Fake Elf Bars: Are They Dangerous?

Whenever any type of product becomes so popular that hundreds of thousands of people buy it every day, counterfeit versions of that product are certain to appear – and that’s exactly what has happened with Elf Bar disposable vapes. Fake Elf Bars are sold all over the world, and they’re much more common than you might imagine.

When you think of fake products, you probably think of expensive goods like luxury handbags and perfumes. That, however, is exactly why fake Elf Bars are so common – because few people would ever worry about a product being counterfeit when it costs under £5.00.

Fake vapes, however, are so inexpensive to manufacture – and can be sold in such bulk – that the enterprise can still be profitable even if the price per device is low.

In this guide, we’re going to explain what you need to know about fake Elf Bars and why you should be concerned about them. You’re going to learn how to tell if an Elf Bar is fake, and you’ll go away armed with the information you need to keep yourself safe.

We’ll begin with some data about fake Elf Bars that are likely to shock you.

Where Do Fake Elf Bars Come From? How Common Are They?

Most of the world’s vaping hardware is produced by factories in China, including all official Elf Bars and all fake Elf Bars. The fact that the real and fake vapes are made near each other allows the official Elf Bar brand to work closely with local law enforcement in its efforts to identify and shut down the makers of counterfeit products. In fact, there have been several police seizures of fake Elf Bars in China over the last few years.

From June 2021 through November 2022, law enforcement officers in China shut down over 120 producers and distributors of counterfeit Elf Bars, resulting in the seizure of over 2 million fake products. That, however, is a trivial number of products compared to the number of Elf Bars used by consumers. In the United Kingdom alone, people use an estimated 1.3 million disposable vapes every week – and the UK represents only a small percentage of the total worldwide demand for the devices.

Despite the best efforts of Elf Bar, law enforcement officials and customs officers, there are likely many millions of fake Elf Bars on store shelves around the world right now. That’s how large the problem is, and that’s why you should be concerned about product authenticity.

Are Fake Elf Bars Dangerous? What Are the Possible Side Effects?

Fake vapes are always potentially dangerous to use because you have no way of knowing what’s inside them. Fake Elf Bars haven’t undergone the emissions testing required for all vaping products sold in the United Kingdom, and they haven’t been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Fake Elf Bars could contain additives that are unsafe to inhale, and they may contain rejected or previously used battery cells with a high risk of overheating.

Even if some fake Elf Bars aren’t necessarily dangerous to use, they still probably won’t provide a good vaping experience and won’t be worth the money spent on them. A fake Elf Bar most likely won’t taste like a real one, and it may not deliver anywhere near the number of puffs specified on the package. The nicotine strength may also be incorrect – a fake Elf Bar may contain more nicotine than the 20 mg/ml maximum specified in the UK vaping laws, or it could contain no nicotine at all.

Fake Elf Bar vs. Real: How to Spot a Fake Elf Bar

Now that you understand why the existence of counterfeit Elf Bars is such a major concern, it’s time to learn how to spot a fake Elf Bar and keep yourself safe. The producers of fake devices are getting better all the time to evade detection, but fake Elf Bars are highly likely to have a few specific traits. Here’s how to identify and avoid a fake vape.

Poor-Quality Packaging

Fake Elf Bars often ship in poor-quality packaging that doesn’t have the same print quality as a legitimate product. That’s because the manufacturers of fake Elf Bars don’t have the original digital files used to create the legitimate packaging, so they have to either scan real boxes or try to recreate the box designs from scratch. The result is that the box for a fake Elf Bar will typically look blurry and faded in comparison to the box for a real product.

Anti-Counterfeiting Sticker

Real Elf Bars have anti-counterfeiting stickers on their boxes. The anti-counterfeiting sticker has a holographic background along with the same type of microprinting that you’d find on currency. In addition, the anti-counterfeiting sticker has tiny cuts that make it impossible to remove the sticker in one piece.

Doesn’t Taste Right

The makers of fake Elf Bars don’t have access to the proprietary e-liquids used in the real products, and that means they need to use e-liquids that approximate the flavours of the real products instead. Since a fake Elf Bar doesn’t have the same vape juice as a real one, it won’t taste the same. You’ll notice the difference immediately if you’re an experienced Elf Bar user.

Not Listed in the MHRA Database

Before any vaping product is approved for sale in the UK, it must undergo emissions testing and must be submitted to the MHRA for inclusion in its list of vaping products. Anyone can search the MHRA database to find products approved for sale here. If you see an Elf Bar device that isn’t listed in the database, you should avoid buying it.

Where to Buy Authentic Elf Bars Now

The best way to avoid fake Elf Bars is by buying from a trusted vape shop that only obtains its products from officially licenced distributors. Product authenticity is our chief concern at V2 Cigs UK, and we guarantee that you’ll never buy a counterfeit Elf Bar here. We carry the widest range of official Elf Bar products in the UK, including the brand-new upgraded version of the popular Elf Bar 600 - the beautifully designed and super effective QUAQ mesh coil Elf Bar 600 V2 disposable vape, as well as the Elf Bar Mate pod system.