cigarettes are called "vapor products" (ie, vapor products [VP]), which are managed as food and drugs, and are under the control of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

When it comes to electronic cigarettes in the Philippines, there are disposable and refillable electronic cigarettes on the market. Many brands have entered the Philippines, such as Sigelei, VGOD, Kleipeng, DOVPO, Geekvape, SMOK, ASMOUDS, vedfun and many other first-line brands, as well as domestic RELX. Consumers' demand for atomizers is mainly based on RDA (oil dripping atomizer), RDTA (winding wire dripping oil atomizer with oil storage tank), etc., the voltage regulator box double power is the mainstream market, and they like cost performance high product. From this point of view, the Philippines is very open to electronic cigarette equipment for the time being, and there are not too many restrictions on various types of equipment, which is also the space for the supply chain.

When it comes to flavored e-cigarettes, there is currently no ban on most of them in Southeast Asia. However, only Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are currently open to e-cigarettes in Southeast Asia. There are still some differences in the details of electronic cigarettes in different countries. For example, Malaysia restricts the electronic vaping products of Hanni...

Southeast Asia is the destination for many domestic e-cigarette brands to go overseas, and it is also the "first choice for testing the waters".

The Philippines will also become another country after China, the United States, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Ukraine to explicitly ban flavored e-cigarettes.

To sum up, in the future, the Philippines must apply for a license to operate (LTO) to engage in electronic cigarettes, which also marks that the country has also entered the era of legal and compliant sales. The Philippines, which has laws to follow, will have something new in the e-cigarette market in the future!