Chinese Vape Makers Use Chemicals Potentially More Potent Than Nicotine

After the US Congress closed a loophole in 2022 that allowed vape makers to use synthetic nicotine to avoid FDA regulation, Chinese manufacturers found a new workaround. They are now filling their vapes with little-studied chemicals called nicotine analogs, which produce effects similar to nicotine but are not classified as nicotine under current law.

Because federal regulations still define nicotine narrowly, Chinese companies can sell nicotine analog vapes in the US without submitting them for FDA review. Researchers first documented these products in the US market about three years ago.

Animal studies suggest that one common analog, 6-methyl-nicotine, may be more potent and addictive than regular nicotine. A 2024 study also found that some of these vapes contain unlabeled ingredients, including artificial sweeteners and cooling agents with unknown inhalation risks.

Tobacco companies have researched nicotine analogs since the 1970s but never commercialized them. Now, Chinese manufacturers have introduced them in disposable vapes. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) told WIRED that Chinese companies have been flooding the US market with illegal vape products targeting children for years.

The Trump administration has dismantled the CDC's tobacco prevention office and downsized the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, shifting regulation to states. Four states—California, Nebraska, Indiana, and Tennessee—have expanded their definitions of tobacco products to include nicotine-like chemicals. The Trump administration's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal includes a measure to expand the federal definition of nicotine to include analogs, which would allow FDA regulation. If enacted, this could close the Chinese loophole but also enable major US tobacco companies to develop and sell their own nicotine analog products, provided they comply with FDA rules.

Stanford professor Robert Jackler notes that while the administration claims to protect Americans from unregulated Chinese products, the real agenda may be to help US tobacco companies compete with Chinese startups.