According to industry media reports, on April 7, 2021, Boulder brand officially reached an in-depth cooperation with Telling, a well-known China 3C digital distributor, to distribute various products under Boulder.
Boulder KATE pod system at a glance
Boulder KATE is a pod system that features its premium Fine e-liquid.
KATE starter kit content:
Two pods (ice cola, mint)
A lanyard,
TYPE-C charging cable
A protective cover made of silicone.
Package size: 112*21*10mm
KATE starter kit specifications
360mAH battery
3.5ml pod capacity
TYCE-C fast charge
PCTG body
KATE starter kit pictures
Where to buy Boulder Kate (Chinese)
Boulder passed the first round of PMTA review
The e-liquid PMTA application submitted by Boulder to the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) passed the preliminary review on November 12, 2020 and entered the next stage.
The FDA has assigned STN review codes to all SKUs submitted by Boulder, and one of the e-liquid review codes is PM0001472.
On September 8, US Eastern Time, Boulder formally submitted a PMTA application with e-liquid as the core to the US FDA. There are a total of 9 SKUs, of which 6 are e-liquids. For this application, Boulder has been preparing for nearly 4 years, countless experiments and hundreds of thousands of pages of application materials, and cost more than 100 million yuan.
The PMTA’s application requirements for e-liquid and the profound details of the certification are extremely demanding and complicated, similar to the first and second phases of trials before the launch of prescription drugs or vaccines. It has high requirements for the quality of products and the technical capabilities of enterprises.
PMTA is an approval method and standard for e-cigarettes and vape juice issued by the FDA. Manufacturers who applied for PMTA before September 9, 2020, can continue to legally sell in the US market unless they receive a delisting notice from the FDA. Companies that apply after September 9, 2020, must obtain a letter of approval from the FDA before they can be listed. It is generally believed that it is unlikely that an e-liquid product that attempts to apply for PMTA after September 9 will be approved by the FDA.
Although the requirements are strict, for Boulder, in the past few years, Boulder has stored a large number of e-liquid research and development technology and talents in two laboratories in the United States and China, and the technical reserves are very sufficient. Since 2017, Boulder’s two major laboratories in the United States and China have begun to improve and develop formulas, processes, and ingredients in accordance with FDA requirements. Before submitting the PMTA application, Boulder has conducted sufficient research and experiments on the addictiveness and attractiveness of toxicity, ingredients and release objects, population experiments, and FDA Phase I and Phase II experiments.
Boulder’s successful passing of the first round of PMTA review is not only an affirmation of Boulder’s past work, but also a great encouragement to Boulder itself.
According to public information query, Boulder is the only Chinese-funded enterprise in the world that has applied for PMTA of e-liquid.
What’s Boulder L-Nicotine?
The full name of Boulder’s new e-liquid in 2020 is “Partial Levodopa, L-Nicotine”, which is a mixture of natural nicotine and synthetic nicotine.
According to the curve graph above and the Boulder vape show staff explanation, this L-Nicotine stops the craving for cigarettes faster than traditional e-liquid, and it remains effective for a longer time than traditional e-liquid.
The e-liquid has a high lasting and high satisfaction, so that the intake of nicotine is relatively reduced. From the perspective of cost performance, the interval between purchases has become slightly longer. This new technology is similar to the lastest Nicotine X from Myst Labs.
The person in charge of R&D informed the editor that left-handed and right-handed are two different states of the same molecular formula in nature. Even though the left-handed body and the right-handed body have the same molecular formula, the biological characteristics of the two are very different because of the different molecular structures.
For example, a person’s left hand can perfectly match the mirror image in the mirror, but it cannot be exactly the same as the right hand. To give an example in real life, ordinary sugar is right-handed and can be absorbed by the body, making it easy to make people fat. However, the artificially synthesized L-sugar maintains the sweetness of ordinary sugar, but it will not be absorbed by the body, thus solving the problem of obesity.
In fact, this time Boulder’s “Partial Levodopa, L-Nicotine” also made an article on this molecular structure, changing the right-handed state of ordinary nicotine salts, making it left-handed, and greatly improving the pleasure of the human body after vaping.
