Vaping is currently gaining popularity in the UK, particularly as an alternative to smoking. However, alongside the increase in demand, another threatening issue has been growing in the background: fake vapes. These counterfeit products are flooding the market, often sold cheaply online, via social media, or in unregulated stores, and most users are unaware that they are using them.
What Are Fake Vapes?
Fake vapes refer to counterfeit or illegal vaping products that are designed to resemble legitimate brands. They often imitate the packaging, branding, and flavours of popular disposable vapes, making them difficult to identify at a glance. However, these products are not manufactured to UK safety standards and often bypass legal regulations.
Legal vapes in the UK must comply with the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR), which impose limits on nicotine content, e-liquid volume, and ingredient disclosure. Counterfeit vapes are in direct violation of these laws.
Why Fake Vapes Are Dangerous
The greatest danger of using counterfeit vapes is that users do not know what they contain. Unlike regulated products, fake vapes are not tested for safety or quality, which can result in several serious health risks.
Unknown and Toxic Ingredients
Counterfeit vapes may contain contaminated e-liquids, harmful chemicals, or excessively high nicotine levels. Some have been found to contain heavy metals or substances that are unsafe to inhale.
Excessive Nicotine Levels
Many fake vapes exceed the UK’s legal nicotine limit. Excessive nicotine intake can cause dizziness, nausea, headaches, heart palpitations, and increased addiction — especially dangerous for younger users.
Battery and Fire Risks
Fake vapes often use low-quality batteries that may overheat, leak, or even explode. This presents a serious risk of burns, fires, or physical injury.
Lack of Age Control
Counterfeit vapes are commonly sold without proper age verification, making them easily accessible to underage users and contributing to youth nicotine addiction.
How Counterfeit Vapes Enter the Market
Illegal imports are the primary route through which fake vapes enter the UK. They are commonly sold via online marketplaces, social media platforms, car boot sales, and some convenience stores.
Their low price makes them appealing, but this affordability often reflects poor manufacturing standards and inferior materials. Because the packaging can appear convincing, many consumers unknowingly purchase counterfeit products.
How to Protect Yourself
- Only buy from reputable UK retailers
- Be cautious of prices that seem too good to be true
- Check packaging for spelling errors or poor print quality
- Look for proper UK compliance markings and warnings
- Avoid purchasing from unverified websites or social media sellers
If a vape tastes unusual, feels excessively harsh, leaks, or causes unexpected side effects, stop using it immediately.
How to Tell If a Vape Is Fake?
Counterfeit products often fail basic UK compliance checks and cut corners on quality and safety, also they will come with cheap packaging without credible QR codes or usage instructions!
Here are the quick safety checks to spot fake vapes:
- Poor packaging quality
Packaging made from low-grade materials, blurred text, or poor-quality printing are common signs of a fake vape. - Missing batch number or manufacturer details
Legal vaping products must include batch numbers and clear manufacturer information. Missing details make the product impossible to trace. - No QR code or authenticity check
Genuine brands usually include a QR code or verification system. If the code is missing, invalid, or cannot be verified on the brand’s official website, the product may be counterfeit. - Unusually low price
Prices that are far lower than those offered by trusted UK retailers are a major red flag, especially for popular brands. - Poor build quality
Loose mouthpieces, leaking pods, uneven finishes, or substandard materials often indicate poor manufacturing standards. - Missing or incorrect nicotine health warning
UK-compliant vapes must display the standard nicotine warning clearly. Fake vapes often remove, alter, or misprint this warning. - Incorrect puff count claims
Claims of extremely high puff counts, or products marketed as disposable when they breach UK TPD limits, strongly suggest the product is illegal. - No tamper-proof seal
Genuine vapes are sealed to prevent interference. Broken or missing seals can indicate prior tampering or counterfeit production. - Missing ingredients list
Regulated products clearly state what the e-liquid contains. Fake vapes often leave this information out or present it vaguely. - No ECID or GBID number
All legal vaping products must display an ECID or GBID number to show MHRA notification. Missing IDs usually mean the product is not TPD-compliant.
When several of these signs appear together, it’s a strong indication that the vape may be fake. Learning how to tell if a vape is fake helps you avoid unregulated products and choose safer, compliant alternatives.
How to Spot a Fake Vape → Brand-specific checks
Counterfeit vapes often target the most popular brands, but the good news is that genuine products follow strict brand-specific and UK regulatory standards. Knowing what to check for each brand helps you avoid fake vapes more confidently.
Fake Elf Bar
Genuine Elf Bar products include a working authenticity QR code that can be verified on the official brand website. Packaging should be professionally printed with consistent colours, correct fonts, and clear nicotine health warnings. Missing ECID or GBID numbers, poor print quality, or QR codes that fail verification are common signs of fake Elf Bar vapes.
