
Built for Adults, Rooted in Responsibility: How ELFBAR and LOST MARY Are Leading Vape Innovation in the GCC
In a region where consumer choices are rapidly evolving, ELFBAR and LOST MARY stand out as vaping brands with a firm commitment to innovation, safety, and responsible use. Lauren Hwang, General Manager for the Middle East, shares how both brands aim to empower adult smokers in UAE and the wider GCC to make more informed choices.
Q1) How are ELFBAR and LOST MARY ensuring they stay compliant amid stricter regional regulations?
A:
- Compliance is of top priority.
- As global regulations evolve, we remain ahead of and adaptive to all regulatory changes.
- In response, both brands have adjusted product strategies to ensure full alignment with local regulatory requirements. For example, LOST MARY launched the BM600 Prefilled Pod, a carefully engineered iteration of the classic BM600, tailored to meet new regulatory requirements such as the single-use vapes ban, while continuing to offer smoking alternatives to adult users who seek to quit. This is just one case among many of our adjustments to always stay compliant.
- To help ensure vaping products remain out of sight, out of mind, and out of reach for children, ELFBAR and LOST MARY have self-regulated on our own marketing and sales principles, and use of cartoons and animes is banned in our design materials.
- We initiated “Lighthouse”, a guardian program that serves as a framework covering product design, R&D, marketing, and sales.
- We are committed to working with legislators, enforcement authorities, trade associations, business partners, and retailers to ensure our products are made only for and used only by adult smokers and ex-smokers.
Q2) Many adult smokers are seeking harm reduction options. How do your products help?
A:
- Vapes are a tool to help adult smokers switch from combustible cigarettes, as evidenced by numerous studies worldwide, and we must stick to this.
- According to a December 2024 survey by Opinium, vaping plays a major role in smoking cessation journey. The findings reveal that 68% of adult vapers believe a range of flavors helps to stop them from going back to smoking tobacco, with nearly half (48%) using fruit or sweet flavors most often. Moreover, the study also shows that 21% of adults quit smoking over the past five years, of which 45% used vapes as part of their successful quit journey.
- ELFBAR’s King Series empowers adult users with customizable settings for coolness and strength, setting a new benchmark for personalized vaping experiences. In addition, ELFBAR JoinOne Series and LOST MARY NERA30K PUREVIEW feature a reusable, attachable battery paired with single-use pods, offering broad pod compatibility and providing adult users with greater flexibility and cost efficiency.
These products only represent a fraction of our ever-expanding product line, driven by R&D.
Q3) What are your expansion plans in GCC?
A:
- The GCC remains a region of huge importance for us. We are committed to delivering better, safer products with the best price-to-performance ratio, supported by our continuously growing R&D capabilities and our understanding of local adult users’ preferences.
- At the same time, we’re actively seeking more local business partners to broaden our distribution channels and enhance both brand and product visibility.
- ELFBAR has partnered with nine well-known local FMCG retailers in the UAE, making it easier for adult users to access our products.
- We aim to become a global local company, deeply rooted in the region, while offering a wider selection of harm reduction products that cater to local needs.
Q4) Any final message for GCC adult smokers curious about your brands?
A:
- Vaping products are not risk-free, they are made to reduce the harms from combustible cigarettes, as shown by a great number of studies globally.
- ELFBAR and LOST MARY are deeply committed to product safety and quality.
- Our products must undergo 281 tests before entering the market, and we’ve always been researching safer materials and e-liquid ingredients to ensure the quality, and continuously improve safety.
- We’d like to hear from our adult users in this region, and we also want to bring the feedback into reality and improve our products.
- As a responsible brand, we are also seeking to bring in the GCC more projects, including the recycling programme, and land the minor-protection approaches.
