Vape Flavour Ban Signed Into Law in Ireland: What It Means for You (Menthol Included)

On Tuesday 27 October 2026, President Catherine Connolly signed the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 into law. It's the law that bans vape flavours in Ireland. It passed the Dáil in June and the Seanad on 21 October, where 28 of the 35 Senators who voted backed it.

This page explains, in plain English, what the vape flavour ban means for you: which flavours are banned, when the ban starts, what happens to vape kits and packaging, and what you can still do. I've also written honestly about what it means for us at OB Vape.

Shop your favourites before the ban

Every flavour below is still legal to buy today. Some of our stock was bought before the vape tax came in, so there's no tax in the price, and when it's gone, it's gone.

Pre-tax e-liquids → Pre-tax nic salts → Menthol & mint → Pre-tax shortfills → Any 5 for €30 →

Popular ranges: Elux Legend nic salts, Elfliq nic salts, IVG 50/50 e-liquids, pre-tax vape kits and prefilled pod kits. Delivery across Ireland is free over €50.

Signed into law: what it means

The President signed the bill on Tuesday 27 October 2026, after it passed the Dáil in June and the Seanad on 21 October. It's now an Act, but it isn't in force yet. Nothing in it applies until the Minister for Health commences it.

The Department of Health has said the timelines "will be considered by the Minister for Health", and that the law gives a 12-month transition period from commencement for the appearance, packaging and flavour-name rules.

The law also gives the Minister the power to add extra flavour names by regulation. Nothing has been added yet. That's the one door still open.

When will vape flavours be banned in Ireland?

1. The President signs it into law. Done: signed on 27 October 2026.
2. The Minister for Health signs a commencement order. Signing the bill doesn't switch it on. The Minister decides when that happens.
3. A 12-month transition period. The flavour-name rules have a 12-month transition period from the day they're commenced.

Put together, flavours could be gone in as little as about a year. We'll update this page as soon as there's an exact date.

Which vape flavours will be banned?

Only two flavour names will be allowed: "Tobacco" and "Unflavoured". Everything else goes:

• Fruit flavours (strawberry, blueberry, watermelon, mango and the rest)
• Desserts, sweets and candy flavours
• Drinks flavours (cola, energy drinks, lemonade)
• Menthol and mint
• Even words like "Ice", "Cool" or "Fresh", because they hint at a taste or a feeling

The ban covers flavours in e-liquids and in kits, including nic salts, 50/50 e-liquids, shortfills and prefilled pods. If you currently vape menthol, it is on the banned list. Our guide to the best tobacco e-liquids and which tobacco flavour is closest to your old cigarettes may help.

Plain packaging and the advertising ban

Plain devices and packaging. Every vape device will have to be one government-prescribed colour, with no branding, no graphics and no extra features. Every bottle, box and cap will be in one prescribed colour too. Plain packaging, just like cigarettes. Picture shelves of identical products with two flavour names on them.

No advertising. All vape advertising in shops and on websites will be banned. In supermarkets, newsagents and garages, vapes will have to be hidden out of sight.

On top of the vape tax

All of this comes on top of the vape tax. After this Budget's increase it's 70c per ml: €7 of duty, plus VAT, on every 10ml bottle. That's why our pre-tax stock matters: once it's gone, everything after it carries the full tax.

What happens when flavours go

• People go back to smoking. Research by Red C for Respect Vapers found that up to 60,000 ex-smokers could return to cigarettes.
• Lives are lost. The World Health Organization says smoking kills up to half of its long-term users. If 60,000 people go back, that could mean as many as 30,000 lives cut short.
• The black market grows. Illegal, unregulated flavoured vapes, with no ID checks and no safety standards, sold to anyone, including kids.
• Sales go over the border. As things stand, flavours will still be on sale in Northern Ireland and online from abroad. The money and the jobs leave Ireland.
• The wrong shops close. Specialist, ID-checking shops like ours go, while the sweet shops and convenience shops selling to kids carry on.

