When Did Vaping Start?
Vaping can feel like a recent invention, and in its modern form it is: e-cigarettes went into mass production in China in 2004, a little over two decades ago. But inventors were sketching out electric vaporizers long before that.
Here is a timeline of when vaping started, the people who got there first, and how the devices and the rules have changed since.
Short version: The idea dates back to a 1927 patent filing for an electric vaporizer. Herbert A. Gilbert designed a smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette in 1963, but it was never mass-produced. Modern vaping began with Hon Lik, who patented his electronic cigarette in 2003; it went into mass production in China in 2004.
The early ideas
1927: Joseph Robinson’s electric vaporizer
The first person on record to come up with the idea was Joseph Robinson, who filed a patent in 1927 for an electric vaporizer. It was meant for inhaling heated medicinal compounds rather than nicotine, and the patent was granted in 1930.
Robinson’s device was never manufactured. Still, it put the basic idea on paper: use electricity to heat a substance so it can be inhaled as vapor.
1963: Herbert A. Gilbert’s smokeless cigarette
The first person to design a vaporizer as a replacement for smoking was Herbert A. Gilbert. In 1963 he filed a patent for a battery-powered device he called a “smokeless non-tobacco cigarette”, which replaced burning tobacco and paper with heated, moist, flavored air. The patent was granted in 1965.
Gilbert presented his invention to a number of companies, but it was never mass-produced. The idea was simply ahead of its time.
2003 and 2004: Hon Lik and the first modern e-cigarette
Modern vaping starts with Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist. He experimented with several different ways to vaporize liquid before settling on a design that used a high-frequency, piezoelectric ultrasound element to vaporize a pressurized jet of nicotine liquid. He patented his electronic cigarette in 2003.
His invention went into mass production in China the following year, in 2004. Within a few years, e-cigarettes had spread to Europe and then to the United States, arriving around 2006 and 2007.
For more on the people behind these milestones, read who invented vaping.
How the devices changed
Since then there has been wave after wave of new products built on those first e-cigarettes. Today’s devices look very different from the ones sold in 2004, and they use battery-powered heating elements, usually a coil and wick, to vaporize e-liquid.
- Cig-a-likes: the first generation, shaped like cigarettes and either disposable or fitted with prefilled cartridges.
- Vape pens: bigger batteries and refillable tanks for longer use and more flavor.
- Box mods: adjustable power, larger batteries, sub-ohm tanks and rebuildable atomizers for hobbyists. The word “mod” comes from the early days, when vapers modified devices to get more power.
- Pod systems: compact, simple devices that are often paired with nicotine salt e-liquid.
- Disposable vapes: prefilled, ready-to-use devices with nothing to refill.
Our guide to vaping vs. e-cigs compares these styles side by side.
E-liquid changed right alongside the hardware, moving from thin, high-PG blends to thicker, high-VG juice built for bigger clouds. Our post on the evolution of e-liquid tells that side of the story.
The vocabulary went mainstream, too. Oxford Dictionaries named “vape” its word of the year in 2014. See what vaping means for more on the word.
When the rules arrived
As vaping grew, so did regulation. A few US milestones worth knowing:
- 2016: The FDA extended its tobacco authority to cover e-cigarettes and e-liquids. Our post on the FDA deeming regulations covers that change.
- December 2019: Federal law raised the minimum age to buy any tobacco or vaping product to 21.
- September 2020: The deadline to submit vaping products for FDA review through the premarket tobacco application (PMTA) process. Every vaping product needs this authorization, and many are still under review.
- 2021: The PACT Act began restricting how vapes are shipped. USPS does not deliver them to consumers, and carriers require an adult signature.
Flavor rules vary by state and city and change often, so check the current rules where you live.
Where vaping is today
A little over twenty years after the first mass-produced e-cigarettes, vaping has grown into a global industry with devices for every style and a huge range of vape juice flavors. We still owe a nod to those early inventors and manufacturers for helping it grow into what it is today.
If you want to explore that range of flavors yourself, the Zamplebox Club sends adults 21+ a monthly box of vape juice picked for their flavor profile, and you can swap any bottle before it ships. For more history and how-to guides, visit ZampleBox Vape School.
Common questions
When did vaping start?
The idea goes back to a 1927 patent filing, but modern vaping began in 2003, when Hon Lik patented his electronic cigarette. It went into mass production in China in 2004.
Who invented the first e-cigarette?
Herbert A. Gilbert designed a smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette in 1963, but it was never mass-produced. Hon Lik invented the first commercially successful e-cigarette in 2003.
When did e-cigarettes reach the United States?
Around 2007, a few years after they first went into production in China.
How long has the FDA regulated vapes?
The FDA extended its authority over tobacco products to cover e-cigarettes and e-liquids in 2016. Every vaping product now needs FDA premarket authorization.
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.