In 2025, the UK vaping market entered a structural transition shaped by regulation, changing user motivations, and a major shift away from disposable devices. Drawing from ASH Smokefree GB 2025, ONS population data, and UCL’s Smoking Toolkit Study (STS), this analysis reconstructs the true user landscape behind the numbers—and what it means for brands operating in the UK, including Airis.

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1️⃣ Market Size & Growth: UK Vaping Reaches a Plateau

⭐ Trend Overview

According to ASH Smokefree GB 2025, approximately 10.4% of UK adults vape, representing 5.5 million users. Growth peaked in 2024 and slightly contracted in 2025.

📊 Table 1. UK Adult Vaping Prevalence (2012–2025)

Year	Prevalence	YoY Change	Estimated Vapers (Millions)
2012	1.7%	–	0.8M
2015	5.4%	+1.2%	2.7M
2019	7.1%	+0.9%	3.6M
2023	9.1%	+0.8%	4.8M
2024	10.7%	+1.6%	5.6M
2025	10.4%	–0.3%	5.5M

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📈 ASCII Line Chart: UK Vaping Prevalence 2018–2025

💡 Market Insight

This plateau is not a sign of decline—it reflects:

• Regulatory deterrence (upcoming disposable ban)
• Mature adoption among smokers
• Stabilized experimentation rates among young adults

The total user base remains historically high.

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2️⃣ User Composition: Ex-Smokers Dominate the Ecosystem

⭐ Breakdown of UK Adult Vapers

User Type	Share of Vapers	Population
Ex-smokers	55%	3.0M
Current smokers (dual users)	40%	2.2M
Never-smokers	5%	260K

📊 Takeaway

The UK vaping market is still overwhelmingly smoking-driven.
This aligns with evidence from:

• Public Health England (PHE): “Vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking.”
• Cochrane Review 2024: Nicotine vapes increase quit success rates more than NRT and varenicline.

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3️⃣ Age & Socio-Economic Profile

⭐ Age Segmentation

Age Group	Vaping Prevalence (2025)
18–24	10.7%
25–34	16.0% (highest)
35–44	13.2%
45–54	10.8%
55+	6.7%

🎯 Interpretation

25–44-year-olds are the UK’s vaping engine, driven by:

• Convenience
• Flavor variety
• Smoking cessation purposes
• Social/mental-health motivations (younger groups)

⭐ SES Segmentation

SES Group	Vaping Rate
ABC1 (Higher income)	9.5%
C2DE (Lower income)	11.4%

💡 Insight

Lower-income users vape more, but higher-income smokers are more willing to switch, making premium devices (e.g., Airis Puripod i5/SE) attractive.

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4️⃣ Daily Use Overtakes Daily Smoking—Historic Inversion

For the first time:

• Daily vaping = 7.6%
• Daily smoking = 7.4%

📊 Bar Chart: Daily Use Comparison (2020–2025)

💡 Interpretation

Vaping has become the dominant daily nicotine behavior in the UK.

This is supported by UCL STS data linking higher vaping rates to higher smoking cessation success.

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5️⃣ Motivations: A Market Split into Two Psychological Segments

ASH reports three distinct motivational paths:

① Ex-Smokers → “Function-First”

Top reasons:

• Quitting (26%)
• Staying off tobacco (20%)
• Stress/mental-health support (14%)

② Dual Users → “Reduction & Convenience”

• Cutting down cigarettes (16%)
• Enjoyment (13%)
• Cannot smoke in certain environments (11%)

③ Never-Smokers → “Emotional Regulation”

• Stress relief (35%)
• Enjoyment (31%)

💡 Insight

The UK market increasingly splits into:

• Health-driven users → want reliability, low-leak tanks, stable power output
• Pleasure-driven younger adults → want flavor, coldness (ice), and smooth airflow

Airis products with dual modes or advanced airflow control (e.g., Neo-P40000) align with trend #2.

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6️⃣ Device Shifts: Pods & Tanks Replace Disposables

⭐ Main Device Types (2025)

Device Type	Share
Refillable Tank	50%
Pod Devices	25%
Disposable Vapes	24% (down sharply from 31% in 2023)

📉 Disposable Collapse

A direct reaction to:

• UK Government 2024 announcement of a nationwide disposable ban
• Increased enforcement & public concern
• Youth-vaping media coverage affecting adult behavior

📊 Bar Chart: Disposable Device Popularity (2021–2025)

💡 Insight

Disposables will rapidly exit the UK mainstream.
Reusable systems (pod/tank) will dominate all retail by late 2025–2026.

➡ See Airis Neo-P40000 reusable optio

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7️⃣ Flavor Preferences: Fruit + Ice = The UK meta

⭐ Most Preferred Flavors

Flavor	Share of Vapers
Fruit	51%
Menthol/Mint	20%
Tobacco	11%
Sweet/Drink	10%

⭐ Ice Trend

• 41% use “Ice” flavors sometimes or always
• Among 18–24, cold flavors dominate (≈70%)

💡 Implications

The UK is one of the strongest fruit + cooling (ice) markets globally.
Brands lacking ice-variants will lose younger adult share.

➡ Best Dessert Flavor Disposable Vapes in 2025

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8️⃣ Nicotine Strength: Most Stay Within Limits, 30% Decrease Strength Over Time

Behavior	Percentage
Use ≤20mg/ml (legal max)	84%
Decreased strength since starting	30%
Increased strength	6%

💡 Implication

Users see vaping as long-term addiction reduction, not escalation.

Internal link:
➡ Nicotine strength guide

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9️⃣ Purchasing Behavior: Online Purchase Surges

⭐ Where Users Buy Vapes

Channel	Vapers	Smokers
Vape shops	29%	–
Online	39%	9%
Supermarkets	24%	57%
Convenience stores	22%	35%

💡 Insight

Vapers rely heavily on online retail, making:

• Amazon UK
• TikTok Shop
• Brand-owned Shopify/WooCommerce

essential entry channels.

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🔟 Policy Impact: What the Disposable Ban Will Do

⭐ Expected Reactions

From current disposable users:

Behavior After Ban	Share
Stop vaping	24%
Switch to reusable devices	78% of those who continue
Look for illegal disposables	22%
Increase cigarette use	16%

💡 Implication

The ban will accelerate pod/tank adoption, but also push a minority back toward cigarettes—an unintended health consequence noted by ASH and PHE.

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🧠 Final Executive Summary for Stakeholders

Category	Key Takeaway
Market Size	5.5M adult vapers; stable plateau
Core Demographic	25–44 years old; C2DE slightly higher usage
Behavior	Daily vaping now exceeds daily smoking
Motivation	Split: cessation vs enjoyment/stress relief
Device Trend	Disposables ↓; pods & tanks ↑
Flavor Trend	Fruit + Ice = UK #1
Nicotine Trend	30% lowering strength; well-regulated market
Policy	Disposable ban reshapes user behavior
Opportunity	Online retail + refillable device innovation