Compliance in the UAE – All you need to know

E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids only became legal for selling in the UAE as of April 2019. Up until that point sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) were illegal. ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology) standards were introduced to regulate all nicotine-containing components used in E-Cigarettes, refill packages, E-Liquids and tobacco products. In the UAE, all products must go through the MoIAT (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology) before being sold on the market.

If you are looking to sell in the UAE and middle east market, there are many regulations to consider, all of which we can help you with.

What are the ESMA regulations?

Many of the regulations are similar to that of the UK and EU. The law regulates the safety of all components as both electrical equipment and containing hazardous substances. These regulations are in place to establish the utmost safety and quality of all E-Cigarette and E-Liquid products in the UAE.

There are many factors that are restricted due to the regulations that impact the design of products to be sold in the UAE, the manufacture and marketing of said products. These include:

• maximum nicotine concentration is capped at 20mg/ml
• maximum tank capacity is no more than 10ml
• maximum capacity of refill packages is no more than 50ml
• must display all health warnings in Arabic and English stating: “Contains nicotine which causes severe addiction, increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Nicotine is harmful to the health of pregnant and nursing women, and people suffering from chronic pulmonary diseases such as asthma and pulmonary embolism.” This must cover at least 50% of the main display area. English to appear on the lower front, Arabic on the lower back.
• must also display a health warning in Arabic and English: “This product may pose a health hazard when inhaled, swallowed or gets in contact with the skin.”
• must not contain a variety of harmful ingredients & additives including cinnamic compounds

What you need to know before manufacture/import

Before any E-Cigarettes or E-Liquids can be imported, manufactured or placed on the market, all products must be approved by the ESMA documentation. These satisfy the needs for:

• reports of safety tests
• list of full ingredients and quantities including statement specifying reason for including each ingredient
• results of toxicology reports
• data on nicotine doses and absorption
• acknowledgement of manufacture/importer responsibility for quality and safety
• descriptions for use
• ISO 9001 certification for the manufacturing site
• stability studies supporting product’s shelf life
• lab reports including information on nicotine concentration, quality & safety, post-marketing and post-consumption analyses and electrical safety
• risk assessment studies

Each item, whether E-Liquid or E-Cigarette, requires ECAS certification to ensure all of these needs are met. This is not only a lengthy process but can be quite costly to navigate with several stages for each certification and complete the appropriate paperwork. This is where Xyfil comes in.

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How we can help you hit the Middle East market

“Our in-house team of compliance experts are able to perform the necessary toxicology tests and full reports required by ESMA. More critically, we are able to gather all necessary data into the format required by the MoIAT. With popular brands we manufacture like Pod Salt fast becoming one of the most popular brands in the UAE, we’re here to help bring even more premium brands to the Middle East.”

Pradip, Compliance, Xyfil.

Since the changes in 2019 that allowed for the selling of E-Cigarettes and E-Liquids in the UAE, we have been successfully manufacturing and selling products in the Middle East. With a valid UAE Industry/Trade License, we are licensed to manufacture products for UAE within the UK.

Currently, we are looking at establishing on-the-ground manufacturing facilities within the UAE to further increase our productivity. Demand for E-Liquids in the Middle East has only continued to grow and we are there to keep up with the demand. If you are looking to take your brand to the UAE, get in contact with us to see how we can help you.

As a Toll Manufacturer with ISO 9001 accreditation, we are skilled with over 10 years of experience in manufacturing, production, R&D, logistics, compliance and more. Whether you are looking to take an existing product and turn it into one for sale within the UAE, or looking to manufacture a whole new product range, we at Xyfil can help you through any and all stages.

Get to know us more and meet the team over on LinkedIn.