The Dangers of Fake Vapes and How to Avoid Them

Around 5.6 million people in the UK now vape, with numbers continuing to rise. However, the surge in popularity of vape products has also seen the rise of fake vapes. Counterfeit or illegal vapes, as they are also known, are unregulated and come with significant health and safety risks. Get clued up on the consequences of using a fake vape and find out how to tell if a vape is fake with our no-fuss guide to fake vapes.

What Are Fake Vapes?

Fake vapes are devices or e-liquids that look and feel like genuine vaping products. In 2024, 1.19 million illegal vapes were seized by Trading Standards, highlighting the significance of the problem.

Many fake vapes are marketed as well-known brands despite not having any permission to do so. Others are generic low-quality devices that have been illegally imported or sold outside regulated supply chains.

Fake vapes do not meet the e-cigarette regulations, which set out safety, quality and labelling standards. These regulations keep consumers safe, meaning illegal vapes that are not regulated can be hazardous to health.

What Ingredients Are in Fake Vapes?

Genuine vapes contain four primary ingredients:

Vegetable Glycerin (VG)
Propylene Glycol (PG)
Nicotine
Flavourings

However, knowing what ingredients are in fake vapes can be a total guessing game. Following the seizure of fake vapes, tests have shown an alarming cocktail of toxic ingredients — including toxic metals like lead and arsenic, formaldehyde, and even pesticides and industrial chemicals.

There’s no real way of knowing exactly what is in a fake vape, but the likelihood is that it won’t be the same simple four ingredients you find in genuine vape juice. Here’s a quick comparison chart for you to visualise and remember:

Legitamate vape e-liquid vs fake vape e-liquid infographic

Are Fake Vapes Dangerous?

Yes, fake vapes are very dangerous. In the UK, vaping products that contain nicotine must be reported to the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. These stringent rules exist because of the risks posed if vaping products are not properly regulated. A fake vape is not subject to any of these regulations, so can be incredibly dangerous.

With unregulated ingredients, including possible carcinogens, shoddy manufacturing, and a complete disregard for safety standards, using a fake vape means gambling with your health. These dangers extend to the whole device, with unsafe parts and unstable batteries par for the course with illegal vapes.

Here’s a more detailed look at the dangers of using a fake vape:

Unregulated Ingredients

There is an alarming range of chemicals in fake vapes that are not safe for inhalation. When you draw heavy metals and toxins into your lungs, you are directly sending them into your respiratory system. For this reason, the potential symptoms of fake vapes include irreversible lung damage, inflammation, scarring, and an increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases.

Unsafe Parts

Criminals making fake vapes use low-quality, cheap parts to construct them. The components won’t have undergone safety testing, and batteries in particular pose a huge threat; they could overheat, short-circuit, or even explode. Poor quality coils and cartridges can result in e-liquid leaking. In the worst cases, the liquid can burn at the wrong temperature, so you inhale even more toxic fumes.

Nicotine Levels

In the UK, the nicotine content of vape juice is capped at 20mg or 2%. Illegal vapes follow no such guidelines. Terrifying levels of up to 200 cigarettes' worth of nicotine can be in one vape device, as reported by BBC News. The risk of nicotine addiction and even nicotine poisoning is much higher. This is a hazard for any vape users, but may have even more dire consequences for new or inexperienced vapers.

Manufacturing

Factories producing fake vapes are not the clean laboratories you can expect with genuine vape manufacturers. Conditions can be unsanitary, with cross contamination and a lack of quality control. A fake vape might be full of dust, bacteria or other foreign particles.

Other Reasons to Avoid Fake Vapes

As well as the considerable negative impact to health, illegal vapes are bad news for a number of other reasons:

Wasted Money

Fake vapes are often cheaper than the market average but, as the saying goes, “you buy cheap, you buy twice”. They’re more likely to fail, leak or have a very short lifespan.

Low Quality Flavours

You’ll often know a fake vape by the bad flavour experience. Low concentrations, harsh flavours or a distinct chemical taste are dead giveaways. Vapour production might be hit and miss too, and you’ll start to notice a burnt taste much sooner than with real vapes.

Environmental Impact

Disposable vapes were banned in the UK in June 2025. Part of the reason for this was the environmental impact disposables were having. A move to rechargeable vapes means less waste, with most of the parts being fully recyclable. Fake vapes are often discarded more often because of the poor quality and are not recycled.

Organised Crime

A survey from UK Trading Standards found that more than 40% of authorities identified electronic vaping products as a goods category connected to criminality. Illegal vapes are produced cheaply, usually by organised crime syndicates, and purchasing them means you could be contributing to criminal trade, unfair competition, tax evasion and unstable markets.

HOW TO TELL IF A VAPE IS FAKE

Make a mental note of these red flags and, if you suspect it’s a fake vape, either don’t buy it, or dispose of it immediately.

PACKAGING	Simple things like spelling mistakes, blurred imagery or no regulatory markings indicate it’s a fake vape. There should also be tamper-evident seals and child-resistant features on a real vape.
LABELLING	Genuine vapes usually display the nicotine strength, manufacturer details or safety warnings clearly on the label.
VERIFICATION	Many well-known brands have a verification code on the packaging (it might be under a scratch off panel). This code can be entered on the manufacturer's website to find out if it is an authentic product.
PRICE	Low prices might be attractive but if it seems too good to be true then it probably is and you’re likely looking at an illegal vape.
PUFF COUNT	Very high puff counts - for example, 5,000+ - on a vape that also includes nicotine are illegal. Legal vapes containing nicotine offer around 600 puffs to stay within tank size limits.
NICOTINE	If any device or e-liquid claims a nicotine strength above 20mg, this is over legal UK limits and will be fake.
CONSTRUCTION	If the quality of the device seems cheap, with loose parts, a rattling sound or a poor finish, it’s probably an illegal vape.
FAULTS	Overheating quickly, excessive leaks or strange smells indicate a fake vape product.
FLAVOUR	Pay attention to flavours with little taste or that feel harsh.
SELLER	Avoid buying from market stalls, social media pages or unverified websites. Stick to verified online brands or reputable shops.

How to Avoid Buying a Fake Vape

Learn all of the warning signs above so that if you do end up with an illegal vape, you know not to use it. Ideally, you don’t want to have to get to that point, so always buy from a trusted and authorised retailer like Riot. Convenience stores or pop-up shops can be red flags, procuring their vape products from unverified manufacturers. If you do unwittingly buy a fake vape, you can report the seller to Trading Standards. This helps remove these harmful products from circulation.

Get the Real Deal with Riot

Whether you’re switching from cigarettes, new to vaping, or a long-term vape lover, you don’t want to worry about heavy metals or exploding vape kits. For legitimate and flavour-fuelled vaping, stick with Riot. Our UK-based lab produces the best e-liquid flavours, and our next-level vape kits are reliable, recyclable and completely safe. Venture down the Riot rabbit hole for dangerously good flavours and a regulated, fail-safe vape experience.