Fake Lost Mary
Authentic Lost Mary vape products are made with tamper-proof seals, accurate branding, and a valid online verification system. Fake versions often show faded packaging colours or broken seals. Any Lost Mary product that cannot be verified through official channels should be treated with caution.
Fake Hayati
Hayati vapes are among the top-selling brands in the UK. Fake Hayati vape kits are frequently identified by unrealistic puff count claims, especially on products marketed as disposable. Genuine Hayati products clearly display batch numbers, nicotine warnings, and MHRA notification details. Leaking pods or missing regulatory information usually indicate a counterfeit product.
Fake Elux
Genuine Elux vapes follow a fixed branding and labelling standard. Any Elux product showing unusual flavour names, mismatched fonts, or incomplete compliance details is a strong indicator that the vape may be counterfeit.
Fake Al Fakher
Authentic Al Fakher vape products are known for premium packaging quality, verified QR codes, and clear manufacturer details. Counterfeit versions often use lower-grade materials, lack proper security seals, or fail to show ECID/GBID numbers required under UK regulations.
If a vape fails even one of these brand-specific checks, it may not be genuine. Buying from reputable UK retailers and choosing regulated products significantly reduces the risk of encountering fake vapes.
Comparison Between Fake Vapes vs Genuine Vapes
At first glance, fake vapes can look almost identical to genuine ones. However, once you know what to compare, the differences become much clearer.
| Features | Genuine (UK-Compliant Vapes) | Fake Vapes |
|---|---|---|
| TPD compliance | Fully compliant with UK TPD rules | Not TPD-tested or approved |
| Nicotine strength | Limited to 20mg/ml | Often exceeds legal limits |
| Ingredient transparency | Clear, regulated ingredients list | Unknown or undisclosed contents |
| Safety testing | Emissions and safety tested | No verified safety testing |
| Battery quality | Tested to meet safety standards | Higher risk of overheating or failure |
| Health warnings | Correct safety and usage warnings | Missing, altered, or incorrect |
| Traceability | Batch numbers, ECID/GBID present | Non-traceable product information |
| Retail availability | Sold by reputable UK retailers | Often sold via unofficial sellers |
It’s important to check all these factors, as the UK disposable vape ban in 2025 has increased the risk of illegal and counterfeit vapes entering the market.
Where Fake Vapes Are Commonly Sold in the UK
Fake vapes are rarely sold through reputable, regulated retailers. Instead, they mostly sell in places where compliance checks are weak or inconsistent.
UK enforcement data from 2024 highlights clear patterns.
- Unauthorised corner shops:
Trading Standards identified over 1,400 cases of illegal stocking or selling in 2024, leading to more than 100 retailers receiving closure orders. - Market stalls and pop-up sellers:
Temporary sellers are harder to trace and regulate, making them a common route for counterfeit vapes. - Social media and messaging apps:
Illegal vape sales via Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp continue to rise. In late 2023–24, 24% of Trading Standards test purchases resulted in vapes being sold illegally to children. - Unofficial third-party sellers on marketplaces:
Counterfeit vapes are frequently linked to unauthorised listings. - Unverified online websites:
Sites with no UK address or vague contact details. - Entry points into the UK:
In 2024, around 40% of all UK vape seizures were linked to Heathrow Airport.
What Happens If You Use a Fake Vape?
Using a fake vape can cause immediate side effects and potential long-term risks because these products are not tested or safe.
- Dizziness or nausea due to excessive nicotine
- Harsh throat hit or burning sensation
- Leaking devices
- Battery overheating or malfunction
- Allergic reactions
- Unknown long-term health effects
What to Do If You Think You Are Using a Fake Vape
- Stop using it immediately
- Check the brand’s authenticity tools
- Keep the packaging and receipt
- Report it to Trading Standards
- Avoid reselling or passing it on
- Replace it with a regulated alternative
How to Buy Vapes Safely in the UK
- Buy from reputable UK retailers
- Check for age verification
- Look for TPD-compliant labelling
- Verify authenticity features
- Avoid unusually low prices
- Choose regulated alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions about Fake Vapes
What are the symptoms of using a fake vape?
Dizziness, nausea, throat irritation, coughing, and burning sensation.
Do fake vapes contain nicotine?
Yes, often at illegal or incorrectly labelled levels.
Are fake vapes dangerous?
Yes, they carry serious health and safety risks.
How to tell if a vape is fake?
Check packaging, QR codes, batch numbers, warnings, puff claims, and seller credibility.
Are fake vapes sold on Amazon?
Yes, usually through unauthorised third-party sellers.
Is there a “best” fake vape?
No. Fake vapes are unsafe and unregulated.
Final Thoughts
Fake vapes are not just cheap imitations — they pose a serious health and safety risk. While vaping is intended as a harm-reduction tool for smokers, counterfeit products undermine that purpose and put users at risk.
Staying informed, cautious, and selective about where you purchase vapes can significantly reduce the danger. When it comes to vaping, safety should never be compromised for convenience or cost.
