Why Did Elux Get Banned? What You Can Still Buy in the UK
Elux was not banned as a brand. Elux disposables can no longer be sold in the UK because, since 1 June 2025, businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been banned from selling or supplying single-use vapes of any brand. Rechargeable, refillable vapes and 10ml nicotine e-liquids, including Elux nic salts, can still be sold.
Why did Elux get banned in the UK?
Elux disposables were caught by a ban on every single-use vape, not by a rule aimed at Elux. The ban came into force in all four UK nations on 1 June 2025, and it ended the legal sale of disposables from every brand.
The government gave two kinds of reason: waste and young people. On waste, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says almost five million single-use vapes were littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. Because they cannot be recharged or refilled, they were typically binned after use with their lithium batteries inside, and those batteries are a fire risk at recycling facilities.
On young people, DEFRA says more than half of children who use vapes report that disposables are the type they choose. Reusable vapes were left out of the ban, and government guidance sets out exactly where the line falls.
What counts as a single-use vape?
The government’s single-use vapes ban guidance says a vape is single-use if its battery cannot be recharged or if it cannot be refilled. To count as reusable, a vape needs:
- a rechargeable battery
- a refillable container for the e-liquid, such as a pod, cartridge or tank
- a removable, replaceable coil, if it has a coil at all
Refilling can mean topping up a pod or tank from a bottle of e-liquid, or inserting a new prefilled pod. Either way, the refills and any replacement coils should be available to buy separately. The ban covers vapes with and without nicotine, and it applies to online sales as well as shops.
| Product | Can it be sold in the UK? |
|---|---|
| Disposable (single-use) vape, with or without nicotine | No, not since 1 June 2025 |
| Rechargeable kit with a pod or tank you refill from a bottle | Yes, if it meets the reusable criteria |
| Rechargeable kit that takes prefilled pods sold separately | Yes, if it meets the reusable criteria |
| 10ml bottle of nicotine e-liquid, such as Elux nic salts | Yes, within the UK rules for e-liquid |
Are Elux bars illegal now?
For businesses, yes. Since 1 June 2025 it has been illegal for a business to sell or supply a single-use vape, to offer one for sale, or to keep them in stock to sell. That applies to online shops as well as the high street, so any business offering Elux disposables for sale in the UK today is breaking the ban.
The law is aimed at businesses that sell and supply vapes. If you still have old disposables, do not put them in the household bin. DEFRA’s advice is to return them to your vape supplier for recycling or to take them to your nearest recycling point.
Can you still buy Elux vapes?
Not as disposables. Reusable vapes of any brand can still be sold if they meet the criteria above, and so can nicotine e-liquid for refillable kits. Reusable kits come in two broad types:
- Prefilled pod kits: a rechargeable device that takes prefilled pods of e-liquid, bought separately.
- Refillable pod and pen kits: a rechargeable device with a pod or tank you fill yourself from a 10ml bottle.
Both come under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. A pod or tank can hold no more than 2ml of nicotine e-liquid, a refill bottle no more than 10ml, and the nicotine strength can be no higher than 20mg/ml. Every e-cigarette and e-liquid must also be notified to the MHRA, and published on its list, before it can be sold.
Is Elux liquid legal in the UK?
Yes. The ban applies to single-use devices, not to bottles of e-liquid for refillable kits. Elux nic salts are 10ml bottles of nicotine salt e-liquid in 10mg and 20mg, with 20 Elux Legend flavours also sold in 5mg, so every bottle sits within the 10ml and 20mg/ml limits.
We are an authorised Elux seller, we sell only to adults over 18, and age verification applies. For what UK law requires of an e-liquid and how to check that a bottle is genuine, read Is Elux liquid safe?
How to find your Elux flavour as a 10ml nic salt
Elux Legend started as a range of Elux disposables, and Elux Legend nic salts carry its flavour names in 10ml bottles. There are 56 of them, including Elux Legend Mr Blue and Watermelon Ice. Flavour names from the Firerose line-up, such as Blue Razz Lemonade, are sold as Elux Firerose 5000 nic salts.
Start with the flavour name
Look for the name printed on your old device first. If you cannot find it, the Elux nic salts page lists every flavour grouped by type, such as ice, menthol, fruit and drinks, with the strengths each one comes in. Six flavour names are sold in both ranges, and Elux Legend vs Firerose 5000 explains how the two ranges differ.
Match the strength
Disposables and bottles use the same measure, milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of liquid, so a 20mg disposable and a 20mg nic salt have the same nicotine concentration. Every Elux nic salt comes in 10mg and 20mg, and 20 Legend flavours are also sold as Elux 5mg nic salts.
Use a refillable kit
A disposable is not designed to be reused, so it is not meant to be topped up from a bottle. Elux nic salts are made for refillable mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits rather than sub-ohm tanks, and our guide on how to use nic salts covers coils, wattage and filling a pod. Your kit’s coil and airflow affect how any liquid tastes, so the same flavour name will not necessarily taste exactly as it did in a disposable.
Could the rules change again?
More changes are on the way. From 1 October 2026, Vaping Products Duty applies to vaping liquids, and vaping products made in or imported into the UK must carry a vaping duty stamp on their retail packaging. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026, which became law on 29 April 2026, also lets the government make regulations about the packaging, contents and flavours of vaping products.
In July 2026 the UK government and the devolved governments published a consultation on vape packaging, appearance and display. Its proposals include white packaging for vaping products and flavour names limited to a single recognised flavour, such as apple or strawberry, with at least 12 months’ notice before any new rules apply. These are proposals, not law.
18+ only. Contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance.
The Elux disposable ban: questions
Are Elux bars getting banned in the UK?
They already have been. Since 1 June 2025, businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been banned from selling or supplying single-use vapes of any brand, and that includes Elux disposables. Reusable vapes and nicotine e-liquid were not banned, so Elux nic salts in 10ml bottles can still be sold for use in refillable kits.
Are Elux vapes discontinued?
Elux disposables are no longer sold in the UK because of the single-use vape ban, which applied to every brand from 1 June 2025. That is a UK sales ban rather than a rule about Elux in particular. We sell Elux e-liquid only, not devices: 84 Elux Legend and Elux Firerose 5000 nic salts in 10ml bottles, for refillable mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits.
Are nicotine-free disposables banned too?
Yes. The ban covers all single-use vapes, whether or not they contain nicotine, and it applies to online sales as well as shops. A vape counts as single-use if its battery cannot be recharged or it cannot be refilled. To count as reusable, it needs a rechargeable battery, a refillable pod or tank, and a replaceable coil if it has one.
Can you refill an Elux disposable with nic salts?
No. A disposable is a single-use vape, which means it is not designed or intended to be reused, so it is not made to be opened and refilled. Elux nic salts are made for refillable mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits, which have a pod or tank designed to be filled from a 10ml bottle.
What should I do with old disposable vapes?
Do not put them in the household bin. Single-use vapes contain lithium batteries, which are a fire risk at recycling facilities when thrown away with general waste. DEFRA's advice is to return them to your vape supplier for recycling or take them to your nearest recycling point. The ban stops businesses selling them; it does not stop you recycling ones you already have.