FDA E-Liquid Label Information for E-Liquid Manufacturers and Social Media Marketers/Content Creators:

What counts is that you’re smoke-free today! Nothing wrong with a little nicotine, we must say that we are highly addicted to caffeine too and in California, coffee requires a cancer warning. ⚠️ 

For so long now, tobacco warning labels have been on the packs of smokes and other products containing nicotine that we’ve consumed; in over 100 countries, graphic shock images are forced to be a part of packaging on products containing nicotine. So when you think about our warning statement requirements, is it really that severe in comparison to the rest of the world? Most e-liquids contain nicotine that is derived from tobacco. Nicotine is an addictive chemical and is poisonous if handled improperly and can lead to death if over dosed. Regulations are a process every industry goes through and are meant to protect consumers and businesses in the long run. 

It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to make sure all packaging and labeling of their products that contain nicotine pass the FDA checklist and U.S. retailers and U.S. distributors can only sell products containing nicotine that are compliant moving forward. Consumers, influencers/promoters, photographers/film makers, all content producers are not responsible for applying these labels to their published content. It is only when a brand/manufacturer decides to publish the paid work from their contractors/employees, that the warning labels must be applied. It is 100% the manufacturer’s duty to ensure that their advertisements/marketing content is properly labeled and presented.

FDA Warning Label Information for U.S. E-liquid Manufacturers:

Required language must be punctuated, capitalized and centered as shown :

WARNING : This product contains nicotine.
Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Display Panels : Warning labels must appear on 2 display panels of the packaging comprising 30% of the panels. 

Font : 12 point in Helvetica BOLD or Arial BOLD is best recommended.

Text & box color : If black text is on white background, statement must be boxed in black border with thickness of 3PT-4PT. If white text is on black background, statement must be boxed in white border with thickness of 3PT-4PT.

Packaging/Labeling Information for U.S. E-liquid Manufacturers :

1. Indicate origin of product stated exactly as shown : Sale only allowed in the United States.

2. Indicate accurate quantity of product inside package. Example : Contains 1 bottle of 60ML E-Liquid.

3. Indicate name and place of business of manufacturer, co-packer and distributor. Example : Manufactured for & Distributed by Smax Holdings LLC, Los Angeles, California, 90015, United States.

4.Indicate percentage of tobacco inside product. Example : Contains .3% Nicotine by Volume.

**Manufacturers in California must include latest Prop 65 warning.**

⚠️ WARNING: These products can expose you to chemicals including acetaldehyde, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer, and nicotine, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Advertisement Information for U.S. E-Liquid Manufacturers:

Digital or printed content that includes e-liquids in media requires warning labels. Hardware that is not sold with e-liquid does not.

All marketing content such as photos or videos published on social media platforms, e-mail newsletters, websites, marketing signs or printed ads requires warning label to be applied at the top of content comprising at least 20%.

Required language must be punctuated, capitalized and centered as shown :

WARNING : This product contains nicotine.
Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

Font : 12 point in Helvetica BOLD or Arial BOLD is best recommended.

Text & box color : If black text is on white background, statement must be boxed in black border with thickness of 3PT-4PT. If white text is on black background, statement must be boxed in white border with thickness of 3PT-4PT.

Based on the labeling and advertising guidelines provided by Vapor Technology Association and required warning statements by the FDA, we did not find any information that stated warning labels were necessary when published by photographers, influencers, e-liquid reviewers, bloggers, vloggers and all content creators paid or unpaid.

To our understanding, if a U.S. manufacturer decides to publish content they purchased or have permission to use from a paid or unpaid content creator such as a photographer, influencer, e-liquid reviewer, blogger, vlogger etc. then the U.S. manufacturer is required to precisely apply the warning label wherever the content is displayed such as Instagram, Facebook, e-mail newsletters, Youtube, websites etc.

Feel free to check out Grimm Green's VLOG from 8/16/2018 and watch what Nick Green has to say about WARNING LABELS here :

For now, take care of yourself, keep up the great work staying smoke-free, enjoy the things you can’t live without in moderation and know exactly what you’re putting in your body. All we can do during this time is stay optimistic and continue to fight together through this uphill battle so that the government will do the right thing in the end. 

Stay positive everyone! ❤️

For more detailed information, please read Electronic Code of Federal Regulations here, required warning statements provided by FDA here. 

***This is a guideline based off of the requirements that we collected from the Vapor Technology Association and Tobacco Warning Labeling requirements from the FDA. We do not guarantee this information to be 100% accurate. If we are missing any important information, please let us know.***

FDA Label requirements effective: 8/10/2018

There has been a lot going on this year with the changes of our industry and I'm sure many of us have been overwhelmed. For some time now, we have been aware of the necessary labeling/packaging adjustments that was required of our e-liquid products and have been making the changes as we became informed. After going through the FDA Labeling guideline, we can confidently say that our current packaging has met all of the requirements.

For California Only : Our PROP 65 Warnings have recently been updated so we will have this information updated on our new boxes.

Packaging updates for Fall 2018

• 100mLs (released in 2014) will soon be available in GCC compliant bottles.

• Sixties (60mL) will soon be replaced with new (Stubbies) 30mLs boxed in bundles of 2x30mL bottles.

• Super Tubes (30mL)  have been discontinued and will be replaced by Stubbies (30mL). 

