Kit combines one device with three nicotine strengths (2%, 1% and 0%) so vapers and smokers can lower strength as they progress
LOST MARY, a market-leading vape brand in the UK, is inviting vapers and smokers to register interest in its new Reduced Nicotine Kit and provide feedback on the concept.
The kit brings together a LOST MARY BM6000 device with three prefilled pods and containers in different nicotine strengths (2%, 1% and 0%) in one pack, so vapers and smokers can lower the nicotine strength as they progress on their quit journeys.
Initial research points to interest among smokers
The concept was first developed last year, shaped in part to engage smokers who remain reluctant to make the switch to vaping.
When presented with the initial concept – under the ELFBAR brand – as part of an Opinium survey of 6,000 UK adults in December 2025, it was well received by current smokers.
More than half (53%) were receptive, compared with just 8% who were unreceptive, while 51% said they would be interested in trying it, compared with 26% who said they would not.
Many smokers and ex-smokers commented that it was a positive approach to supporting smokers in quitting both smoking and vaping. However, the original plain brown packaging was frequently described as bland, boring, colourless or not distinctive enough, despite some recognition that its muted design could reduce youth appeal.
This feedback shaped a revised packaging approach, with the concept brought forward under the LOST MARY brand. It addresses the lack of distinctiveness by building on the simple, functional design, while introducing colour to provide clearer visual cues to identify nicotine strengths, help navigate the kit and denote flavour.
The concept and revised design were then explored in qualitative research conducted in September 2026, where a group of vapers and a group of ex-smokers both highlighted the appeal of having multiple nicotine strengths available within a single kit, rather than needing to purchase them separately.
The concept’s presentation also drew favourable feedback, with one participant, a smoker, noting that its appearance helped communicate a clear and specific purpose – a distinction that may hold particular appeal for other smokers who have yet to try vaping.
A kit to help address misconceptions that may be holding smokers back from vaping
Misconceptions about vaping continue to be a barrier for smokers who have yet to try it as a cessation aid, with over half (52%) of adults who smoke mistakenly believing that vaping is as or more harmful than smoking, according to Action on Smoking and Health’s 2026 fact sheet.
This is despite evidence that continues to show vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, as supported by the latest Cochrane review. It found that vapes are more effective at helping people quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gum.
A recent survey conducted by Opinium suggests this perception gap could widen further. Under the Tobacco and Vapes Act, the Government has proposed limiting flavour names to a single descriptor, restricting device and packaging colours, and banning the display of vaping products in shops. Among current smokers who have never tried vaping, 27% said these measures would make them view vaping less positively as a smoking cessation aid.
Chris Kader, Head of PR and Communications for LOST MARY in the UK, comments: “The Reduced Nicotine Kit explores a different approach to engaging with smokers, particularly those who remain hesitant to switch to vaping.
“The current proposals under the Tobacco and Vapes Act risk deepening this reluctance – as the measures being put forward could have the unintended consequence of deterring smokers from adopting the products designed specifically to help them quit.
“For smokers who already have reservations about vaping, the Reduced Nicotine Kit is being shaped with them in mind, but regulations that make products less identifiable and accessible are likely to add another barrier to that transition.”
Smokers and vapers can register their interest in the Reduced Nicotine Kit and provide feedback via the LOST MARY website.
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