Fake Vapes: How to Identify & Avoid Dangerous Dups

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Here's what you should look for to tell if your vape is counterfeit

Co-authored by Lauren Forsch and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: March 12, 2025 Fact Checked

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Signs of a Fake

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Signs of Authenticity

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If Your Vape is Fake

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Dangers of Fakes

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How Fakes Are Being Combated

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Commonly Faked Brands

With how volatile the vape market is, counterfeit vapes are a lot more common than you may realize. Brands can easily be faked and juices can be cut with unknown substances. To help you stay safe, we've found the most common signs that a vape is fake. We'll also cover what to do if you've purchased a fake vape and why fakes are so dangerous in the first place.

5 Signs a Vape Is Counterfeit

Missing warning labels and incorrect branding.
Poor quality with loose, flimsy components.
Bad charge and weak hits.
"Off" flavor or a metallic taste.
Unusually higher or lower price than typical market value.

Section 1 of 6:

Signs of a Counterfeit Vape

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A counterfeit vape typically has a poor build with loose buttons, weak casing and dull, poorly crafted edges. It may feel flimsy and feature other loose components, as well. If you find that your vape feels poorly assembled, chances are you have a fake on your hands.^{[1]
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Faulty or mislabeled packaging Before unboxing your vape, check for missing health warnings, misplaced or misspelled labels and incorrect manufacturing details. Many manufacturers have incorporated security measures like QR-code verifiers. If your package is missing a code, or contains incorrect or misplaced branding, it may be fake.^{[2]
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- In the UK, the health warning must cover 30% of the front and back of the package.
- In the U.S., look for the word ‘chemical’ in the health warning. In the UK, look for the word ‘substance.’ Authentic vapes require these words to be listed in the health warning, so it’s a bad sign if they’re missing.
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Shady sellers Sellers who are vague or suspicious about their products may be doing so because their product is fake. Always buy from reputable sellers and avoid meeting sellers in suspicious locations, like cars, personal addresses or parking lots. If you’re buying online, always check the seller’s reviews to see if they are reputable.^{[3]
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- If you live in the U.S., always buy your cannabis cartridges from licensed dispensaries in legal states.
Counterfeit vapes typically use cheaper batteries than authentic ones. Some companies like Flum use lithium-ion batteries, which are common in authentic and counterfeit products, so you may need to look for other signs. But, if you notice that your battery drains quicker than normal or doesn’t adequately power your device, it may be fake.^{[4]
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Counterfeit products are typically priced suspiciously higher or lower than the typical market price. So, if you see a price that’s too good to be true, like a cannabis vape cartridge or nicotine vape for $10, that’s a good sign it’s fake.^{[5]
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Counterfeit vapes typically have poorer, worse-tasting flavors than authentic vapes. If you hit your vape and you get a hit that tastes burnt, metallic, or off in any way, be wary. Your product may be fake.^{[6]
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Section 2 of 6:

Signs Your Vape Is Authentic

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Legitimate vapes come in factory-sealed packaging with proper Nicotine labels and health warnings.^{[7]
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Real vapes will come in packages with quality printing and high-resolution images. For example, an authentic Geek Bar Pulse will come in a package that features quality images displaying the product and its features. If your vape package features similar high-resolution images with no misspellings, chances are you’ve got a real product on your hands.^{[8]
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Many vape companies have incorporated authentication stickers and other quality-assurance tools to ensure the authenticity of their products. Check online to see if your vape brand takes these measures, and if so, look for an authentication sticker, serial numbers, or other authenticity codes on your package. If they’re there and verifiable, your product is real.^{[9]
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Authentic vapes typically have a sturdy shell and are well-built with attention to detail. If the parts on your vape are tight, the edges are sharp, and the materials are quality, chances are your product is real.^{[10]
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Real vapes perform well. They hold a charge for the amount of time stated by the manufacturer, the flavor is quality and typically doesn’t have a bad, burning, or metallic taste, and they deliver a strong, quality hit. Unless you notice signs of poor craftsmanship, your vape is likely real.^{[11]
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Section 3 of 6:

What to Do If You’ve Bought a Fake Vape

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If you realize that your vape is fake, stop using it immediately to avoid any further complications. Return to the seller you got the vape from and inform them that the product is fake. They may be willing to take the product back and give you a refund. You can also file a report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If they are impersonating another brand, report them to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center.^{[12]
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Section 4 of 6:

Are fake vapes dangerous?

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Yes, as they can contain low-quality ingredients and harmful pesticides. Fake vape manufacturers may cut their vape juice and THC oil with pesticides and low-quality ingredients in order to cut costs. Some of these may simply be lower quality vegetable glycerin, nicotine, or most notably, vitamin E acetate, which can be deadly to the lungs when inhaled.^{[13]
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United States Department of Justice
Official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

Go to source} For example, there was an EVALI outbreak in 2019 that was caused by counterfeit vapes.^{[14]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

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- EVALI is an E-cigarette or vaping product-associated lung injury that can cause vomiting, fever, shortness of breath, and lung disease. Sometimes EVALI is fatal.

Section 5 of 6:

How Counterfeit Vapes Are Being Combated

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In some areas across the country, city and state officials have issued public warnings and advisories about the dangers of counterfeit vapes to keep people informed. For example, in August 2019, the New York State Department of Health issued a health advisory alerting healthcare providers of the threats related to vaping-associated illnesses, listing various symptoms.^{[15]
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Major vape companies have taken various security measures to ensure that real products end up in the hands of consumers, like QR-codes, serial numbers, and other tactics. For example, Geek Bar uses a specifically positioned security code to ensure that retailers and consumers check the product’s authenticity before buying.^{[16]
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Some countries are fairly lenient towards vaping, like the UK, which sees it as a less harmful alternative to smoking. Other countries, like Australia, have heavily regulated vaping. Australia requires a prescription to purchase a vape, while Singapore has banned the sale of vapes altogether. Although there isn’t a specific international plan to combat fake vapes, countries across the world have specific regulations related to the sale and consumption of vapes and other e-cigarettes.^{[17]
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Section 6 of 6:

Common Vape Brands That Are Faked

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Many fake vape manufacturers steal branding or make up fake companies. Manufacturers who are producing fake vapes often use branding from genuine vape companies to trick buyers into believing their product is authentic. Others often make up brand names and sell them en masse to create a guise of validity and authenticity. It’s always best to buy your product from a reputable seller and to ensure its authenticity before trying it out. Some common vape brands that are fake(d) include:^{[18]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services

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- Commonly Faked Brands:
  - Geek Bar
  - Muha Meds
  - Elf Bar
  - SKE Crystal Bar
  - Vaporesso
  - Smok
- Fake Vape Brands:
  - Dank Vapes
  - Smart Cart
  - TKO
  - Alien Vape
  - Cereal Carts
  - Big Chief