Blue Hole New Consumer Report, March 18 news, according to foreign telecommunications reported that the first report of the US Federal Trade Commission on e-cigarette products painted a disturbing picture, that is, the surge in e-cigarette sales and advertising may harm the health of young people in the United States.
The report, based on industry data provided from 2015 to 2018, shows that total e-cigarette sales, including single-use devices and devices using replaceable cartridges, have more than six-fold increases, from $304.2 million to $2.06 billion.
During this period, sales of e-cigarette cartridges favored by young people increased sevenfold, and the concentration of nicotine in disposable e-cigarette products increased accordingly.
"The Commission's first e-cigarette report paints a disturbing picture, especially as e-cigarettes drive an unprecedented increase in youth use of tobacco products." Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Consumer Protection Agency, said. "The data shows that this growth coincides with a sharp rise in market share in flavored products, rising nicotine concentrations, and attempts by the industry to circumvent the ban on free sampling."
background
In October 2019, the Commission issued the same order to six of the country's largest e-cigarette manufacturers under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act:
Fontem US, Inc.;
JUUL Labs, Inc.
Logic Technology Development LLC;
NJOY, LLC;
Nu Mark LLC; and
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company.
Although the FTC has been collecting information about traditional cigarette and smokeless tobacco sales and advertising spending for years, this is the first time it has sought information related to e-cigarettes. The orders asked about e-cigarette sales and advertising and promotions from 2015 to 2018. The report released today provides a summary and an anonymous summary of the information provided by the six companies to the Commission.
Key findings
Total sales. The data collected shows that between 2015 and 2018, the sales of e-cigarettes increased significantly overall (from $304.2 million to $2.06 billion, respectively), and sales of smoke-bomb e-cigarette systems such as Juul also saw a similar sharp increase. The two companies sold $260 million worth of such reloading systems in 2015, and sales grew to $1.969 billion in just three years.
Flavored e-cigarette sales. In addition, the FTC found a dramatic shift from tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products to sales of fruit, confectionery, and dessert flavors. For example, sales of tobacco-flavored e-cigarette cartridges fell from 47.2% in 2015 to 21% in 2018, while sales of other flavoured cartridges tripled during the period, from 13.8% in 2015 to 42.1% in 2018.
Among other flavored cartridges, fruit-flavored cartridges are the most popular, with sales growing by 600% from 4.7% in 2015 to 29.7% in 2018. Sales of candy and dessert flavored cigarette bombs also saw similar growth, as well as sales of disposable e-cigarettes for these flavors.
The report concludes that the sharp increase in flavoring products raises serious concerns that such products may sustain or increase teens' use of e-cigarette products.
It noted that a 2018 survey of high school students nationwide found that more than two-thirds of e-cigarette users use flavored products, and research shows that young people see taste as the main reason they use e-cigarettes.
That's a significant increase from 2016, when a national survey of high school and middle school students found that only 31 percent said the availability of "flavors like mint, candy, fruit, or chocolate" was the main reason they used electronics. In addition, 81% of teens said they used a flavor when they first tried an e-cigarette.
Increase nicotine concentration. The report also shows a significant increase in nicotine concentrations in disposable e-cigarettes sold between 2015 and 2018. In 2015, disposable products contained an average of 25 mg of nicotine per milliliter of e-cigarette liquid. This concentration increased by nearly 60% in 2018 to 39.5 mg/ml, increasing their addictiveness.
Bullet-based e-cigarettes contain higher concentrations of nicotine, with the most popular products at concentrations between 51 and 61 mg/ml, while nicotine-free cartridges sold negligibly.
The report states that "the increasing use of e-cigarette products with high nicotine concentrations poses a serious public health and safety concern for users." These include adolescents and young adults who are at unique risk of long-term, long-term effects, including nicotine addiction, by exposing their developing brains to nicotine."
Advertising and promotions. Finally, the report provides details of domestic e-cigarette manufacturers' advertising and promotional spending between 2015 and 2018. The commission found that advertising and promotional spending more than tripled in three years, from $197.8 million in 2015 to $643.6 million in 2018.
The committee said the increase in advertising and promotions raises public health concerns as public health authorities have concluded that e-cigarette advertising exposure is one of several factors contributing to the recent surge in e-cigarette use among adolescents.
The report found that spending on free or heavily discounted e-cigarette products more than doubled between 2015 and 2018, with some companies circumventing the FDA's 2016 ban on free e-cigarette samples by offering products for $1 or similar.
The report also notes that between 2015 and 2018, price discounts paid to retailers or wholesalers to reduce the price of e-cigarettes increased by 14 times, while spending on celebrity spokespeople, social media influencers, brand ambassadors, etc. was spent on promoting e-cigarettes. Cigarette products grew even more – nearly 15-fold in those three years.
The committee's vote to approve the release of the FTC's e-cigarette report was 4-0.
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