This data brief highlights trends in e-cigarette unit sales in selected states. Data is presented from
February 2019 to
September 2024.
Notice of Updated Format and Revision to Previous Data Estimates
In conjunction with the forthcoming release of our new project website – Tobacco Monitoring – this brief has an updated layout and color scheme.
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.
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, such as flavored cigars; or entered the market, such as 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 September 2024, five states (Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and California) have passed laws prohibiting the sale of all non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes. In June 2024, menthol e-cigarettes were exempted from Rhode Island’s law and will be allowed for sale beginning January 2025. Two states (Maryland, Utah) restrict the sale of some flavored e-cigarettes. In addition, over 380 local jurisdictions enacted laws that restrict the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.
New York established a restriction on sales of flavored e-cigarette products in May 2020, excluding products with marketing authorization.
New York 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 (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 New York’s Flavored E-cigarette Restriction
All stats between
5/24/2020 and
9/8/2024, unless otherwise specified
Following New York’s flavored e-cigarette restrictions, monthly e-cigarette total unit sales decreased from 1712.3 thousand to 640.2 thousand (-62.6%).
Δ Unit Sales
-62.6%
Tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 603.3 thousand to 417.4 thousand (-30.8%); unit share increased from 35.2% to 65.2%.
Δ Unit Sales
-30.8%
Non-Tobacco-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 1,109.0 thousand to 214.2 thousand (-80.7%); unit share decreased from 64.8% to 33.5%.
Δ Unit Sales
-80.7%
Menthol-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 594.6 thousand to 36.3 thousand (-93.9%); unit share decreased from 34.7% to 5.7%.
Δ Unit Sales
-93.9%
Mint-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 93.9 thousand to 19.9 thousand (-78.8%); unit share decreased from 5.5% to 3.1%.
Δ Unit Sales
-78.8%
All other-flavored e-cigarette sales decreased from 419.4 thousand to 140.4 thousand (-66.5%); unit share decreased from 24.5% to 21.9%.
Δ Unit Sales
-66.5%
Between 12/4/2022 and 9/8/2024 clear/other cooling flavored e-cigarette sales increased from 11.6 thousand to 17.7 thousand (+52.1%); unit share increased from 0.7% to 2.8%.
Δ Unit Sales
+52.1%
As of 9/8/2024, disposable e-cigarettes represent 85.2% of sales of prohibited flavored e-cigarettes in New York.
85.2%
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.
New York E-Cigarette Unit Share by Product Type
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
*
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.
Trends of Unit Share by Product Type Following New York’s Flavored E-cigarette Restriction
All stats between
5/24/2020 and
9/8/2024, unless otherwise specified
Unit share of disposable devices increased from 32.6% to 35.7% (+3.1%); unit sales decreased from 558.5 thousand to 228.8 thousand.
Δ Unit Share
+3.1%
Unit share of prefilled cartridges decreased from 67.4% to 64.0% (-3.4%); unit sales decreased from 1153.8 thousand to 409.8 thousand.
Δ Unit Share
-3.4%
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.
New York 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 (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)
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.
May 18, 2020
New York Implements Restrictions on Flavored Products
New York State restricted the sale of non-tobacco flavored e-cigarette products that do not have an FDA-granted marketing order, including menthol-flavored products beginning May 18, 2020. The statewide law also ended price discounts on tobacco and vapor products, along with instituting a bevy of related restrictions. health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/current_policies.htm)
Effects of Federal and State Policy Actions on Sales of E-Cigarette Products in New York
Following the implementation of the statewide restriction, e-cigarette unit sales decreased for all devices and all flavors except for tobacco. However, New York still experiences sales of prohibited flavors, with disposable cigarettes accounting for the vast majority of prohibited flavored e-cigarette sales.
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.
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.
