The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Juul Labs to sell an updated version of its e-cigarette, featuring an optional age-verification system. This decision allows Juul to introduce its first new vaping device in over a decade, following years of legal battles over youth marketing.
The newly authorized device, branded as Juul2, will launch with updated tobacco and menthol cartridges. To address youth access, the device offers users the option to require age verification through an online application before the e-cigarette unlocks.
This authorization follows a period of financial strain for Juul. The company laid off hundreds of employees and paid approximately $3 billion to settle government and private lawsuits regarding teenage vaping. In response to these challenges, Juul discontinued popular youth-appealing flavors like mango, mint, and cream in 2019.
FDA Evaluates Adult Smoking Cessation Rates
Regulators emphasized that this authorization is not an endorsement, stating that non-smokers should not start vaping. However, the FDA noted that adult smokers who switch completely to Juul can reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.
Data reviewed by the FDA indicated that between 20% and 50% of adult smokers who used Juul products successfully quit smoking within six weeks. Success rates varied depending on the flavors used.
Juul CEO KC Crosthwaite stated that the company plans to seek authorization for “a range of flavors, beyond tobacco and menthol, aimed at adult nicotine consumers.”
Shifting Dynamics in the US Vaping Market
Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States, trailing behind Reynolds American’s Vuse.
Additionally, federal data shows a decline in youth Juul usage. Underage users have largely shifted away from pod-based systems, opting instead for unauthorized, flavored disposable e-cigarettes imported from China.
