- Materials researched to detect potentially harmful vape liquid antioxidants and refine heating coil alloys
- Liquid sweeteners being continuously studied to stay well within safety limits
- 281 tests performed across e-liquid, aerosol, material, and product reliability
- Over 120,000 in-house tests accumulated in 2024
LONDON, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading vape brands ELFBAR and LOST MARY today unveiled the latest progress in R&D, product innovations, and stepped-up testing protocols.
The two brands have continued leading the industry in safer materials and e-liquid ingredients for vaping products, with efforts extending beyond scientific research to encompass a systematic safety evaluation procedure.
This procedure now covers 281 tests, including 142 on e-liquids, 22 on aerosols, 86 on device materials, and 31 on product reliability parameters, in a steadfast commitment to providing reduced-risk alternatives to adult users worldwide.
"With product safety our top priority, we place scientific research at the core of our innovations, broadening our insights through atomisation mechanisms, toxicological assessments, and new materials development," said Samuel Fu, the brands' R&D Engineering Director. "Details matter to us in enhancing safety, with test items ever spanning within e-liquids, heating coils, batteries, and beyond."
ELFBAR and LOST MARY have been diving deep into flavour additives and materials, transforming the latest innovations into tangible improvements in product safety. Several research breakthroughs have been peer-reviewed and published, reinforcing the brands' science-driven approach to product development.
Pioneering in detecting potentially harmful additives
In a move to establish industry-wide ingredient safety assurance, the brands have developed a nanomaterial to detect potentially harmful antioxidants added to vape liquids.
As a colourimetric sensor, this nanomaterial exhibits distinct colour changes under near-infrared lights, signaling traces of these two hard-to-detect antioxidants.
This detection method is fast, simple, highly sensitive, and selective, enabling rapid screening and thus excluding the antioxidants from e-liquids.
Formulating e-liquid with evidence-based sweeteners
ELFBAR and LOST MARY have conducted extensive research on sweeteners and identified neotame as a safer alternative to sucralose, for now. Tests show that e-liquid samples with neotame have lower heavy metal content, generate fewer heavy metals in vapour, and demonstrate reduced cellular toxicity compared to those with sucralose.
Based on these findings, ELFBAR and LOST MARY have been minimising the use of sucralose and other unvalidated sweeteners.
"Flavours do more than just enrich the vaping experience, they play an effective role in helping adult smokers switch," Samuel highlighted. "That's why we remain invested in scrutinising the safety of flavour additives through scientific research. Ensuring these ingredients meet the rising standards is vital to supporting adult users in their transition."
Enhancing quality with insights on heating material
Recognising the role of alloy composition in the thermal stability of heating coils, which influences aerosol safety, ELFBAR and LOST MARY have conducted in-depth research on how various metal ratios affect the performance of ceramic coils.
Their research suggests that an optimised nickel-chromium-iron alloy ratio in coils extends their lifespan and lowers heavy metal levels in vapour.
The findings also support improvements in ceramic coil composition, helping minimise users' exposure to potentially harmful byproducts.
Guaranteeing safety with extensive routine testing
Products from ELFBAR and LOST MARY must undergo an all-around assessment, including toxicological and chemical analysis, reliability testing, material testing, and electronic and battery testing, before entering the market.
With some 11,637 in-house tests conducted in May 2025, the brands continued this testing pace from 2024, when over 120,000 tests were performed on final products, materials, and e-liquids.
In addition, both brands regularly conduct full inspections of e-liquid and aerosol compositions across product series, including the current top-selling LOST MARY BM600 Prefilled Pod Kit and ELFBAR 600 Prefilled Pod Kit. Monthly spot checks are also performed.
Pre- and post-market testing ensures levels of heavy metals, aldehydes, and ketones in vapour and e-liquids are consistently well below regulatory limits, including the UK's Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, the European Union's Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and the guidelines set by the Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR). Both brands conduct rigorous screening to rule out prohibited substances stipulated by the TPD, while assessing aerosol safety in line with AFNOR.
The list of banned food additives in e-liquids has grown to 1,253 items, in addition to all industrial additives having been excluded from liquid ingredients.
About ELFBAR
ELFBAR is a pioneer in the global vaping industry. Since its inception in 2018, it has been providing a distinct and diverse vaping experience with innovation at its core.
ELFBAR stays committed to youth access prevention and sustainable growth as a leading brand favoured and used by tens of millions of adult smokers and ex-smokers worldwide as an alternative to smoking.
For more information, please visit elfbar.com
About LOST MARY
Global vaping innovator LOST MARY is dedicated to discovering the value of vaping, setting the trend, and benchmarking the quality.
LOST MARY is now present in over 50 global markets, where tens of millions of adult users prefer its products. As of now, the brand owns over 200 patents worldwide.
For more information, please visit lostmary.com