This data brief highlights trends in e-cigarette unit sales in selected states. Data is presented from
February 2019 to
May 2025.
Notice of Brief Formatting and Revision to Previous Data Estimates
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The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
Federal Flavor Regulatory Initiatives
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 began issuing marketing denial orders for flavored e-cigarette products as of September 9, 2021.
On April 15, 2022, FDA was granted authority to regulate products containing nicotine from any source, including synthetic nicotine produced in a laboratory.
Other Relevant Issues
During the period covered by this brief, additional flavored tobacco products continued to be marketed (e.g., flavored cigars) or entered the market (e.g., nicotine pouches).
Units of e-cigarettes are not adjusted to account for variations in unit size. Large-format disposable e-cigarettes that allow for thousands of “puffs” are now available. Declines in unit sales may not signify declines in prevalence of use or consumption.
Following California’s prohibition of flavored tobacco product sales in December 2022, sales of products branded as clear, clear ice and unflavored, likely containing non-menthol synthetic cooling agents, increased (e.g., Flum Pebble Clear, EB Design BC5000 Clear). These products are categorized as Clear/Other Cooling for the purposes of this data brief.
The e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak in late 2019 and COVID-19 pandemic may have affected e-cigarette sales.
State and Local Legislative Initiatives
As of May 2025, four states (California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York) have laws in effect prohibiting the sale of all non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. Rhode Island and Utah restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, except menthol- and tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. In addition, nearly 400 local jurisdictions have enacted laws that restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.
Beginning December 21, 2022, the sale of most flavored tobacco products is prohibited statewide.
California E-Cigarette Unit Sales by Flavor
Total Unit Sales in
Thousands *
*
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 (1.5% of total dollar sales in 2024).
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 (e.g., wine, cognac
or other cocktails), candy/desserts/other sweets, some other flavor; Clear/Other Cooling category
includes 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 California’s Flavored E-Cigarette Restriction
All stats between
12/4/2022 and
5/18/2025, unless otherwise specified
Following California’s implementation of flavored tobacco restrictions, monthly e-cigarette total unit sales decreased from 834.9 thousand to 344.2 thousand (-58.8%).
Δ Unit Sales
-58.8%
California’s decline in e-cigarette sales between 12/4/2022 and 5/18/2025 represents 13.3% (i.e., 490.7 thousand units out of 3701.8 thousand units) of the decline in national e-cigarette sales that occurred during this period.
13.3%
Tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 206.3 thousand to 235.3 thousand (+14.1%); unit share increased from 24.7% to 68.4%.
Δ Unit Sales
+14.1%
Non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 627.2 thousand to 107.7 thousand (-82.8%); unit share decreased from 75.1% to 31.3%.
Δ Unit Sales
-82.8%
Menthol-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 211.9 thousand to 16.2 thousand (-92.3%); unit share decreased from 25.4% to 4.7%.
Δ Unit Sales
-92.3%
Mint-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 65.0 thousand to 4.3 thousand (-93.4%); unit share decreased from 7.8% to 1.2%.
Δ Unit Sales
-93.4%
All other-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 342.8 thousand to 47.1 thousand (-86.2%); unit share decreased from 41.1% to 13.7%.
Δ Unit Sales
-86.2%
All clear/other cooling flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 7.5 thousand to 40.1 thousand (+433.0%); unit share increased from 0.9% to 11.7%.
Δ Unit Sales
+433.0%
As of 5/18/2025, disposable e-cigarettes represent 93.9% of sales of prohibited flavored e-cigarettes in California.
93.9%
Retail sales data are based on custom research by the CDC Foundation using Circana retail POS (Multi-Outlet and Convenience). Financial support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies through a grant to the CDC Foundation. According to Circana, new product coding is managed to consistently meet or exceed releasing products that cover a minimum of 95.5% of total dollar sales at any given time. To account for the remaining share, Circana applies projection algorithms that ensure the released data is representative of both total U.S. and state-level sales.