How I feel about this

I'm Eoin O'Boyle. I've run OB Vape, a family-run shop in Drogheda, for eight years. I'll be honest: I was in tears writing this.

This is barbaric. The Government is a joke. 28 Senators voted for this in the face of every bit of evidence that it will send ex-smokers back to cigarettes, create a black market, flood the country with illegal, unregulated product, and hand the whole market to big tobacco, the only companies who'll bother making plain-pack, tobacco-flavour liquid for petrol stations.

A Minister for Health who pushes people who quit smoking back towards cigarettes has no business calling this a health measure. Our leaders are not fit for purpose.

What it means for OB Vape

I'm devastated to my core. I've put eight years of my life into this business and this team. When the flavour ban comes in, OB Vape will almost certainly have to close. There is no version of this shop that survives selling one tobacco flavour and a wall of identical devices.

But I want to be just as honest about the timing. This isn't today or tomorrow. Until the ban comes in, we're here, open as normal in Southgate, Drogheda and online, looking after you the way we always have.

What I'm doing, and the one thing left to fight for

I've written to the Minister for Health, every TD and Senator, and the media. All I'm asking for is 10 minutes with the Minister, to be heard before this is rolled out. Politicians from several parties have passed my request on to her, and I'm pushing hard to meet her. I was also on LMFM with Gerry Kelly on Wednesday 28 October at 12:15.

The one thing I want her to hear: the shops selling vapes to kids aren't independent, Irish, vape-only shops like ours. They're sweet shops and convenience shops selling vapes on the side, often illegal products. If shops like ours close, they'll carry on.

The law gives the Minister for Health the power to add extra flavour names by regulation. Nothing has been added yet, but that door is still open. This is the last chance to get anything changed.

Please email your local TDs and Senators. Tell them you're an adult who quit smoking with flavours, and ask them to push the Minister to use that power to add flavours like menthol before the ban comes in. You can find them all on oireachtas.ie, or ring Leinster House on 01 618 3000.

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Vape flavour ban Ireland: frequently asked questions

Are vape flavours banned in Ireland yet?

Not yet. The President signed the flavour ban into law on 27 October 2026, but it only takes effect after the Minister for Health commences it, followed by a 12-month transition period. You can still buy flavoured e-liquids today.

When does the vape flavour ban start in Ireland?

The Minister for Health decides when it's commenced. With the 12-month transition period, flavours could be gone in as little as about a year. We'll update this page when an exact date is set.

Is menthol included in the Irish vape flavour ban?

Yes. Only "Tobacco" and "Unflavoured" will be allowed, so menthol and mint are banned too, along with descriptors like "Ice", "Cool" and "Fresh". Shop menthol e-liquids while you still can.

Does the ban apply to vape kits and prefilled pods?

Yes. The flavour rules apply to e-liquids and kits, including prefilled pods. Devices and packaging will also have to be one government-prescribed colour with no branding or graphics.

Can I still use my refillable vape kit after the ban?

The ban is on flavours, not on vaping. A refillable kit can still be used with tobacco or unflavoured e-liquid. New devices sold will have to meet the plain-colour rules.

Can I stock up on flavoured vapes now?

Yes. Flavours are legal to sell to adults aged 18 and over until the ban comes into force. We have limited pre-tax stock, including menthol. See bulk orders.

Will OB Vape close?

When the flavour ban comes in, OB Vape will almost certainly have to close. Until then, we're open as normal in the shop and online.

Can the Government still add flavours like menthol?

Yes. The Minister has the power to add extra flavour names by regulation. Nothing has been added yet. Contact your TDs and Senators and ask them to push for it.

Continue reading

• An open letter before the Seanad vote: I've had enough. Have you?
• The best tobacco e-liquids to switch to
• Which tobacco vape flavour is closest to your old cigarettes?
• Vaping and the law in Ireland

Written by Eoin O'Boyle, owner of OB Vape, Drogheda. Published 21 October 2026. Updated 23 October 2026 with media coverage. Updated 27 October 2026: signed into law by the President. We'll update this page as the law moves forward.