Excise-grade covert marking for a heavily taxed channel in India
Illicit vapes and cigarettes cost governments billions in duty and expose consumers to untested formulations, and India's excise regime makes the channel a prime smuggling target. SNOWLEOPARD® marks devices, pods and cartons invisibly for instant field checks.
Illicit trade moves faster than tax stamps
Duty stamps and printed codes are copied at scale, and enforcement teams need to make decisions on the spot without laboratory support.
Counterfeit duty stamps
Printed stamps and serialised codes are reproduced cheaply, letting untaxed product pass as compliant.
Unregulated formulations
Counterfeit pods bypass testing entirely, creating public-health exposure that lands on the legitimate brand.
Cloned and refilled pods
Empty branded pods are refilled with unknown liquid and resold through convenience and online channels.
Marked on the device, the pod and the carton
A single non-contact process applies indelible codes to plastics and films at line speed, with no inks, solvents or consumables to manage.
- Device housings and mouthpieces
- Pod and cartridge bodies
- Blister and flow-wrap film
- Cartons and master cases
- Duty and tax stamp stock
Enforcement decisions made at the point of inspection
Officers and retailers confirm legitimate stock with a breath, with no reader to procure, calibrate or keep charged.
Typical items protected in vapes & cigarettes
Vapes & Cigarettes questions
How is a vapes & cigarettes item authenticated in the field?
A single breath of warm vapour mist reveals the hidden security image, which disappears in seconds as moisture evaporates. No instruments, tools, lights or apps are needed.
Will the code affect our product or packaging design?
No. The code is invisible and inscribed submicron into the material itself, so artwork, finish and regulatory dossiers stay exactly as they are.
Can counterfeiters copy the mark?
There is nothing on the surface to scan or photograph. The microstructure code appears only momentarily under vapour and is etched into the substrate, making replication virtually impossible.
How does this fit alongside our existing serialisation?
SNOWLEOPARD® sits at the covert Level 2 tier and layers beneath overt features and forensic markers, strengthening rather than replacing existing QR, barcode or track-and-trace programs.
How is it integrated into production?
Desktop-size systems run inline or off-line, and high-speed web-film systems are fully customisable. Equipment runs 24/7 on ordinary electricity with no inks, lasers, solvents or consumables.
Other industries we protect
Bring us your toughest challenges.
SNOWLEOPARD® is available exclusively from The Sabreen Group. Call us to discuss your application — pro bono.
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Scott Sabreen — President and Chief Engineer, with over 30 years of expertise. Contact us today to discuss your application and SABREEN solutions free of charge and with no obligation. Bring us your most difficult challenges.
Phone: +1 972-820-6777
