Trends in US E-cigarette Sales and Prices by Nicotine Strength, Overall and by Product and Flavor Type, 2017-2022.

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of trends in sales and prices of e-cigarettes by nicotine strength level, including by product type and flavor, during the period of January 2017 to March 2022. The study uses retail sales data licensed from the IRI company and categorizes nicotine strength, flavors, and product types to identify trends in sales and prices. The text also discusses the implications of these trends for tobacco control.

Key Points:

* The unit share of products containing ≥5% nicotine strength increased by 1486.3% during the study period, while the dollar share increased by 1345.5%.
* By March 2022, 80.9% of total unit sales were composed of products containing ≥5% nicotine strength.
* By flavor, the percentage of units sold with ≥5% nicotine strength was 61.3% of tobacco-flavor sales, 79.3% of menthol sales, 87.4% of mint sales, and 96.1% of other flavor sales.
* By product type, the percentage of units sold with ≥5% nicotine strength was 90.6% of disposable e-cigarette sales and 74.2% of prefilled cartridge sales.
* During the study period, the price of low-nicotine strength e-cigarettes increased, while the price of high-nicotine products either decreased or did not change.
* The study suggests that limiting the nicotine strength of e-cigarettes could be considered as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy to reduce youth access to and use of these products.
* The findings indicate that previously reported increases in e-cigarette nicotine strength during 2013-2018 have continued through 2022, and US e-cigarette market sales continue to be dominated by relatively high-nicotine products.

Main Message:
The text highlights the need for strategies to address factors that make high-nicotine e-cigarettes, particularly appealing to youth, including flavors and product innovations. The findings suggest that limiting the nicotine strength of e-cigarettes could be an effective tobacco control strategy. However, such actions should be part of a comprehensive approach alongside other evidence-based population-level actions to address youth e-cigarette use. Importantly, actions to reduce e-cigarette use among youth are not mutually exclusive from actions to maximize the potential benefits of e-cigarettes for increasing smoking cessation among adults.

Ali FRM, Seaman EL, Crane E, Schillo B, King BA. Trends in US E-cigarette Sales and Prices by Nicotine Strength, Overall and by Product and Flavor Type, 2017-2022. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 2023;25(5):1052-1056. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntac284