PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Megan C Diaz
AU  - Emily M Donovan
AU  - Barbara A Schillo
AU  - Donna Vallone
TI  - Menthol e-cigarette sales rise following 2020 FDA guidance
AID  - 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-056053
DP  - 2021 Nov 01
TA  - Tobacco Control
PG  - 700--703
VI  - 30
IP  - 6
4099  - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/30/6/700.short
4100  - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/30/6/700.full
SO  - Tob Control2021 Nov 01; 30
AB  - Objective To explore patterns in flavoured e-cigarette sales following Juul Labs’ 2019 removal of mint-flavoured products and the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2020 e-cigarette flavour guidance which prohibits flavoured cartridge-based sales, but allows for the sale of tobacco-flavoured and menthol-flavoured cartridges, open-system and disposable e-cigarettes.Methods We examined Nielsen Retail Scanner data from September 2013 to March 2020. Inflation-adjusted sales dollars for e-liquid-containing products were classified into five flavour categories (fruit, menthol, mint, tobacco and other).Results Following the Juul Labs 2019 and FDA 2020 actions, total e-cigarette sales declined; however, menthol-flavoured e-cigarette sales dollars increased, while mint-flavoured e-cigarette sales dollars decreased in both instances. Juul Labs’ removal of mint-flavoured products was followed by a 59.4% increase in the market share of menthol-flavoured e-cigarettes over 4 weeks. The FDA’s 2020 guidance was followed by a 42.7% increase in the market share of menthol-flavoured e-cigarettes over 4 weeks and a 104.9% increase over 8 weeks.Conclusions Juul Labs’ self-regulation and the current FDA flavour guidance were followed by a shift towards menthol-flavoured e-cigarettes. Industry self-regulation and current federal guidance appear insufficient in reversing the youth vaping epidemic. E-cigarettes must be fully regulated as a tobacco product including the removal of flavoured e-cigarettes, including menthol, from the market to reduce youth e-cigarette use.