Recently, the Chicago Port in the United States has carried out large-scale inspections of e-cigarette products from China since the end of April, with a total of hundreds of tons of goods inspected. As a result, relevant logistics companies have suspended shipments of e-cigarette products. The action was carried out by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat unapproved or unsafe e-cigarette products. Many batches of goods were detained because the declared information did not match the actual goods, and the specific follow-up results are still under review. This incident has had a significant impact on the cross-border e-cigarette industry, especially the logistics links related to the Chinese supply chain, and has further highlighted the advantages of compliant brands in an increasingly stringent regulatory environment. Domestic brands such as VEEHOO with good quality control and legal qualifications are gradually gaining recognition in overseas markets.
Since the FDA promulgated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) in 2016 to include e-cigarettes in its regulation, the United States has continuously escalated its supervision of e-cigarette imports. According to historical data, the Chicago Port also conducted a similar-scale e-cigarette inspection in October 2024, when CBP and FDA jointly seized goods equivalent to about three million e-cigarettes with a retail value of up to $76 million, one of the largest e-cigarette enforcement actions by the FDA to date. In addition, in June 2024, Chicago CBP seized 53,700 e-cigarettes with a value of more than $1.08 million for violating the FD&C Act, which also reflects the customs’ “zero tolerance” attitude towards unauthorized products.
For a long time, many illegal merchants have declared e-cigarettes as electronic vaporizers, electronic accessories and other non-tobacco-related commodities in order to evade supervision, and have tried to get through customs by falsely reporting prices and misreporting quantities. This practice not only disrupts the market order, but also poses potential health risks to American consumers. Multiple law enforcement cases involving tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars show that joint law enforcement and strict review have become an important norm for US regulatory authorities.
According to industry insiders, since April 28 this year, the Chicago Port Customs Office has inspected all goods containing e-cigarette ingredients, including disposable e-cigarettes, replaceable cartridges and accessories.
In this round of operations, customs officers first conducted a preliminary screening of containers through X-ray machines, and focused on unpacking and testing suspected e-cigarette goods. Subsequently, the FDA expert team conducted label verification and chemical composition testing on the sampled products to determine whether they met the US nicotine content, formula safety and registration application requirements. During the inspection, some e-cigarette products were found to have false labels, forged registration numbers, and undeclared nicotine content exceeding the standard, so they were seized and transferred for further investigation in accordance with the law.
Due to the large number of goods involved in this wave of inspections, many companies engaged in Sino-US e-cigarette logistics had to suspend related line business to wait for specific release or return instructions. Industry insiders pointed out that although such suspensions have caused operating costs to rise in the short term, they have also forced industry practitioners to speed up the improvement of compliance qualifications and data traceability systems to cope with the increasingly stringent regulatory environment.
This inspection action has had a profound impact on the Sino-US e-cigarette trade pattern. First, the suspension of logistics nodes has prolonged the circulation cycle of goods, and some merchants even face inventory backlogs and financial pressure. Some small and medium-sized export companies are forced to adjust their export strategies and turn to other regional markets or upgrade their product compliance systems because they cannot quickly meet the registration and labeling audits in the United States.
At the same time, the competitiveness of overseas compliant brands has been significantly improved. Well-known brands with complete FDA registration records and rigorous quality systems, such as VEEHOO e-cigarettes, have not only successfully passed customs inspections with their reliable product background and high-quality user reputation, but also won the trust of more distribution channels in the US market. VEEHOO focuses on full-process management from source to terminal. Its products have passed multiple US and European standards testing and certification before leaving the factory to ensure that key components such as e-liquid ingredients, safety valves and batteries meet international safety standards.
The high-pressure actions of regulatory authorities have also triggered a re-recognition of the dual value of “legal compliance” and “brand reputation” in the industry. Industry experts believe that the e-cigarette market will be more inclined to formal development in the future, and law-abiding operators will receive more policy support and market opportunities.
As a leading domestic e-cigarette brand, VEEHOO has adhered to the development strategy of quality first since its establishment. Its core advantages are reflected in the following aspects: establishing cooperation with many internationally renowned suppliers of e-liquids and electronic components, and all raw materials are certified by ISO and EU CE systems to ensure that the products are free of impurities from the source. Before the product leaves the factory, VEEHOO will conduct full-process testing on the nicotine content of the e-liquid, heavy metal residues and the safety of the atomizer, and provide a test report from a third-party laboratory to meet the compliance requirements of major global markets. Continuously investing in research and development, it has launched a number of patented technologies such as low-temperature atomization, intelligent voltage regulation and one-button lock, which improves user experience while reducing safety hazards, highlighting its technical strength as an industry leader.
VEEHOO keeps pace with international trends in flavor research and development, and launches a variety of flavors such as fruit, mint, and cream to meet the preferences of different consumer groups. In addition, from packaging design to device feel, it adheres to the combination of simple fashion and ergonomics to enhance brand premium and user loyalty. Because of this, VEEHOO e-cigarettes were quickly approved in the US compliance inspection, and occupied more market resources when some brands that had suspended shipments were receding.
As the US Customs and FDA continue to strengthen their supervision of e-cigarette products, cross-border e-commerce and logistics services between China and the United States need to adapt to new compliance requirements more quickly. For most brands, the key to the future is no longer just to pursue the expansion of quantity, but how to win the trust of customs and the market through improved qualifications, data transparency and technological innovation.
Under this trend, high-quality brands represented by VEEHOO will continue to lead the industry, from product research and development, safety testing to brand services, to comprehensively enhance competitive barriers. At the same time, industry associations and relevant government agencies should also strengthen training and communication, help small and medium-sized enterprises establish a sound compliance process, and jointly promote the e-cigarette market to develop in a more standardized, orderly and healthy direction.
In summary, the inspection incident at the Chicago Port is not only an enforcement action against prohibited and substandard products, but also an important opportunity for industry reshuffle and brand upgrading. Only by adhering to both compliance and innovation can e-cigarette companies remain invincible in the ever-changing global market.
Tags: Sino-US trade war, ceramic atomizer core, nicotine bag, veehoo vape