who invented vapes

July 7, 2026

Who Invented Vapes?

The history of the e-cigarette from the first patent to today's modern devices.

Quick answer: The modern e-cigarette was invented by Hon Lik, a Chinese pharmacist, in 2003. He patented the device and it reached international markets from around 2006. However, earlier concepts for smokeless nicotine inhalers stretch back to the 1960s.

The story of the vape is more layered than a single inventor working alone. While Hon Lik is rightly credited with the device that became the modern e-cigarette, there is a longer history of attempts to deliver nicotine without tobacco combustion.

Key Milestones in Vaping History

Year	Development	Who
1963	Herbert A. Gilbert patents a "smokeless non-tobacco cigarette": a device heating flavoured air. Never commercialised.	Herbert A. Gilbert, USA
1980s	Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds both attempted smokeless tobacco products. None succeeded commercially.	Big Tobacco, USA
2003	Hon Lik develops the first commercially viable e-cigarette using ultrasonic vaporisation of nicotine solution.	Hon Lik, China
2004	First commercial sales in China under the brand Ruyan ("like smoke").	Dragonite International (Hon Lik's employer)
2006 to 2007	E-cigarettes reach European and US markets. Rapid growth begins.	Multiple importers
2008 to 2012	Second-generation "tank" devices and third-generation box mods emerge. Community of vaping enthusiasts develops.	Independent manufacturers, primarily in China
2015 to present	Pod systems (JUUL in the US, then widespread globally) transform the market. Nic salt formulas allow higher nicotine in compact devices.	Various: JUUL Labs, then many competitors

Hon Lik: The Man Behind the Modern Vape

Hon Lik was a pharmacist and heavy smoker working for the Chinese company Golden Dragon Holdings (later Dragonite) when he developed his e-cigarette concept. His personal motivation was profound: his father, also a heavy smoker, had died of lung cancer. Lik himself was trying to quit smoking and had experienced a vivid dream in which the ocean of smoke around him turned to vapour. This became, as he described it, the inspiration for the concept.

His initial device used a piezoelectric ultrasonic element to vaporise a nicotine solution. Subsequent versions moved to a heating coil: the design principle that all modern vaping devices still use today. He filed for a Chinese patent in 2003 and an international patent in 2004.

How the Technology Evolved

The first commercial e-cigarettes were cigarette-shaped ("cigalikes") with pre-filled cartridges. The second generation introduced tanks and manual button activation, allowing more vapour volume. Third-generation devices (box mods) brought adjustable power and the enthusiast cloud-chasing subculture. The fourth generation: pod systems: brought the technology back to simplicity and portability, pairing compact devices with nicotine salt formulas for efficient delivery. This is the generation that dominates the UK market today.

Vaping device generation timeline (complexity vs portability)

Longer bar = more complex / higher output. Shorter = more portable and simple.

1st gen: cigalikes (2003)

Very simple

2nd gen: vape pens (2010)

Moderate

3rd gen: box mods (2012)

Complex

4th gen: pod kits (2015)

Simple again

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The modern e-cigarette was invented independently of the tobacco industry, and Hon Lik's motivation was specifically to provide an alternative to tobacco. Major tobacco companies acquired vaping brands much later for example, British American Tobacco acquired Vype, and Philip Morris developed IQOS. Their involvement came after the technology was already established, not at its origin.

Gilbert's patent described a device that replaced burning tobacco with heated, moist, flavoured air. It had no mechanism for delivering nicotine. While conceptually similar to vaping in the "no combustion" principle, it was fundamentally different in function and was never manufactured commercially. It is often cited as a historical curiosity rather than a direct precursor to modern vaping technology.

E-cigarettes began appearing in UK shops from around 2007 to 2008. Adoption grew steadily through the early 2010s, accelerating significantly from 2013 to 2014 as second-generation devices became more widely available. The introduction of the TPD regulations in 2016 formalised the UK market. By the early 2020s, millions of UK adults were vaping, with vaping recognised by the NHS as an effective smoking cessation tool.

Nicotine salt e-liquid was developed and popularised by JUUL Labs in the United States around 2015 to 2016. The formulation combined freebase nicotine with benzoic acid to create a smoother, faster-absorbing nicotine compound that worked well in low-powered pod devices at higher concentrations. This formulation became the standard for pod systems worldwide and is the basis for most 10mg and 20mg liquids in the UK market today.

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