Monitoring Tobacco Product Use
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National E-Cigarette Unit Sales by Flavor

Total Unit Sales in Millions *
* Sales data do not reflect sales from vape shops or online retailers; dates represent end of 4-week periods; e-cigarette accessories and devices sold without e-liquids were excluded (9.5% of total dollar sales in 2022). Unit sales were standardized to reflect the most common package size for each product type. A standardized unit was equal to five prefilled cartridges, one disposable device, or one e-liquid bottle.
† All Other Flavors category includes fruit, clove/spice, chocolate, alcoholic drink (such as wine, cognac, or other cocktails), candy/desserts/other sweets, some other flavor; Clear/Other Cooling include products with flavor names such as clear, clear ice, or unflavored, which likely contain non-menthol synthetic cooling agents (e.g., Flum Pebble Clear, EB Design BC5000 Clear)
Trends of Unit Sales by Flavor Following FDA’s Flavor Enforcement Policy
All stats between 2/2/2020 and 9/8/2024, unless otherwise specified

Total monthly e-cigarette sales increased from 15.7 to 21.3 million units (+35.9%).

Δ Unit Sales

+35.9%

Tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 4.4 million to 3.7 million (-16.1%); unit share decreased from 28.3% to 17.5%.

Δ Unit Sales

-16.1%

Non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 11.2 million to 17.4 million (+54.6%); unit share increased from 71.7% to 81.5%.

Δ Unit Sales

+54.6%

Menthol-flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 5.2 million to 5.6 million (+8.4%); unit share decreased from 32.9% to 26.2%.

Δ Unit Sales

+8.4%

Mint-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 1.4 million to 1.4 million (-2.4%); unit share decreased from 9.0% to 6.5%.

Δ Unit Sales

-2.4%

Other-flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 4.6 million to 10.2 million (+119.4%); unit share increased from 29.6% to 47.8%.

Δ Unit Sales

+119.4%

Between 12/4/2022 and 9/8/2024 clear/other cooling flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 73.9 thousand to 201.9 thousand (+173.1%); unit share increased from 0.5% to 0.9%.

Δ Unit Sales

+173.1%

California’s decline in e-cigarette sales between December 2022 and 9/8/2024 represents 15.7% (i.e., 412.2 thousand units out of 2625.5 thousand units) of the decline in national e-cigarette sales that occurred during this period.

15.7%

Between 12/4/2022 and 9/8/2024, California’s monthly e-cigarette total unit sales decreased from 831.6 thousand to 419.4 thousand (-49.6%) following enforcement of flavored e-cigarette restrictions.

Δ Unit Sales

-49.6%

All estimates and analyses in this data brief based on Circana (formerly IRI, Information Resources, Inc.) Multi-Outlet + Convenience data are by the author and not by Circana. Financial support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies through a grant to the CDC Foundation. According to Circana, new e-cigarette product coding is managed to consistently meet or exceed releasing products that cover a minimum of 95.5% of total e-cigarette dollar sales at any given time. Coding and releasing of new products are prioritized based on significance of dollar sales in order to continually comply with capturing at least 95.5% of total e-cigarette dollar sales in each period.

  • November 13, 2018

    JUUL Voluntarily Pulls 4 Flavors

    JUUL Labs voluntarily removed mango, fruit, creme and cucumber flavored cartridges – but not mint or menthol – from their product line in response to a reported increase in youth use of e-cigarettes. Sales of other-flavored prefilled cartridges began to decline.

  • December 18, 2018

    U.S. Surgeon General Declares Youth E-Cigarette Epidemic

    By this date, e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco products among youth since 2014. Wang TW, Gentzke AS, Creamer MR, Cullen KA, Holder-Hayes E, Sawdey MD, et al. Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2019. MMWR Surveillance Summaries. 2019 Nov 6;68(12):1–22.  Wang TW. Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2024 May 28];67. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6722a3.htm  In addition, Monitoring the Future survey data at the time showed 2018 as the largest single-year increase in nicotine vaping among 10th and 12th grade students. Johnston LD, Miech RA, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE, Patrick ME. Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use: 2018 Overview Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. 2019 Jan. Due to the increased popularity and usage among youth, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory declaring use among youth an epidemic.

