I know it’s way easier said than done. But as someone who has just finally after 30+ years started to shut those voices up by focusing on something I wanted, not what I thought someone else would enjoy. And it’s helped me keep those voices at bay. It’s hard not to care and not to want the thing you make to be successful and for other people to like it. I may still never publish something. But the time I spend thinking about that world and those stories is a happy and fun place to be, simply because I like it there and not because I think anyone else will. I hope that made any amount of sense.
Most prop masters I’ve worked with use either this brand or something very similar. From that page the ingredients listed are: Marshmallow Leaves, Red Clover Flowers, Rose Petals, Fruit Juices, Honey. You can also buy packs that are designed to look like real brands(yellow american spirits, the famous “Marlboro Red”, and white for marb lights.)
Fake cigarettes have been pretty common props for a while now. Obviously there used to be a lot more actual tobacco use on sets but nowadays, especially with a lot of municipalities outlawing tobacco smoking indoors in public spaces, its almost always all fake/herbal. There are also nicotine free vaporizers that are styled to look like real cigarettes.