Seen by public health officials as a gateway drug, and by ordinary citizens as a fashion crime, vaping has gotten a bad rep. But teens’ recreational vaping is far more harmless than originally thought, as the majority are inhaling purely flavoured, nicotine-free fumes.

From nicotine gum to e-cigarettes, the global smoking cessation-aid market was worth around $2.4 billion in 2011, and as healthcare costs soar and more people seek to give up, its value is set to grow. But when it comes to kicking the habit, what will get people to quit – the carrot or the stick?

Vaporizers have become such a common sight that ‘vape’ was the Oxford Dictionary’s ‘Word of the Year’ in 2014. Looking to target city workers with high incomes, luxury vaporizer brand Pax sets customers back £199. But can it shake off negative stigma and become an aspirational lifestyle product?

“More so than quantum teleportation, e-cigarettes make me feel like I’m living in the future,” writes journalist Klint Finley. “They're a true novelty.” And with new research showing that teens now smoke e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco product, it would appear that the future is here to stay.