TFN Nicotine Discontinuation 

We would also like to inform you that we have reverted back to using regular nicotine for ALL original recipes created in 2014. Unfortunately, the switch to synthetic nicotine altered some of the flavoring based on our customer feedback and we have stopped using it for all of our Smax flavors.

For retail shops : If you need to obtain any additional information from us such as GCCs for our bottles and other FDA product/facility registration numbers (FEI #, License #, and TPs #), please request them at info@smaxeliquid.com

So many changes, but all for the better and we couldn’t be more than happy to see our industry mature and be apart of all of its phases with you! We look forward to serving you in the future and always hearing from you!

Information on FDA Labeling Guidelines from e-CFR can be found here
Additional guidance from VTA can be found here

Good Vibes 

There’s never enough to go around, so this one is for you guys and gals! Thanks for being the good people that you are and trusting in SMAX!

Sadly, we almost rejected this flavor because one of the extracts from the flavor houses changed and we just couldn’t get it to taste the same as the original recipe again. It was almost trashed for another brand we were working with at the time but I said, “Hey, hold up, NO! Smax needs it!” We adopted the unwanted forbidden fruit punch orphan and named her Good Vibes. It brought so many good feelings to me vaping it the first time and there was no way we could have kept this oldie but goodie from you.

This one is my personal favorite and believe it or not, it currently ranks as our 2nd top seller next to Pony On Acid.

Lick It 

What kind of flavors would Smax have that would make us stand out from the rest? The first thing I did was drive to Target,  and bought a huge bag of Jelly Bellies in an assortment of 49 flavors. These were NOT just any ordinary jelly beans, they were a nostalgic delicacy of my childhood. My dad used to buy them for us when they came in those fancy little gift boxes as a kid and I’ve never ate candy that tasted so accurate to their descriptions.

Peach wasn’t exactly my favorite but I ended up trashing all of our other attempts of the fruit flavors because they just sucked. We didn’t want to create flavors that everyone else was making, and it was too ambitious to do a juicy pear that didn’t taste like old lady perfume. I was hoping that by eating 49 different flavors excluding black licorice and buttered popcorn that we would find at least a few worthy profiles to recreate and improve.

TFN or Tobacco-Free Nicotine :  What It Is & Why You Should Care

by Felicia Downing

            When it comes to nicotine and tobacco, all vapers can agree that there needs to be more distinction between the two. While nicotine is a natural product of tobacco, it can also be found in many plants, including potatoes, tomatoes, and broccoli. Nicotine is widely known to be the substance responsible for tobacco addiction; which is where people start to get their facts twisted. Although addicting, nicotine is not responsible for the health damages caused by smoking tobacco. 

            So what does this have to do with TFN, and what is TFN anyway? TFN, or tobacco-free nicotine, created by Next Generation Labs is a lab-created nicotine concentrate that is synthesized without using any parts of the tobacco plant. This nicotine is used in e-liquids for vaping devices as an alternative to nicotine which is derived from tobacco. 

            There are any number of reasons why TFN is a huge development for the vaping industry. First of all, the FDA has the authority to regulate any and all "tobacco products". In terms of vaping, any part of your device which can be "reasonably expected" to be used to consume tobacco can be deemed a tobacco product. So if you're using an e-liquid with tobacco-derived nicotine, everything from the tank/RDA, to the mod, and even the batteries can be considered tobacco products, and therefore can be regulated by the FDA. It could be argued, logically, that use of TFN would no longer constitute any part of your vaping device as a tobacco product.  Those of us who vape are already well aware that vaping and smoking are entirely different animals, and that vaping is a valid & valuable harm-reduction tool. We already know how absurd it is to consider a vaping device a "tobacco product", however this is what we are up against. TFN is just another step in the right direction for the vaping industry.

            Aside from the science and regulation angles, there is another huge aspect of TFN that many vapers will agree is the most positive: the flavor!  E-liquids made with TFN are widely thought to be more crisp and vibrant than those made with tobacco-derived nicotine. Anyone who has been vaping for any length of time has probably tried an e-liquid which tasted bitter or peppery - this flavor is a direct result of the nicotine being used, and is all but impossible to remedy.

                        So why aren't all e-liquid companies using TFN? Put simply, it comes down to cost. TFN is a relatively new development, and it is likely not feasible for many companies to afford this product. However, when it comes down to it, those companies who can - should. If the vaping industry is going to continue to thrive as an anti-smoking tool, we need to continue to advance our technology, so that what we already know to be true becomes undeniable.

Watch how Smax is made with TFN below

Routine E-Liquid Co. was founded on the basis of how we spend our mornings as creators, so we wanted to share with you some of the routines by the most inspiring people we've met from our vape journey.

We were finally able to meet with Angela, a photographer and social media content creator based out of Los Angeles who caught our attention in early 2015 with her stunning feed filled with essentials of a vape connoisseur's dream.

Her perfectly-lit compositions capturing the beauty in artisan box mods, top choice e-liquids and lifestyle portraits have been featured on honorable collectives such as @vaperazzi and @insivapor. After 4 years of smoking, Angela was able to say goodbye to cigarettes with the help of vaping. Thank-you for doing great things @vaperture! What's your routine? Tag us #myvaperoutine

Be sure to follow Angela on Instagram at @vaperture