A majority of French smokers are now sourcing tobacco and vaping products outside traditional retail channels, with many turning to cross-border shopping or illicit markets as prices increase, according to a new national survey.
The Ifop study of 3,000 smokers and vapers provides one of the most detailed snapshots to date of how consumers are responding to France’s high taxes and tightening regulations on nicotine products.
Cross-border purchasing becomes the norm
More than half of smokers (53 per cent) said they had bought cigarettes from abroad within the past year. This includes purchases from standard retail outlets overseas (35 per cent), duty-free (27 per cent), or through friends returning from trips (25 per cent).
The trend is even more pronounced in border regions, where 63 per cent reported cross-border purchases, rising to 69 per cent in areas near Spain and Andorra. Wealthier consumers were more likely to travel to buy cheaper products abroad, with 66 per cent reporting such purchases compared with 47 per cent among lower-income groups.
For vaping products, 20 per cent of users said they had sourced supplies outside France.
The findings indicate that significant volumes of nicotine consumption are now taking place beyond the domestic retail network, despite longstanding efforts by French authorities to restrict availability and drive down smoking rates through taxation.
Illegal domestic markets remain widespread
Alongside cross-border purchasing, almost a quarter of smokers (23 per cent) reported obtaining tobacco through illegal local channels such as grocery stores, street vendors or online platforms.
Younger men, residents of the Paris region and lower-income consumers were disproportionately represented among those using illicit sources. While wealthier households were more likely to travel abroad, financially constrained consumers were more likely to rely on local black-market supply.
The survey also found that one in five people who bought products abroad (21 per cent) admitted reselling them domestically, contributing to the continued circulation of untaxed goods within France.
Researchers said this pattern illustrates how parallel trade is sustained through both personal imports and informal resale networks.
Banned products still circulating
The study suggests that enforcement challenges persist even after regulatory crackdowns.
Disposable vapes (“puffs”), which were banned in February 2025, remain widely used. Sixteen per cent of vapers said they had used them in the previous five months, with supply coming from online channels (20 per cent), grocery stores (19 per cent) and street vendors (9 per cent).
Overall, 14 per cent of vapers reported obtaining products through illegal channels, rising to 21 per cent among lower-income groups and 25 per cent among Paris residents.
These findings indicate that prohibited products continue to circulate through informal markets despite legislative restrictions.
Price drives behaviour
Cost was identified as the dominant factor shaping consumer behaviour.
If prices were to increase further, 53 per cent of smokers and 45 per cent of vapers said they would be more likely to turn to non-traditional purchasing channels. Foreign markets were cited as the preferred alternative by 46 per cent overall and by 62 per cent of exclusive smokers.
Price was described as the decisive factor by 60 per cent of those already buying outside official channels, ahead of ease of access (35 per cent) and the availability of products not sold domestically (21 per cent).
For a third of consumers using alternative sources, the practice has become routine, with 15 per cent describing it as regular and 18 per cent as fairly frequent. Among men under 35, this rose to 50 per cent.
Risk awareness does not deter use
Despite widespread awareness of potential risks, the behaviour persists.
A majority of respondents said illicit cigarettes (58 per cent) and unofficial vaping products (57 per cent) were more dangerous than those sold legally. However, researchers found that cost pressures, availability and product choice continued to outweigh safety concerns.
“Our results show the dual face of the parallel market. On the one hand, there is massive price arbitrage abroad which, while not illegal in its authorized volumes, undermines tax revenues and displaces part of consumption outside the legal network.
“On the other hand, illegal local channels (grocery stores, street corners, social networks), which appeal above all to young, urban and financially constrained consumers.”
Survey methodology
The research was conducted between 1 and 18 August 2025 using an online self-administered questionnaire.
The sample of 3,000 respondents was designed to be representative of smokers and vapers aged 18 and over in France, with quotas applied for gender, age and occupation and stratification by region.