This kind of innovative molecular structure approach has been relatively rare in recent years, and most manufacturers’ research has basically focused on changing the raw materials of nicotine salt. For example, the well-known American brand JUUL innovatively used benzoic acid as a raw material to solve the problem of ” addictiion relieving” to electronic cigarettes in the past. China companies followed suit and began to use glucic acid and citric acid. But this kind of research has actually been stagnant for a long time. Various raw materials in nature and industry have been used by people, and the technology has not yet made breakthrough progress.
Over the past five or six years, nicotine salt has basically gone round and round about what acid and how much acid is used. While Boulder chose not to continue to struggle with the issue of raw materials this time, but to innovate the molecular structure of nicotine salt, which can be said to have opened up a completely different path for the industry.
Speaking of Boulder, this company has been acting frequently this year. In the first half of the year, the sea salt nicotine released by the innovative nicotine salt formula reflects the strength of research and development; not long ago, it was announced to apply for the multi-million-dollar PMTA certification, which reflects the financial strength; and this time the launch of “Partial Levodopa, L-Nicotine”, it completely opened up a brand new path for the industry, reflecting the company’s strong innovation capabilities.
Learn more on Boulder official site (Language: Chinese)
Boulder works with Xiyangyang Convenience Store to sell vapes
On March 15, Boulder reached a strategic cooperation with Guangdong Xiyangyang Convenience Store Co., Ltd., a leading convenience chain company. Many of Boulder’s products will enter the Xiyangyang Convenience Store system and be sold in nearly 10,000 stores.
In the future, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in the areas of merchandise sales, user analysis, and supply chain to realize the deep connection of their respective systems.
Boulder and Xiyangyang will provide local customers with the most suitable products and the highest quality services according to the consumption habits of different regions to ensure that the product mix can always meet consumer needs.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, Boulder took various measures to serve users, including online store navigation, home delivery, telephone services, membership services, etc., and strived to provide users with the most intimate service; on February 10, Boulder resumed work and resumed production All offline terminal retail stores are also gradually recovering.
Boulder externally stated that the chain convenience retail system has always been the top priority of Boulder’s offline retail channels. In July 2019, Boulder Bling went public and achieved nearly 40 million yuan in terminal retail performance in one month. At present, Boulder products cover more than 100,000 terminal retail stores.
It is reported that under the influence of consumption upgrades, the convenience store sales channel is ushering in rapid development. The “2019 China Convenience Store Prosperity Index Report” shows that convenience stores across the country are showing a trend of prosperity year after year. Leading Chinese convenience store companies and regional leading convenience store companies have maintained a relatively stable development rate. Under this background, Boulder’s cooperation with Guangdong Xiyangyang is more strategic.
The in-depth cooperation between Boulder and Guangdong Xiyangyang Convenience Store is a recognition of the quality and strength of each other. This move will further consolidate Boulder‘s dominant position in the chain convenience store system.
Bling disposable vape with world first 2.5ml e-juice capacity is launched by Boulder
Boulder vape company held a one-off vape Bling product launch and media experiencing conference in Beijing on July 4.
It is understood that Bling vape comes with a 330 mA Battery and a 2.5 ml pod. Compared with other brands of electronic cigarettes in the market, Bling battery endurance and pod capacity have a lot of advantages, especially in pod capacity, which is much bigger than other brands. According to Boulder, 2.5mL pod capacity is at least 67% higher than the mainstream products in the market, which can effectively solve users’ anxiety about battery life and pod consumption.
Some e-cigarette practitioners believe that the emergence of 2.5ml products may trigger a technical competition in the industry. E-cigarettes are real consumer goods, and most consumers end up paying only for products and experiences.
Another industry insider said that 2.5ml ready-to-use products should be the world’s first, exceeding industry expectations. But the product needs to break through some technical bottlenecks, the first one is the e-juice leakage problem.
In the past two years, various electronic cigarette products have been on the market, especially disposable products, which mainly focus on the channel of off-line convenience stores. They have sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain. However, previous competitions focused on appearance and marketing means, rarely on breakthroughs in products and technology, and e-liquid leakage occurred from time to time like RELX.
