Vape Pen Sale Volume in Brazil Quadrupled in Four Years

According to media reports, the vape pen sale volume in Brazil increase by 4 times between 2018 and 2022. Meanwhile, searches for the relating term “vape” in Brazil increase by more than 1,150% between 2021 and 2023. Among them, searches for “vape eletrônico” increase by more than 550% nationwide. And “cigarro eletrônico vape” (electronic cigarette) increase even more than 650% nationwide.

According to statistics, 6 million adult smokers in Brazil have tried vape pen products.

Among these people, 2.2 million adults claimed to have smoked vape in the 30 days before being interviewed for the survey. Comparing with 2018, the first year the survey was conducted, the number of vape pen consumers has grown by more than 4.5 million people.

Although Brazil has banned vape pen sale since 2009, the ban has clearly not stop the vape consumption in the country.

International experience demonstrates that vape devices can reduce the consequences associated with smoking.

Vaporizers or heated tobacco products, which are popularly known as electronic cigarettes, are not innocuous products. However, when comparing to conventional cigarettes, they can be reduced-risk alternatives for adult smokers. In September 2022, the England Ministry of Health reaffirmed that vaporizers are 95% less harmful than regular cigarettes, or 20 times less harmful. And in March 2023, it started the project ‘change to stop’ with the supply of vaporizers to help 1 million adult smokers to give up smoking.

Another example is Sweden, which recognizes alternative nicotine delivery products, for example electronic cigarettes, as less harmful. What’s more, they also encourages smokers to use those devices. With this measure, the country is close to becoming the first ‘smoking-free’ country in Europe. Actually, the number of adult smokers in Sweden is below 5% of the population.

Black market in Brazil is very rampant, it provides a living soil for smuggling activities and vape pen sale.

Most of the vape pen and vape related products are entering into Brazil in recent years. However, the entering way may be illegal. According to reports, many Brazilian consumers are unaware that the vape pens they use are smuggled products.

BAT Brazil consultant Alessandra Bastos said that without regulations governing the commercialization, manufacture, dissemination and content of these products, all of these consumers would be exposed to illegal products. And they would know nothing about the origins, manufacturers or the true composition of the products.

Moreover, Brazil has long been relatively loose in the regulation of the black market of vape pen sale and import. Because of this, the black market activities in Brazil is rampant in recent years.

However, in the past two years, the Brazil government has start to tack actions. The Federal Revenue of Brazil (RFB) has begun to attach importance to cracking down on illegal import and commercialization of vape pen smuggling activities. In 2022 alone, they have seized 1.1 million vape pens. What’s more, in a nationwide operation in July last year, 290,000 vapes were seized in just one day.

In general, the sales and searching volume increase of vape pen sale and related products shows the real market demand in Brazil.