Shisha or puff: what are the differences?
The shisha and the puff are two devices that have only one thing in common: they produce a flavoured vapour or smoke. The shisha (or hookah) heats a tobacco or tobacco-free substitute with charcoal, and the smoke passes through the water in a base before being inhaled through a hose. The puff is an electronic vaping device that vaporises an e-liquid using a battery-powered coil. This article describes how each works, its format and its regulatory framework, without recommending one over the other: they fall under different regulations and are not used in the same way.
The puff: an electronic vaping device
A puff consists of a battery, a coil and an e-liquid reserve. When you inhale, the coil heats the liquid, which turns into vapour. The first puffs, which appeared in France in 2021, were disposable: non-rechargeable battery and non-replaceable tank. Their sale has been banned in France since 26 February 2025 (French law no. 2025-165 of 25 February 2025).
The puffs sold today are rechargeable: the battery charges via USB-C port and the e-liquid comes either in pre-filled 10 ml pods that are replaced, or in a 2 ml tank that the user refills. They fall under the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), transposed into French law: tank of 2 ml maximum, nicotine e-liquid limited to 20 mg/ml and to 10 ml containers, notification to ANSES (the French health and safety agency) before being placed on the market. Most contain nicotine, in the form of nicotine salts; nicotine-free versions exist.
The puff count stated by manufacturers covers all the pods supplied with the device. A puff is used individually: the mouthpiece is designed for one person only.
The shisha: a charcoal-heated water pipe
A shisha consists of a base filled with water, a stem, a bowl and one or more hoses. The bowl holds the shisha tobacco (molasses) or a tobacco-free substitute, covered with aluminium foil or a heat management device (HMD) on which the coals are placed. The heat from the charcoal warms the mix; the smoke travels down the stem, passes through the water in the base and comes back up through the hose.
A shisha is a durable object: a stainless steel or brass model, such as the Céleste by El-Badia, Steamulation shishas or Wookah wooden models, lasts several years with regular care. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to prepare (assembly, filling the bowl, lighting the coals) and is generally shared between several people, each with their own hygienic mouthpiece. Compact formats exist for travel.
The mix being heated is either a shisha tobacco, subject to tobacco product regulations, or a tobacco-free substitute based on cellulose or plant molasses, such as Zodiac flavours, which contain neither tobacco nor nicotine.
What sets the two devices apart
| Criterion | Puff | Shisha |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | E-liquid vaporised by an electric coil | Tobacco or substitute heated by charcoal, water filtration |
| Product consumed | E-liquid (propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings, with or without nicotine) | Shisha tobacco or tobacco-free substitute (cellulose, plant molasses) |
| Nicotine | 0 to 20 mg/ml depending on the reference | Present in shisha tobacco, absent from tobacco-free substitutes |
| Preparation | None (pod) or filling the tank | 10 to 15 minutes: assembly, bowl, coals |
| Use | Individual | Individual or shared, with hygienic mouthpieces |
| Format | Pocket-sized | From 20 cm (compact models) to over 80 cm |
| Lifespan | Rechargeable battery, replaceable pods | Several years with care |
| Regulation | Vaping product: TPD directive, French Public Health Code | Unregulated object; shisha tobacco falls under tobacco regulations |
| End of life | Battery in the WEEE scheme, pods in household sorting | Cooled coals and ash in household waste; metal parts and glass recyclable |
Frequently asked questions
Is a puff an electronic shisha?
No. A puff vaporises an e-liquid. An electronic shisha heats, depending on the model, shisha tobacco, a substitute or an e-liquid, with water filtration. The two devices have neither the same format nor the same use.
Are disposable puffs still sold in France?
No, their sale has been banned since 26 February 2025. Only rechargeable puffs, with pods or a refillable tank, are permitted.
Can you smoke shisha without tobacco?
Yes, with a cellulose or plant molasses substitute, free of tobacco and nicotine. It is prepared exactly like shisha tobacco, with the same bowls and coals.
Which regulations apply to each?
The puff is a vaping product: sale to minors prohibited, advertising prohibited, capacities and nicotine levels capped by the TPD directive. The shisha as an object is not regulated; shisha tobacco is a tobacco product, the sale of which to minors is prohibited.
The sale of vaping products and shisha tobacco to minors under 18 is prohibited.