Aiming at the problem of e-juice leakage, Wang Zeqi, chairman and CEO of Boulder, introduced at the press conference that Bling’s new series of disposable vapes used integrated cotton to store e-juice, and the effect of e-juice lock was 1.5 times higher than the old one, which could effectively avoid vape juice leakage.
In terms of appearance and technology, the shell of Bling products is made of anodic oxide alloy, and the suction nozzle and tail cover are matched with PC engineering plastics. Ergonomic design is adopted in the design. The device length is 105mm and the width is 18mm. It is suitable for holding. The whole vape device has a rounded feel, good heat insulation and heat dissipation effect, and comfortable entrance of flavor.
In terms of flavor richness, Bling series is moderate, not too many, and not too few. There are six kinds, namely: mint tobacco, Tainan pineapple, blueberry popcorn, passion energy, terol flue-cured tobacco, mango ice.
Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the nicotine salts used in these six flavor products are independently developed by Boulder headquarters in the United States, which can guarantee the purity of each pod.
In terms of purchasing, Bling’s disposable cigarettes are priced at 49 yuan per vape. It has been sold online and offline simultaneously. You can purchase it from dozens of flagships and more than 3000 convenience stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Nanjing .
According to Wang Zeqi, after the first quarter’s pod system Amber and the Bling series vapes launched on July 4, Boulder will continue to increase product development efforts for young consumers and release its annual flagship products in the second half of the year.
Visit Boulder official site: http://boulder-international.com/
July 15th, 2019 Update:
Q: What is the percentage of Boulder online and offline channels?
Wang Zeqi: Boulder’s sales channels are divided into offline channels and e-commerce channels. Boulder sells mainly in more than 20,000 convenience stores in the United States. Offline channels are also being built in China, where Boulder sells offline through automobile-related channels traditionally, accounting for the majority of sales in China. Other offline channels are being developed. We will learn from various marketing models of online influencer products and electronic sales products, and innovate the marketing methods of electronic cigarettes.
Our online to offline ratio is 3:7, online is mainly e-commerce channels, offline is mainly Yintaiwanda inside the direct stores, as well as luxury car dealer system, used car dealers, etc., we will expand to more popular consumer channels.
Question: Is Boulder launching a new Bling in an invisible price war?
Wang Zeqi: Boulder’s technology and cost control are very good. We think we can develop products with higher cost performance for consumers. We hope that Boulder’s market share will be the top three and the unit price will be the first. These two goals are somewhat twisted, but we will strive to achieve them.
Challenges and Opportunities for Boulder
1. As an electronic cigarette brand with independent research and development products and e-liquids, it has the control of the whole industry chain. In addition, American descent identity will enhance the endorsement of Boulder’s brand, but it will also make Boulder face some resistance in the high-end circle of the masses to enter the mass consumer market. It may be manifested in the twisting of product and pricing strategies, restraining from developing bravely, and the inability to let go of the original advantages.
2. Boulder is strong in technology and product research and development, but in the mass consumer side, its brand voice needs to learn more from online influencer e-cigarettes. This is a lesson that Boulder needs to make up. How to tell good stories to the public is a difficult problem. We also see that Boulder has dug up former staff from JD, Pitfish Company, who’s familiar with Internet public relations and the market. Fang Hui acts as a partner and CMO in marketing, which is a positive signal to communicate with the market.
3. Wang Ze said he was not short of money and Boulder did not want to raise funds. But when rivals in the market are threatening with capital to roll forward, other brands will be braver when spending other people’s money rather than their own money. Obviously, burning other people’s cash will be more liberal. So we suggest that Boulder should consider introducing external capital, sharing profits and sharing risks.
4. Boulder’s opportunity is to take full control of the whole industry, such as electronic cigarette products, e-juice and so on, which has a strong full supply chain advantage for future product competition. Influencer e-cigarette brand are now highly dependent on the supply chain, but also making up the supply chain shortage. In the long run, stronger brands than products will have more stable users. Electronic cigarettes are just at the beginning, stable products and offline channels will be the first choice in cooperation.
Vape.hk will also bring Boulder into the focus of observation and research, in order to provide more learning and reference opportunities for practitioners in the electronic cigarette industry.
Natrends 