But it might not be what you’re thinking, i.e., are they using chemicals to achieve the improved burn resistance they claim? I feel we won’t be able to say much about that until this cotton is analyzed by a trusted lab.
My concerns are about the regulatory compliance they claim on the packaging.
Why is that important? If those claims aren’t true then what else might not be true? How much else of what they say can we trust if they won’t even comply with the standards and regulations for such a product or they make exaggerated claims?
Over several days I tried contacting the makers of, and reps for, Angorabbit cotton via pm and email. All ignored. I then replied publicly to one of the numerous posts Tina Wang has made seeking distributors and vendors for Angorabbit cotton. She responded but after a few replies she deleted our conversation and said it should be private.
Here’s our public conversation before she deleted it: https://imgur.com/a/O8Tc3
Angorabbit cotton claims ISO, FDA, FCC, CE, and RoHS regulatory compliance by putting those marks on the package. Photos of the packaging: https://imgur.com/a/DpXdP
Tina Wang, of Lion Eco-Technology Co., Ltd. (“Lion”), the maker of Angorabbit cotton, told me that the FDA mark was put there because they also sell medical cotton that is registered/approved by the FDA.
A different reason was told to Phil Busardo though (http://www.tasteyourjuice.com/wordpress/archives/15909). Lion said to Phil…”The FDA logo is just a certification by USA government, nothing special, we just want vapers to know we are certified, not just a unauthentic brand comes out from some unauthentic somewhere.”
Angorabbit cotton does not comply with anything associated the FDA unless they filed paperwork for this particular product. They cannot use any FDA registration/review/approval for another product for this product. In a message to me Lion claimed they have this FDA paperwork but refused to send it to me citing trade secrecy concerns.
Regarding the other marks on Angorabbit packaging…
Lion told me that they put the FCC mark on the package because they previously sold electronic cigarettes. Umm…huh? That’s preposterous. The FCC’s regulations/standards are for electronic devices and I feel that cotton doesn’t quite meet that requirement. This mark is useless.
The ISO mark (International Organization for Standardization) can refer to any of over 20,000 different standards. Some are cotton-related, like cotton bale density, but most would mean nothing to us and the way we would use this cotton. Which standards do they claim compliance with? Lion refused to tell me.
The CE mark claims compliance with the standards and regulations for selling this cotton in the EU. Lion is allowed to write the compliance document themselves, i.e., they can self-certify. This is not a secret document and is made readily available by companies to show that their products are ready for sale in the EU. Lion refused to send it to me.
The RoHS mark claims that this cotton complies with the Reduction of Hazardous Substances directive to reduce the use of certain dangerous substances in products. Lion refused to send me this short document. Why would saying this cotton doesn’t have any of these dangerous substances need to stay a secret? Any company I have ever requested this document from has gladly provided it. Could it be because this also only applies to electronics?
This all bothers me….a lot.
If this is a genuine step up in cotton for vaping then why the fake compliance marks? Why the secrecy? Why not just be honest on the package, market the product well (addressing all our health concerns), and let it sell itself? We can genuinely use a burn-resistant cotton.
I don’t know if this Angorabbit cotton is safe to use or not. But I guess that’s no different from any cotton we use. I do know that Lion claims they comply with regulations and standards that can’t possibly apply to this cotton, or to cotton at all.
Lion, you said I could get a lab to test your cotton and that you are confident that the results would show your cotton is safe. I’m not the one trying to market it to this community though. 🙂
I ask you to test your own cotton. To use a well known US or EU testing company and to post the results for our community to see. This is something I am stunned you haven’t already done considering your claims and our community’s understandable concerns.
This still wouldn’t address the problems with your packaging but it would go a long way towards allaying any worries we had regarding the safety of your cotton.
Current and future vendors and distributors for this cotton…
Lion said they would share the compliance/regulatory documentation with customers. I would ask that you request the documentation for their claimed FDA, CE, and ISO regulatory compliance. Any FCC or RoHS documentation will be useless, not even applying to this product. There’s no need to ask for it.
I don’t ask for me, they don’t want me to see it claiming trade secrecy. I ask you to do this to ensure that this documentation exists and that Lion complies with the regulations and standards they claim and that do really apply to this cotton.
If Lion won’t send the documentation then what do we believe or not believe?
Can we be sure it is safe to use?
Just frustrated and sharing some thoughts.
Comment and let me know yours.
Thanks,
Mooch
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