The Leak
Mixer ID10-T sent me a few documents early Sunday that were rather alarming. They were leaked documents from INW to a Polish food company that explained why they changed the formulas to many of their flavorings, as well as an entire list of affected flavors. Many of the flavorings on the list were very popular INW flavorings, one being Milk Chocolate. This personally affects DIYorDIE because Milk Chocolate is used in two of its recipes. But many other eliquid developers and DIY mixers are affected due to these changes as well. Here are the documents.
What Happened?
While it's difficult to understand the broken English in that document, it seems as if INW asked one of its suppliers for CAS information on their flavorings. INW needed these CAS documents to fully comply with the TPD (Tobacco Product Directive - EU Regulations on Vapor Products). Because these CAS documents could reveal proprietary information used by these suppliers, the suppliers denied these requests. This forced INW to either skirt around regulations, or stop using the specific buyer. In which the latter happened. This is not concrete and no one in DIY has spoken to INW directly, yet. There is also some speculation that this is all just a cover up for failing many TPD testings. Whether it was containing ingredients like DAAP, or materials not meant for consumption, some believe they failed these testings and decided to reformulate without said compounds in the recipes. Also, one thing to note is that INW has not publicly addressed this situation. Many companies rely on the consistency and QC of the their ingredients. This breaks any trust between a client and INW. How many other flavorings have they completely reformulated without telling its clients? A simple heads up would suffice. INW has always been tough to contact, and from many in the industry, a pain to work with. And this adds gas to the fire.
The Next Step
So for many of us who are commercially using these affected flavors, the next step might be a long one. Looking for replacements in never easy, and in the case of complex DIY recipes, it could mean a flavor that was once amazing, turned completely useless. With Milk Chocolate for example, I was looking for a chocolate flavoring just like it for quite some time. None were able to capture the rich, creamy, essence of a milk chocolate quite like Inawera. And now unfortunately, the search will continue on. Many other flavorings on that list are also wildly unique, and finding substitutes for already established recipes will be a nightmare. But, the show must go on, and DIYorDIE will do its best to bring you suitable flavorings for once great ingredients.
You Can Help!
One last thing. If you're a DIY mixer or eliquid developer, it would be much appreciated by the mixing community if you documented any changes in the flavorings that you notice. If you use any of the affected flavorings regularly, and can make a clear judgement on the difference between old and new formulations, this will help other mixers know which flavorings to stay away from, or continue using. You can make a comment with your findings either on this page, on the DIYorDIE Mixers Collective, or on the INW thread on /r/DIY.
Image from Leak Showing Affected Flavors
The cookie inw hasn’t chanced??