Top Takeaways:

• Widespread non-compliance: More than one in five Irish vape shops tested sold products to minors in 2025.
• Enforcement actions: Dozens of retailers face fines, closures, and orders of prohibition under existing law.
• Legislative backdrop: The findings come amid Ireland’s move toward banning disposable vapes and tightening flavor and packaging rules.

More than one in five vape retailers inspected in Ireland were found to be selling vaping products to underage customers, according to enforcement data released by Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE).

Figures from the Health Service Executive show that between January and October 2025, inspectors identified 51 retailers selling vapes to children. That figure represents just over 22 percent of the 224 outlets subjected to test purchases during the period.

The inspections were conducted by the HSE’s National Environmental Health Service, which enforces Ireland’s ban on the sale of nicotine-containing vaping products to individuals under 18. The prohibition took effect on December 22, 2023, and the HSE was granted statutory test-purchasing powers in March 2024.

In total, the HSE conducted 223 test purchases in 2024, resulting in 40 failed tests in which retailers sold vaping products to minors. That figure rose to 51 failed tests in the first ten months of 2025, despite a similar overall number of inspections.

Under Irish law, retailers found selling vaping products to underage customers may face fines of up to €4,000 and prison terms of up to six months.

Beyond age-verification enforcement, the HSE is also responsible for monitoring compliance with broader regulations governing the safety, quality, and advertising of vaping products, which are implemented through Ireland’s transposition of the European Union’s 2016 Tobacco Products Directive.

In 2024, the HSE conducted 256 inspections focused on general compliance requirements. As a result, 14 prohibition orders were issued, requiring retailers to stop selling vaping products that inspectors deemed noncompliant with regulatory standards.

Enforcement activity increased in 2025. Between January and October, the HSE conducted 496 inspections and issued 36 prohibition orders regarding the sale of vaping products.

The enforcement data was released in response to a parliamentary question submitted by Malcolm Byrne, a member of Ireland’s parliament representing the Wicklow–Wexford constituency.

Ireland’s government is also advancing additional legislative measures affecting the vaping category. The Public Health (Single Use Vapes) Bill, currently progressing through the Oireachtas, proposes a ban on disposable electronic cigarettes. The bill’s stated objectives include reducing youth access, limiting product appeal, and addressing environmental concerns associated with single-use devices.

Under the proposed framework, flavor descriptors would be restricted to basic naming conventions, and packaging colors and imagery would also be limited. The legislation does not currently impose a full flavor ban across all vaping products, though amendments have been proposed during committee discussions.

If enacted, the legislation would further tighten Ireland’s regulatory approach to vaping, building on age-of-sale enforcement and existing product standards rather than replacing them.