TPD, TRPR, TPD2? These are terms that you might have heard over the years though you might not know what they are. There's a good reason for that, it's technical and mostly very boring.

But what do you need to know? What does it do for the customer? And why is it important?

What is TPD

TPD or TRPR as it is now in the uk is the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations. It is the set of regulations that govern tobacco products or nicotine products in the UK. It is regularly updated as new tobacco products enter the market or new regulations are brought in such as the 2025 ban on Disposable electronic cigarettes. 

It doesn't just cover what is banned and what isn't however. It also covers how products are allowed to be advertised, where they are allowed to be advertised, who can purchase them, how the product can be labelled and packaged and more. 

One of the key things for the customer is the regulations governing what can go into the product and it regulates limitations on quantity of nicotine, additives, and available flavourings.

What does TPD do for the customer

TPD being a set of regulations are legally binding rules that we companies must follow. As a producer of our own product, it is a requirement that we ensure all our products meet a level of safety that the government set. We aim to always be safer and better than this but these regulation set that products must also undergo testing to ensure that they meet this level as a minimum. Something which is good as creating e-liquid is not the same as baking a cake, there's a lot of scientific stuff that goes on and something that looks safe can start producing some nasty products. When TPD labs test products, bad chemicals like formaldehyde that are created can be found and when they are, the product formulation must be fixed to prevent this from happening.

In short, this testing makes sure that if you use the product properly, the product will be the 95% safer alternative that Public Health England and the NHS say it is.

Why is TPD important.

TPD regulations aren't just important. They're VERY important. We only have to look to America for an example of this, with people being harmed from bad products and dodgy dealers selling 'legal' products. Because we in the UK and further to the EU took a stance of "make sure it's safe", the product can actually help you. 

This doesn't mean that every single product on the market meets these standards though. Last days before payday, you might be inclined to grab that "amazing deal" from the market stall on your way through town. Now the guy selling the product might be legit and just not know he's selling dodgy products, but there's a way that you can know for sure. Anything that has nicotine in it must be tested and registered and most legitimate companies will then put the registration number known as an ECID number on the packaging. This ECID number can be checked on the MHRA portal for tobacco related products to verify that it is correct. 

Please note that you shouldn't assume that just because a product doesn't have a number on the box that it isn't a tested and registered product. While companies like QLabs make a point of putting the product's ECID on the box not all do that due to limited space.