California E-Cigarette Unit Share by Product Type
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
*
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 (1.5% of total dollar sales in 2024).
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.
Trends of Unit Sales by Product Type Following California’s Flavored E-Cigarette Restriction
All stats between
12/4/2022 and
5/18/2025, unless otherwise specified
Unit share of disposable devices decreased from 53.1% to 37.2%; unit sales decreased from 442.9 thousand to 128 thousand (-71.1%).
Δ Unit Sales
-71.1%
Unit share of prefilled cartridges increased from 46.8% to 62.8%; unit sales decreased from 390.5 thousand to 216.1 thousand (-44.7%).
Δ Unit Sales
-44.7%
Retail sales data are based on custom research by the CDC Foundation using Circana retail POS (Multi-Outlet and Convenience). Financial support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies through a grant to the CDC Foundation. According to Circana, new product coding is managed to consistently meet or exceed releasing products that cover a minimum of 95.5% of total dollar sales at any given time. To account for the remaining share, Circana applies projection algorithms that ensure the released data is representative of both total U.S. and state-level sales.
California E-Cigarette Unit Sales by Product Type and Flavor
Prefilled Cartridges
Total Unit Sales in
Thousands *
Disposable Devices
Total Unit Sales in
Thousands *
*
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 (1.5% of total dollar sales in 2024).
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 (e.g., wine, cognac
or other cocktails), candy/desserts/other sweets, some other flavor; Clear/Other Cooling category
includes 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).
Retail sales data are based on custom research by the CDC Foundation using Circana retail POS (Multi-Outlet and Convenience). Financial support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies through a grant to the CDC Foundation. According to Circana, new product coding is managed to consistently meet or exceed releasing products that cover a minimum of 95.5% of total dollar sales at any given time. To account for the remaining share, Circana applies projection algorithms that ensure the released data is representative of both total U.S. and state-level sales.
December 21, 2022
California Restricts Flavored E-Cigarettes
On November 8, 2022, California voters confirmed through referendum a law introduced in 2020 that outlined restrictions on the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes in flavors other than tobacco. The law went into effect on December 21, 2022, making California the second state to pass a comprehensive statewide tobacco flavor restriction policy.https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/Pages/CAFlavorTobaccoLaw.aspx
January 1, 2025
California Enhances Enforcement of Statewide Tobacco Restrictions
Two bills enhancing enforcement of California’s flavored tobacco restriction became effective January 1, 2025, requiring the state Attorney General to establish and maintain a list of unflavored tobacco products, update the definition of a prohibited “characterizing flavor” to include products that impart a cooling sensation and authorize the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to seize illegal, flavored tobacco products discovered during routine tobacco tax inspections.
Effects of Federal and State Policy Actions on Sales of E-Cigarette Products in California
Within months of California’s prohibition of flavored tobacco products, e-cigarette sales in flavors other than tobacco decreased to a fraction of their original values. However, sales of e-cigarettes with prohibited flavors persist, with disposable e-cigarettes maintaining the largest share of these prohibited sales.
Additionally, products marketed as clear or unflavored but containing menthol and/or non-menthol synthetic cooling agentsMinetti ET, Erythropel HC, Keith R, Davis DR, Zimmerman JB, Krishnan-Sarin S, Hamburg NM. Cardiovascular Health Effects and Synthetic Cooling Agents in E-cigarettes Labeled as ‘clear’ Marketed in Massachusetts After the Tobacco Product Flavoring Ban. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Apr 19:2024.04.18.24305863. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.18.24305863. PMID: 38699355; PMCID: PMC11065038. (categorized within the above sales graphs as “clear/other cooling”) increased in sales following the policy implementation.
Past Data Briefs
Issue 16: August 2025
Latest Release
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
The data in this brief have been updated to capture new e-cigarette products coded by Circana (formerly IRI). Historical sales estimates may differ from previous briefs.
For individual state e-cigarette sales information, click on each state’s shape on the map. You can also click on each state text below the map for e-cigarette sales data.
