FDA Bans Vuse Menthol E-Cigs: Why Some Vapes Like Elf Bars Avoid Scrutiny, Others Don't

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is banning the sale of menthol Vuse electronic cigarettes.

The regulators also banned a fruit-flavored nicotine product from Vuse, and are considering whether to take action against the company's tobacco-flavored vapes as well. 

Forbidden Fruit: Like Juul in 2021, Vuse products — manufactured by British American Tobacco's BTI Reynolds American business — are under FDA scrutiny.

Recall how the FDA banned Juul Labs, a brand of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) known for its rechargeable battery and disposable cartridges that are carried in different nicotine levels and flavors.

The ban was temporarily suspended last July.

Regulators took issue with the company's fruit-flavored nicotine products, such as the company’s mango and cucumber-flavored pods.

Altria Group MO, formerly Phillip Morris, owns a stake in Juul.

Juul enjoyed rapid growth, only to narrowly avoid bankruptcy.

The company's downfall is documented in a recent Netflix Inc NFLX documentary titled "Big Vape: The Rise And Fall of Juul."

Read Also: How A $40B Company Went Up In Smoke, Netflix's 'Big Vape - The Rise And Fall of Juul'

Disposable, flavored vapes like Breezes and Elf Bars boast more than 9,000 different varieties — three times the amount just a few years ago, according to the Associate Press.

Yet, the FDA bans products like mango Juul pods and menthol Vuse cartridges.

It's worth noting that vape shops and websites are still selling fruit-flavored vapes (i.e., Peach Mango Watermelon). And the FDA denies most company requests to sell new e-cigarettes.

Manufacturers in China are producing vapes under new names, shapes and sizes, making the sector difficult to track.

For example, retailers could technically sell a vape under one name, but if that brand is banned, the manufacturer could technically produce the vapes with a new label. So, unless U.S. regulators pass a wide-sweeping ban on all disposable e-cigarettes, it’s unlikely that Elf Bars are going anywhere anytime soon. 

Image by Lindsay Fox from Pixabay