Lighters, matches and smoking accessories

• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Decision 2006/502/EC on child-resistant lighters
• EN ISO 9994 for lighter safety
• Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 for fuels

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and sellers outside the Union placing lighters on the EU market. Cigarette lighters must be child-resistant unless they are novelty-free luxury items, and novelty lighters resembling toys or food are prohibited outright.

Thresholds and exemptions

The child resistance requirement applies to all lighters supplied to consumers except those meeting the luxury or semi-luxury criteria, and the prohibition on novelty lighters is absolute.

What must appear on the label

Manufacturer and responsible person details, batch identification, flame adjustment and refill instructions where applicable, and the required safety warnings including keeping away from children and not exposing to heat.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces remove novelty lighters on sight, and customs seizes them regularly. The child resistance test certificate is requested when a listing is challenged.

Documentation you must hold

Technical documentation, child resistance test reports from a laboratory applying the prescribed protocol with child panels, ISO 9994 test reports, and traceability records.

Standards and testing

Child resistance testing under EN ISO 9994 and the Decision's protocol, which involves testing with panels of children, plus flame height, drop, continuous burn and temperature testing.

Language requirements

Warnings and instructions in the language of each member state of sale.

When it applies

Before the product is made available. Child resistance testing must be repeated for each model and after design changes.

How long records are kept

Ten years, with child resistance test records for the same period.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, seizure and Safety Gate alerts. Novelty lighters resembling toys, food or cartoon characters are prohibited and generate immediate removal.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities and customs.

Where the boundary lies

A lighter that looks appealing to a child is prohibited regardless of whether it passes the child resistance test, because the prohibition addresses attractiveness rather than mechanism. Refill gas canisters are separately classified dangerous goods.

Questions we are asked

Are all lighters required to be child-resistant?

Yes for consumer lighters, except those meeting the luxury or semi-luxury definition, which are still subject to the general safety requirement.

Why was our novelty lighter removed?

Lighters resembling toys, food or other objects attractive to children are prohibited outright under Decision 2006/502/EC.