Innovation
The market has been driven by vapers needs, but are some making outlandish claims?
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by Dave Cross
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Vapor Diet was one of the first, a diet program based on vaping nic-free flavours as a substitute for eating. It met with substantial criticism from the vaping community at the time as it targeted the products at non-vapers and non-smokers. Their advertising makes ludicrous claims that it has appeared on BBC and CNN and that the ingredients are “clinically proven”. If there’s one thing we know for sure it is that the scientific community do not accept any aspect of vaping as clinically proven, certainly not statements to weight loss.
VitaCig followed hot on the heels of VD. Their website still reads like an investment proposal, despite having been in existence since 2014, which would indicate that the company has not disrupted “both the traditional tobacco industry and the emerging personal vaporizer market.” It’s offer of delivering natural flavours, vitamins, terpenes and phytonutrients has failed to excite potential buyers – possibly because of the total lack of research into vaping the last two ingredients.
“The company is expanding the target market,” beyond the 1.2 billion smokers in the world - they irresponsibly claim. How? “By appealing to non-smokers.” Appealing to non-smokers with a range of pseudo-scientific ejuice to make you calm, energised, relaxed or refreshed.
News Medical picked up a six month-old rehashed press release this week from Palm Beach Vapors (PBV). It’s a non-story about another company that claims to have discovered a unique selling point for the humble ecig.
Chip Paul, the inventor of Gnu-vape, appeared on Fox23 back in May claiming to have developed a revolutionary product: a safer electronic cigarette. “This is safe,” stated Paul. “This is a medical grade delivery system.”
Holding that he has invested a six-figure sum in 12 months’ worth of research and development he has produced an ecig that contains vegetable glycerin, water and a “secret ingredient.”
He piggy backs on the PHE 95% report to announce that his product is even safer because it eliminates PG in the liquid – and blames PG for the production of formaldehyde. Dr Farsalinos pointed out in May that formaldehyde is only ever produced in “dry puff conditions” in this research paper.
The hundred thousand-dollar research has not been made available to the public. What they have done is worryingly use the word “oil” as though it is going out of fashion. The press release and website is covered with mentions of oils, and unbelievably includes reference to oil-based flavourings. It has been known for a long time that oil is not suitable for vaping and responsible vendors avoid the term.
All of their hardware consists of standard Chinese-made Gen 2 products. Their liquids are termed “juice systems” and provided as a base and additional bottles of the oil-based flavourings. Some might say this is nothing short of selling watered-down VG at a huge mark-up.
It is almost impossible to imagine how a claim for “medical grade” can be made. Likewise, the assertion that the products solve “existing health issues” is nonsensical.
“I will leave it to the experts to decide the ‘safety’ of our juice,” writes Paul on the website. As conscientious juice makers are stumbling over themselves to test their juices and publish the results it is more likely that the market will decide first.
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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