Last updated: October 28, 2019
Regulated Contents in Cigarettes
Are contents and/or ingredients of cigarettes regulated?
Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency
Article 116 of Law No. 36 of 2009 authorizes the regulation of addictive substances in tobacco products. Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban, the regulatory status code "No" is given.
Are cigarette emissions regulated?
Food and Drug Agency
Article 116 of Law No. 36 of 2009 authorizes the regulation of addictive substances in tobacco products, which would allow the regulation of nicotine emissions. However, the law does not regulate the levels of nicotine emissions or other emissions, such as tar and carbon monoxide.
Sugars and sweeteners (other than those added to replace sugars lost during the curing process)
Examples of sugars and sweeteners include: glucose, molasses, honey and sorbitol.
Article 12(1) of Regulations No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives such as sugars and sweeteners are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit or restrict the use of ingredients used to increase palatability such as sugars and sweeteners in cigarettes.
Menthol, mint or spearmint (including analogues and derivatives)
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives such as menthol, mint, and spearmint are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit or restrict the use of ingredients used to increase palatability such as menthol, mint, or spearmint in cigarettes.
Spices and herbs (excluding mint)
Examples include: cinnamon and ginger.
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives such as spices and herbs (excluding mint) are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit or restrict the use of ingredients used to increase palatability such as spices and herbs (excluding mint) in cigarettes.
Other flavorings (not covered above)
Includes fruit flavorings. Examples of flavoring substances include benzaldehyde, maltol and vanillin.
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives such as other flavorings (not covered above) are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit or restrict the use of ingredients used to increase palatability such as other flavorings (not covered above) in cigarettes.
Ingredients that facilitate nicotine uptake
Examples include: ammonia.
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives that facilitate nicotine uptake are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To further FCTC Arts. 5.2 and 9, the law should regulate ingredients that facilitate nicotine uptake, such as ammonia.
Ingredients which may create an impression of health benefits
Examples include: vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, fruit and vegetables (and products resulting from their processing such as fruit juices), amino acids, such as cysteine and tryptophan, and essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6.
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives that may create an impression of health benefits are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit the use of ingredients in cigarettes that may create an impression of health benefits.
Ingredients associated with energy and vitality
Examples include: caffeine, guarana, taurine and glucuronolactone.
Article 12(1) of Regulation No. 109 of 2012 prohibits the use of additives in tobacco products "unless it has been scientifically proven that such additives are not harmful to health." Article 12(2) further provides that "[a]dditives which can be used in the production of tobacco products as referred to in clause (1) shall be stipulated by Ministerial Regulation." To date, no Ministerial Regulation has been issued permitting any "additive." These provisions on their face ban all "additives" in tobacco products. However, because the term "additive" is not defined, the scope of this ban is unclear. In practice, additives associated with energy and vitality are allowed. Given the lack of clarity in the scope of the ban and the current practice, the regulatory status code "Allowed" is given.
To align with FCTC Art. 9 and the FCTC Arts. 9 & 10 Partial Guidelines, the law should prohibit the use of ingredients in cigarettes that are associated with energy and vitality.
