Market & legal data of the tobacco alternative sector in France

11th March 2025: France: A report by Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT) highlights multiple instances of influencers promoting novel tobacco products since 2019, in violation of French law (law 2023-451 of 9th June 2023). The report identifies 948 posts from 229 influencers that promoted tobacco and nicotine products to the French-speaking Instagram community between 2019 and 2024 and reached an audience of over 24m – primarily of young people. The posts feature e-cigarette brands Vuse (formerly Vype) and Blu, as well as Velo nicotine pouches. In response, ACT has called for an immediate ban on nicotine pouches. The government notified a draft decree banning oral nicotine products, including pouches, pastes, liquids, gums and lozenges, to the European Commision through the TRIS notification system in February.
5th March 2025: France: A resolution signed by 33 French members of Parliament (MPs), led by Frédéric Valletoux (Horizons), proposes limiting tobacco supply per country based on local consumption, in order to combat illicit trade. The initiative aligns with a World Health Organization (WHO) protocol that has never been fully implemented and aims to reinforce supply chain controls and independent tracking. The resolution highlights cross-border over-supply as a key driver of the black market, with an estimate of 16bn cigarettes (out of the 52bn consumed yearly in France) coming from bordering countries.
27th February 2025: France: France has notified a draft decree banning oral nicotine products, including pouches, pastes, liquids, gums and lozenges, to the European Commision through the TRIS notification system. This prohibition covers all stages, from production to distribution, across the entire national territory, and including overseas territories. Exceptions are made for: chewing tobacco, medicinal products, raw materials for pharmaceutical use, food products that naturally contain nicotine or comply with EU pesticide residue regulations, and research purposes where the use of these products is allowed. This prohibition solidifies the ban on nicotine pouches announced by the government after the publication of the 2025 Social Security Budget Bill.
21st February 2025: France: The Paris Criminal Court has fined the French subsidiary of Philip Morris and its former president Jeanne Pollès €500,000 and €50,000, respectively. The company and the former president were found guilty of “direct advertising or propaganda” in favour of tobacco and vaping products. According to the court, Iqos products were presented on the company’s website with statements “which have the aim or effect of promoting both the quality and safety of the Iqos device, under the guise of an an alleged reduction in the scientifically validated risks associated with tobacco consumption”. The company was fined in 2024 for a similar reason, when it was sued by the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT).
19th February 2025: France: On 18th February, the Senate definitively adopted the 2025 Social Security Budget Bill, and no new excise tax has been introduced for nicotine pouches. However, the Senate Social Affairs Committee report highlights the health minister’s intention to ban the product through regulation or decree.
14th February 2025: France: On 12th February, the National Assembly adopted, without a vote, a new reading of the “expenditure” part and the entire 2025 Social Security Finance Bill. The proposal for a ban on nicotine pouches has been withdrawn from the text, replaced by an initial excise duty at €22 per 1,000 g. On 17th and 18th February, the Senate will discuss the text in a new reading.
31st January 2025: France: During a parliamentary hearing, minister delegate for health Yannick Neuder announced his intention to ban nicotine pouches by decree “as soon as possible”, press reports. Shortly after, the Social Affairs Committee removed a Senate proposal to tax these products, arguing that a regulatory measure would be more effective than partial recognition. With this regulatory approach, a ban could be implemented swiftly, bypassing parliamentary debate. It could potentially be extended to similar nicotine products, such as gums or beads.
24th January 2025: France: The new 2025 Social Security Budget Bill is under construction, and a group of centrist parliamentary deputies have proposed an amendment to ban nicotine pouches – as suggested in October 2024 by former health minister Geneviève Darrieussecq. The scope of the amendment is to make such products unavailable to young people and discourage them from consuming nicotine.
8th January 2025: France: Following the implementation of an excise increase scheme, as of 1st January 2025, the tax rate for heated tobacco products (HTPs) is €155.20/kg plus an ad valorem tax of 51.4%. Industry players confirmed that the category applicable to HTPs is “other types of heated tobacco”.
12th December 2024: France: The country’s caretaker administration presented an emergency finance bill to the parliament to avoid a shutdown after the country’s government and the 2025 budget bill fell in a no-confidence vote last week. The provisional budget bill contains only a few articles that permit the state to roll over the same taxes levied in 2024 and continue to issue debt. However, it does not permit the introduction of any new taxes. The definitive budget will be voted on later in 2025.
5th December 2024: France: The proposed new taxes on tobacco products and e-liquids for the upcoming year are unlikely to be implemented following the no-confidence vote in the government. This development will lead to the resignation of prime minister Michel Barnier and could result in president Emmanuel Macron appointing a new head of government. The failure to approve next year’s budget has created an unprecedented situation, forcing the government to potentially operate under a provisional budget.
28th November 2024: France: A joint committee composed of deputies and senators approved the 2025 Security Budget Bill, which includes an increase in taxes on heated tobacco products (HTPs), adjusted for projected 2024 inflation rates. The proposed tax rates for HTPs will increase progressively from 2024 to 2027. The tax rate will remain at 51.4% in both 2024 and 2025, increase to 52% in 2026, and further rise to 53% in 2027. The corresponding tariff per 1,000 g will increase from €155.20 in 2024 to €192.30 in 2025, €220.10 in 2026, and €224 in 2027. Similarly, the minimum excise duty per 1,000 g will rise from €1,146.40 in 2024 to €1,267.90 in 2025, €1,319.10 in 2026, and €1,455 in 2027. The proposal also introduces taxation on nicotine pouches, setting an initial excise duty at €22 per 1,000 g. Additionally, the sale of nicotine pouches exceeding a nicotine concentration of 16.6 mg would be prohibited. The excise duty on nicotine pouches is set to increase incrementally, rising to €44 per 1,000 g in 2026 and €66 per 1,000 g in 2027. A joint committee (“commission mixte paritaire”, CMP) can be convened to reach a compromise on a text when it has been voted on in different versions by the two chambers of the parliament. On 2nd December 2024, the text will be submitted for approval to the Senate and the National Assembly.

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