Guide
What the words and colours on a cigarette pack actually mean
Pack names, colours and formats look like marketing, but most of what appears on a cigarette pack is constrained by EU law. This guide explains the terminology without describing any product as better, milder or safer.
Last checked: September 2026
In short
Since 20 May 2016, EU law (Directive 2014/40/EU, transposed in Portugal) bans any pack text, colour scheme or imagery suggesting a product has reduced health risk — words such as "light", "mild", "low tar" or "natural" may not appear, and shade or brand-variant colouring cannot imply one variant is less harmful than another. What remains on packs — brand and variant name, "king size" or "100s" (length descriptors), the cigarette count, and the combined graphic-plus-text health warnings covering most of the surface — describes format and required warnings, not a claim about the product's effect.
Key points
- Descriptors implying reduced harm ("light", "mild", "low tar", "natural") are banned on EU tobacco packaging, not just discouraged.
- "King size" and "100s" describe cigarette length, not strength.
- The legal minimum for a cigarette pack in the EU is 20 units.
- Health warnings must cover 65% of the front and back of the pack.
- Neither packaging nor a retailer may describe one tobacco product as safer, smoother or better than another.
The ban on "light", "mild" and similar descriptors
Article 13 of Directive 2014/40/EU prohibits labelling elements that suggest a tobacco product is less harmful than others, has vitalising, energising, healing, rejuvenating, natural or organic properties, or has reduced health risks or emissions. This is why brand variants that used to be called "Lights" or "Silver" were renamed using colour or number codes decades ago in most EU markets, and why the rule now also blocks colour or imagery cues that quietly repeat the same suggestion.
This applies to the pack itself, not to how a shop or delivery site may describe a product: neither may use comparative or reassuring language about a tobacco product's effects. TabacoLisboa lists variant names and formats as they appear on the manufacturer's packaging — never as recommendations.
King size, 100s and pack counts
"King size" and "100s" (or "100 mm") refer to the physical length of the cigarette rod, a manufacturing specification, not a strength or quality tier. Pack counts (commonly 20 in Portugal) refer to the number of cigarettes inside; both length and count are printed on the pack alongside the health warnings.
The regulated minimum pack size
Directive 2014/40/EU sets a minimum unit-packet size for cigarettes of 20 units, precisely so that health warnings have enough surface to be legible and so that very small, cheaper-looking packs cannot be used to reduce the visual weight of those warnings. There is no maximum count set by the directive for cigarette packs, but the 20-cigarette minimum is the reason single-digit or novelty-sized packs are not lawfully sold in the EU.
Health warnings on the pack
Combined picture-and-text health warnings must cover 65% of the front and back external surfaces of the pack, positioned at the top edge, in the language(s) of the member state where the product is sold. These warnings are set by the directive itself and are identical in substance across brands sold in the same market — they are not something a retailer adds or can vary.
Common questions
- Why don't cigarette packs say "light" anymore?
- Because EU law bans any label element suggesting a tobacco product is less harmful, healthier or has reduced emissions compared with others.
- Can a smaller pack of 10 cigarettes be sold legally in Portugal?
- No. EU law sets 20 units as the minimum size for a cigarette pack, so smaller counts are not lawfully placed on the market.
- Does TabacoLisboa describe any product as milder or better quality?
- No. We list brand, variant and format as printed on the packaging and never use comparative or reassuring language about effects.
Sources
This page is general information about Portuguese rules and Lisbon practice, not legal advice. Rules change; check the sources for the current text. Tobacco is for adults 18 and over.