Did JUUL alter the content of menthol pods in response to US FDA flavour enforcement policy?

Background: The JUUL electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) remains popular in the USA and has a big prevalence among youth. In response to the popularity of JUUL and similar devices among youth, the US Food and Drug Administration issued in February 2020 an enforcement policy to remove all flavoured cartridge/pod-based e-cigarettes from the market except for tobacco and menthol. Subsequent studies showed that some users of the now-removed flavoured JUUL pods (especially cool mint) switched to menthol-flavoured JUUL pods with similar satisfaction.

Methods: We quantified menthol, nicotine, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerol (VG) in JUUL pod samples (Menthol, Classic Menthol and Cool Mint) that were purchased in 2017, 2018 and 2020 (only Menthol) to evaluate composition differences before and after the enforcement policy. We also analysed the samples to detect other cooling agents using a screening gas chromatography-mass spectrometry headspace method that we developed for this purpose.

Results: Menthol concentration was significantly higher in 2020 products than in products from prior years. Moreover, other cooling agents varied across pods. The PG/VG volume ratio was 27/63 in all pods examined.

Conclusion: This study highlights how regulations intended to reduce e-cigarette prevalence among youth may influence changes in tobacco product characteristics in ways that regulators may not have foreseen.