  • September 5, 2019

    E-Cigarette, or Vaping Product, Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI)

    Throughout the U.S., there was a sudden increase in hospital admissions for patients with lung injuries related to e-cigarette use or vaping, later termed EVALI. By February 2020, a total of 2,807 hospitalized EVALI cases or deaths had been reported to CDC from 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Sixty-eight deaths were confirmed in 29 states and the District of Columbia. As a result of EVALI cases, various states implemented temporary, emergency bans on e-cigarette products, causing e-cigarette sales to drop in those states. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30360-X/fulltext

  • November 7, 2019

    JUUL Removes Mint-Flavored Products

    JUUL Labs ends sales of mint-flavored cartridges in retail stores and online, leading to declines in mint-flavored prefilled cartridges as seen in graphs above.

  • February 2, 2020

    Federal Flavor Enforcement Policy

    In February 2020, FDA began prioritizing enforcement of existing regulations against prefilled e-cigarette cartridges in flavors other than tobacco and menthol. This prioritization did not apply to e-liquid bottles or single use disposable e-cigarettes. FDA finalizes enforcement policy on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children, including fruit and mint [Internet]. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. 2020 [cited 2024 Feb 13]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-finalizes-enforcement-policy-unauthorized-flavored-cartridge-based-e-cigarettes-appeal-children Sales of disposable e-cigarettes – particularly in flavors other than tobacco and menthol – increase significantly from this point, as seen in the graphs above.

  • E-Cigarettes Come in Multiple Device Types and Flavors

    E-cigarettes were first introduced on the U.S. market in 2007 The Vaping Epidemic in Adolescents – PMC (nih.gov). Over the years, e-cigarettes have branched into several distinct product types, which include disposable devices (products intended to be disposed of completely once the e-liquid reservoir is depleted), cartridge-based systems, and open systems (products with tanks intended to be refilled via e-liquid bottles) E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products Visual Dictionary (cdc.gov). In 2018, there were no actively enforced federal regulations for e-cigarettes within the United States. As a result, all e-cigarette product types were available in a variety of flavors. The major flavor categories tracked in our sales data include tobacco, menthol, mint, all other flavors (which includes – but is not limited to – candy, fruit, beverages, desserts, spices, etc.), and clear/other cooling (products marketed as being “clear” or unflavored but which likely contain synthetic and/or menthol coolants). Cardiovascular Health Effects and Synthetic Cooling Agents in E-cigarettes Labeled as ‘clear’ Marketed in Massachusetts After the Tobacco Product Flavoring Ban

  • Not All E-Cigarettes are the Same

    In January 2020, FDA prioritized enforcement of existing regulations against prefilled cartridges and pods in flavors other than menthol and tobacco. Subsequently, sales of disposable e-cigarettes in mint and all other flavors and menthol prefilled cartridges increased, while sales of prefilled cartridges in mint and other flavors ceased.

  • E-Cigarettes Have Changed Greatly Over Time

    Since 2020, e-cigarette products have continued to increase in e-liquid capacity and nicotine strength and incorporate a variety of modern technologies. Disposable products, which are available in any flavor, are the most purchased e-cigarette product on the market today. Modern disposable devices allow for significantly larger e-liquid capacity and higher nicotine concentration compared to those sold at the time of the federal flavor policy enforcement. Trends in US E-cigarette Sales and Prices by Nicotine Strength, Overall and by Product and Flavor Type, 2017–2022 – PMC (nih.gov) In an effort to address e-cigarette use, several states have enacted local or statewide restrictions, often related to flavor bans and sales restrictions. Visit the “E-Cigarette Sales by State” section of this website to explore state-level sales data, as well as general policy descriptions and timelines where applicable.

Past Data Briefs

The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by IRI. Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.

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E-Cigarette Sales by State