Top 5 New Vaping Trends of 2023

Top 5 New Vaping Trends of 2023
What`s next for the vape industry? Let`s take a quick look at our predictions for the vaping trends we`ll see in 2023.

2020 saw vape pods enter the market. 2021 was the year of the nicotine salt. And 2022 saw a massive boom in the disposable vape market-so, what`s next for 2023?

We`ve made some predictions, so let`s take a look at some of the guaranteed (and some less-than-guaranteed) vaping trends we anticipate seeing in 2023.

Disposable Vape E-Liquids
Disposable vapes are a massive vaping trend at the moment, and their popularity has grown exponentially in the past two years. Who can resist the intense, icy, sweet flavour of a disposable vape when none of the E-Liquids on the market can really replicate the taste?

Until now, that is.

Last year saw the debut of Bar Juice 5000 nic salts in the UK, offering the taste of a disposable vape (using the very same flavourings as popular disposable manufacturers) for your refillable device. This works out immensely cheaper in the long run, and it`s also much better for the planet.

Bar Juice`s intensely flavourful E-Liquids were met with roaring success, and other companies wanted in on the action. Elf Bar released their own range of official Elf Bar nic salts, and as December 2022 came to a close, we got word that more UK-based brands were creating their own disposable vape E-Liquid ranges. We`ve even seen shortfill ranges trying to replicate the taste.

SHOP DISPOSABLE VAPE E-LIQUIDS
In 2023, we expect that the biggest vaping trend will see every major UK E-Liquid brand premiering their own disposable vape-flavoured E-Liquids, with double the flavour, extra sweetness, and plenty of ice (and truthfully, I can`t wait!).

It would appear that the nic salt market is headed in this direction, and we hope that coil manufacturers can adapt their hardware to better suit the sweetness of these vape juices (because, as we know, nothing kills a coil faster than an ultra-sweet E-Liquid).

More Eco-Friendly Disposable Vapes
It`s no secret that disposable vapes are a scourge on the environment. Every time I open one (which, admittedly, is rare), I see Greta Thunberg`s disappointed face judging me. 1.3 million disposable vapes are sent to landfill every week, and thousands more are littered onto our streets by ne`er-do-wells every day.

We sorely hope that 2023`s vaping trends will bring more eco-friendly disposables to the market, alongside far-reaching disposable vape recycling schemes like the Riot Recycle programme from Riot E-Liquid.

In an ideal world, we`d see disposable vape recycling bins on high streets beside the general rubbish bins, and these disposables would be taken away, disassembled, and disposed of properly.

Greta Thunberg Disappointed
Greta Thunberg, disappointed
The pressure is on for disposable manufacturers to refine their products as the true ecological cost of vaping disposables becomes more and more apparent, even to the non-vaping general public. In 2023, we expect vaping trends to skew more eco-conscious, and it really couldn`t come at a better time in human history.

Vaping Trends of 2023: Ice Flavours
More Focus on [Ice" Flavours
It`s in every disposable vape out there, barring a select few outliers. It`s in many of your nic salts, too. Even though not every vaper is a fan, it`s a vaping trend that`s cropping up everywhere right now: ice.E-Cigarette-atomizer

Ice-not to be confused with menthol-is a vape flavouring that was originally called [koolada" for achieving slush flavours without the minty taste you`d get from a menthol flavouring. Ice essentially adds a cool breeze to the exhale of any E-Liquid.

Ice is excellent when added to a nic salt E-Liquid, as it makes the nicotine hit smoother on the throat and much less harsh. Some even feel that the ice additive makes the inhale more satisfying.

And while some can`t stand having ice in their vapes, there`s a growing number of vapers who will only vape flavours with ice in them (I`m one of these people).

For me, personally, it`s hard to tolerate nic salts without ice.

In 2023, we`re certain that a majority of the E-Liquids entering the market-even beyond the realm of nic salts-will have ice in their list of flavourings.

Maybe it`s for the throat hit, or maybe it`s just because it`s really refreshing. Regardless, anti-ice vapers may be disappointed with this year`s vaping trends when they see just how many new E-Liquids have ice in them.

I, for one, can`t wait.

Stricter Legislation on Disposable Vapes
This is one of the vaping trends we expect to see in 2023, though it could be either good or bad news for the industry; only time will tell.

We expect that 2023 will bring stricter regulations on the manufacture, import, and distribution of disposable vapes as media around the world continues to focus on the [youth vaping epidemic."

And while youth usage is largely overblown, changes to legislation would be welcomed by vapers for peace of mind-so long as they don`t interfere with standard adult usage.

Vaping Test Purchase - BBC
As it stands, youth usage in the UK is low but still growing, and disposable vapes are remarkably easy to attain for those under the age of 18 who know where to look. Various test purchase operations conducted by Trading Standards, councils, and news outlets like the BBC found that a significant portion of businesses, usually off-licences, willingly sell disposable vapes to minors without even requesting ID.

Those who don`t buy their vapes at in-person stores can also get them online, through social media, or from friends.

Interestingly, these test purchase operations found that the least likely place a minor could buy a disposable vape without ID was in an actual brick-and-mortar vape shop. Vape shops are still the very best resource we have as vapers, and they`re doing their part to limit youth usage here in the UK.

We do hope to see more legislation in 2023-and given the disposable vaping trend, this feels inevitable-though we`re praying that these stricter rules allow adult vapers to continue vaping unburdened.

Vapes Will Keep Getting Smaller- or Will They?

I frequently wonder if we`re at the breaking point yet. Let me explain.

With most technology, devices get smaller over time as we learn how to optimise-just like computers. Where a computer was once a room-sized behemoth, it`s now small enough to fit in your lap on a busy commute.

But devices don`t always continue on this trajectory. Take the mobile phone, for example: once larger than a walkie-talkie, eventually made to be roughly as small as a pack of Tic Tacs. But the mobile phone didn`t stay that way as our use of them changed-and now, we need special PopSockets to comfortably hold their larger size in one hand.

Vapes have an interesting background when it comes to size. The first vapes that were commercially available to consumers were cig-a-likes, which were shaped like a cigarette (though slightly larger). Soon after, mods became popular, and the size of vapes skyrocketed. It wasn`t until the advent of the pod system that vapes really started to shrink-and now, I wonder if we`ve hit the minimum size.

At the Birmingham Vaper Expo UK in October 2022, we saw a device from VooPoo that was teeny-tiny (it fit inside my fist) yet still packed a 1000mAh battery-and I think this is where we`re headed- for now.

As far as 2023 is concerned, vapes are definitely getting smaller.

But as vaping trends change over time and we start to add new features and functionality, as was the case with mobile phones, I think we`re going to start to see new form factors emerge, which may or may not mean larger devices once more.