General

CAP 22.1

Marketing communications for e-cigarettes must be socially responsible.

CAP 22.2

Marketing communications must contain nothing which promotes any design, imagery or logo style that might reasonably be associated in the audience's mind with a tobacco brand.

CAP 22.3

Marketing communications must contain nothing which promotes the use of a tobacco product or shows the use of a tobacco product in a positive light. This rule is not intended to prevent cigarette-like products being shown.

CAP 22.4

Marketing communications must make clear that the product is an e-cigarette and not a tobacco product.

CAP 22.5

Marketing communications must not contain medicinal claims unless the product is authorised for those purposes by the MHRA. E-cigarettes may be presented as an alternative to tobacco but marketers must do nothing to undermine the message that quitting tobacco use is the best option for health.

CAP 22.6

Marketers must not use health professionals to endorse electronic cigarettes.

CAP 22.7

Marketing communications must state clearly if the product contains nicotine. They may include factual information about other product ingredients.

CAP 22.8

Marketing communications must not encourage non-smokers or non-nicotine-users to use e-cigarettes.

CAP 22.9

Marketing communications must not be likely to appeal particularly to people under 18, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture. They should not feature or portray real or fictitious characters who are likely to appeal particularly to people under 18. People shown using e-cigarettes or playing a significant role should not be shown behaving in an adolescent or juvenile manner.

CAP 22.10

People shown using e-cigarettes or playing a significant role must neither be, nor seem to be, under 25. People under 25 may be shown in an incidental role but must be obviously not using e-cigarettes.

CAP 22.11

Marketing communications must not be directed at people under 18 through the selection of media or the context in which they appear. No medium should be used to advertise e-cigarettes if more than 25% of its audience is under 18 years of age.

CAP 22.12

Except for media targeted exclusively to the trade, marketing communications with the direct or indirect effect of promoting nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and their components which are not licensed as medicines are not permitted in the following media:

  • Newspapers, magazines and periodicals
  • Online media and some other forms of electronic media

Factual claims about products are permitted on marketers’ own websites and, in certain circumstances, in other non-paid-for space online under the marketer’s control. Please refer to the Advertising Guidance.