Collection: Tobacco

In its flavored product lines, e-cig manufacturers have far exceeded the flavorings used by the combustible tobacco industry. Almost every flavor addictive available in the market is available as a vapor juice. With many e-cig manufacturers allowing consumers to pick and mix their own flavorings, the possibilities are almost endless.

e-cigs and vapor juices are available in a number of flavors including tobacco flavor. Wanting to borrow from the prestige of well-established combustible tobacco brands such as Marlboro and Camel, a number of e-cig companies offer Camel and Marlboro flavored vapor juices. In addition to naming their vapor juices after these established brands, the advertising of these products also imitates the original brand ads. These tobacco flavored vapor juices also make for an easier transition for committed, brand loyal, smokers who are looking to vape.

Flavored cigarettes and flavored tobacco have long been held to be gateway products for children and teens. There is now a growing concern that the use of flavored e-cigs by youth could lead to them experimenting with regular cigarettes. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that rates of e-cig use among U.S. youth more than doubled from 2011 to 2012, with 10 percent of high school students admitting to having used e-cigs. Almost 76% of youth who had tried an e-cig had also tried a regular cigarette. Altogether, in 2012 more than 1.78 million middle and high school students nationwide had tried e-cigs1. The use of flavored e-cigs by teens seems so widespread that some public health advocates are calling it the “Trojan horse” of nicotine addiction.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). E-cigarette use more than doubles among U.S. middle and high school students from 2011-2012. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0905-ecigarette-use.html