E-Cigarette Gross sales Surge 47% as Flavored Merchandise Dominate Market

RT’s Three Key Takeaways:

1. E-Cigarette Gross sales Surge with Flavored Varieties Main: E-cigarette gross sales within the US elevated by 47% from 2019 to 2023, with greater than 80% of gross sales pushed by youth-appealing flavors comparable to fruit, sweet, mint, and menthol.
2. Coverage Effectiveness in Decreasing Flavored E-Cigarette Gross sales: States like Massachusetts demonstrated a 98% discount in flavored e-cigarette gross sales by way of insurance policies that limit flavored tobacco gross sales, highlighting the significance of enforcement and clear product definitions, in keeping with the report.
3. Youth Use and Excessive Nicotine Content material Elevate Issues: Regardless of declines in youth e-cigarette use, almost 40% of youth customers report frequent use, with rising nicotine ranges in disposable e-cigarettes contributing to issues about habit and the necessity for stricter rules.

Knowledge launched in a report from the CDC Basis and Fact Initiative reveal a 47% improve in e-cigarette unit gross sales at US shops from 2019 by way of 2023, with taste classes like fruit, sweet, mint, menthol, and desserts accounting for greater than 80% of these gross sales.

In accordance with the report, the marked rise highlights the necessity for extra states to undertake complete statewide insurance policies limiting gross sales of flavored e-cigarettes. In Massachusetts, gross sales restrictions, in addition to a variety of efficient enforcement measures, diminished gross sales of flavored e-cigarettes by greater than 98% in brick-and-mortar retailers. The report explores comparable profitable efforts in California and New York.

The report additionally finds the simplest insurance policies to limit gross sales of flavored e-cigarettes clearly outline merchandise and embrace complete flavored tobacco restrictions with out taste or product exceptions, incorporate group and retailer training, and are supported by enforcement.

Insurance policies to Curb Youth Entry

Whereas the just lately launched 2024 Nationwide Youth Tobacco Survey exhibits declines in youth e-cigarette use, the information within the report highlights the significance of continued motion to cut back the provision of kid-friendly flavored e-cigarettes, the overwhelming majority of which shouldn’t have US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization. Regardless of these declines in youth use, almost 40% of youth e-cigarette customers—greater than 620,000 teenagers—report utilizing e-cigarettes regularly.

“The rise in e-cigarette gross sales, significantly these with youth-appealing flavors and graphics, is deeply regarding, particularly as producers evolve e-cigarette merchandise to function gamified units and elevated nicotine power,” says Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Basis, in a launch. “Nevertheless, the information from states like Massachusetts, California, and New York reveal how complete insurance policies can successfully curb youth entry. This report underscores the pressing want for widespread adoption of comparable measures to guard our younger individuals from the dangers related to e-cigarette use.”

Among the many report’s highlights are:

• Disposable gross sales grew: Between 2019 and 2023, gross sales of disposable e-cigarettes are up greater than 500%. Research cited within the report point out disposable e-cigarettes have grow to be the commonest kind of machine utilized by younger individuals.
• Flavors surged: Research quoted within the report present in 2024, 1.63 million youth reported utilizing e-cigarettes over the earlier 30 days. Practically 90% of these customers consumed one of many many flavored varieties.
• Gross sales of menthol and cooling flavors elevated: In accordance with CDC Basis analysis, gross sales of menthol-flavored e-cigarettes rose greater than 175% for all e-cigarettes. Gross sales of e-cigarettes marketed as “clear” (marketed as containing no flavorants however which comprise menthol or different artificial coolants) or different unflavored cooling merchandise (typically marketed with the phrases “bare” or “unflavored”) elevated 872% between 2020 to 2023.
• Unauthorized merchandise flourish: There are solely 34 e-cigarette merchandise in tobacco and menthol flavors licensed by the FDA to this point. As of March 2024, these 34 merchandise signify 13.7% of complete greenback gross sales from brick-and-mortar US shops in keeping with a evaluate of NielsenIQ gross sales information by researchers on the Fact Initiative.
• Nicotine content material rose: Researchers at Fact Initiative discovered that disposable e-cigarettes can have nicotine ranges just like a number of cartons of cigarettes, with common nicotine power rising 294% within the span of 5 years. The rise in gross sales of excessive nicotine e-cigarettes coincided with a rise within the share of youth who reported utilizing e-cigarettes regularly or every day from research cited within the report, elevating issues about youth habit. In 2024, almost 30% of highschool college students who’re e-cigarette customers reported vaping every day as cited within the report.

“Whereas the most recent information from the CDC Basis and Fact Initiative present a harmful rise in gross sales of e-cigarettes, in addition they reveal a notable decline in gross sales the place sturdy insurance policies limiting flavored e-cigarettes are applied,” says Kelly Henning, MD, public well being program lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies, in a launch. “The progress in states with sturdy insurance policies underscores the pressing want for extra motion to swiftly and efficiently fight the flavored e-cigarette epidemic amongst youth throughout the USA.”

Since 2019, the CDC Basis and its companions—the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, Fact Initiative, Marketing campaign for Tobacco-Free Children, and Bloomberg Philanthropies—have performed analysis on the gross sales of tobacco merchandise, e-cigarette use by younger individuals, and the effectiveness of flavored e-cigarette restriction insurance policies with the objective of maintaining youngsters and teenagers from accessing these addictive merchandise.

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