Report Says Teen e-cigarette use on the rise, with majority of sales coming from disposable products

Key points

• Data sources: retail scanner data (Jan 2019–Dec 2024) and TEEN+ Wave 5 (Aug–Dec 2024)

• Nicotine surge: total nicotine sold in e-cigarettes increased 249.2% (Feb 2020–Jun 2024) alongside declining device sales

• Disposables dominate: 93.4% of 7,051 products were disposables by Dec 2024; sales rose 206.0% (4.1M to 12.5M units) from Feb 2020 to Dec 2024, reaching 60.4% unit share

• Flavors and frequency: 97.7% of youth (13–17) and 95.5% of young adults (18–27) past-30-day users reported flavored use; 39.6% of youth and 51.1% of young adults used on 20+ days

• Authorization and pouches: FDA has authorized 39 e-cigarettes (tobacco/menthol only); nicotine pouch sales rose from $145.5M (Jan 2023) to $404.1M (Dec 2024), with mint at 60.9% by Dec 2024; current use among high school students rose from 1.4% (2022) to 2.4% (2024)

2Firsts, December 30, 2025 – The Truth Initiative states that Monitoring a Changing Tobacco Product Market in the United States is the second annual review of nicotine market trends from the Monitoring Tobacco Product Use project. It analyzes retail scanner data on nicotine products sold from January 2019 to December 2024 and findings from the Tobacco Epidemic Evaluation Network (TEEN+) Study, described as a nationally representative survey of youth and young adults aged 13–24, including TEEN+ Wave 5 fielded from August to December 2024.

The executive summary says youth e-cigarette use has declined from its peak in 2019, when over 5 million young people used e-cigarettes, but youth and young adult tobacco product use remains a serious concern. It says young people have access to bigger and cheaper e-cigarettes and are using them with alarming frequency, showing signs of addiction. It also says nicotine pouches are the most rapidly expanding tobacco or nicotine product category and provide a new avenue for youth uptake of flavored nicotine.

Retail sales data in the text show that, due to increases in product size and nicotine concentration, the total amount of nicotine sold in e-cigarettes surged by 249.2% between February 2020 and June 2024, even as sales of e-cigarette devices declined. The text says flavored, disposable products account for the majority of sales, and that most e-cigarette products offered for sale are illegal and do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization. It also describes the proliferation of flavored, high-nicotine products combined with low prices and new “smart” features such as screens, games and apps.

The report uses retail scanner data covering brick-and-mortar retailers including convenience stores, gas stations, mass merchandisers, dollar stores and military commissaries, and includes nicotine pouch data. It also describes the impact of state and local flavored tobacco restrictions, including a case study on California’s law.

Findings listed in the text include: disposable e-cigarettes grew bigger and cheaper, with average e-liquid volume increasing 613.9% between February 2020 and June 2024, and the price per milligram of nicotine in disposables at 27% of the price per milligram in prefilled devices in June 2024. As of December 2024, 93.4% of 7,051 e-cigarette products were disposables. The text says disposable sales surged after the FDA’s February 2020 enforcement policy and increased by 206.0% from February 2020 to December 2024 (4.1 million to 12.5 million units), reaching a 60.4% unit share.

The text says 97.7% of youth (13–17) and 95.5% of young adults (18–27) who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days reported using a flavored e-cigarette, and that 81.4% of e-cigarettes sold in 2024 were flavored to taste like something other than tobacco. It says the FDA has authorized 39 e-cigarettes, all tobacco- or menthol-flavored, and that other e-cigarettes offered for sale are being sold illegally. It reports frequent use among past-30-day users (39.6% youth; 51.1% young adults) and states that 32.3% of youth and 32.6% of young adults who currently used e-cigarettes reported using a “smart” vape in the past 30 days from August to December 2024.

On nicotine pouches, the text says total dollar sales nearly tripled from $145.5 million (January 2023) to $404.1 million (December 2024), with mint accounting for 60.9% of sales by December 2024, and that current use increased from 1.4% among high school students in 2022 to 2.4% in 2024.

The text also states that only 27.2% of the U.S. population is covered by a flavored tobacco sales restriction, and concludes that ongoing federal regulation is needed to eliminate illegal e-cigarette products as well as all flavored nicotine products, while states, localities and tribal nations continue education, retailer outreach and enforcement efforts.

Image source: Truth Initiative