Juul is still around, but it’s a dramatically smaller company operating in legal and regulatory limbo. You can still buy Juul pods in the United States, and the brand ranks second in national e-cigarette sales behind Vuse. But the company has lost most of its market dominance, shed billions in value, paid out massive legal settlements, and still lacks formal FDA authorization to sell its products.
What You Can Buy Right Now
Juul products remain on store shelves across the U.S., though the selection is far more limited than it once was. The company pulled its fruity and mint flavors from the American market in late 2019 and early 2020 under intense pressure over youth vaping. What’s left in the U.S. is tobacco-flavored pods in two nicotine strengths: 5% and 3%.
If that sounds like a shadow of the brand that once offered mango, mint, crème brûlée, and cucumber pods, it is. The flavor restrictions were voluntary, but they came after Juul became synonymous with the teen vaping epidemic and drew scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and parents nationwide.
The FDA Situation Is Complicated
Juul’s regulatory status is unusual. The FDA issued a marketing denial order in June 2022, which would have forced Juul products off the market entirely. But just days later, on July 5, 2022, the agency put that order on administrative hold, citing “scientific issues unique to the JUUL application that warrant additional review.” That hold temporarily suspended the ban while the FDA continued its evaluation.
This means Juul products are not formally authorized by the FDA, but they’re also not banned. The company exists in a gray zone. The FDA has been explicit that the stay “does not constitute authorization to market, sell, or ship JUUL products,” yet products continue to be sold while the review drags on. All e-cigarettes in the U.S. are legally required to have FDA authorization, making Juul’s continued presence on shelves a product of bureaucratic limbo rather than a clean regulatory green light.
How Juul’s Market Position Has Shrunk
Juul once controlled roughly 75% of the U.S. e-cigarette market. That dominance is gone. According to national sales data from early 2025, Juul now sits in second place behind Vuse (made by R.J. Reynolds). The top five e-cigarette brands collectively hold about 76% of dollar sales, and Juul shares that space with newer competitors like Geek Bar Pulse, Breeze Smoke, and RAZ.
Disposable vapes, which didn’t exist in meaningful numbers during Juul’s peak years, have reshaped the entire market. Many of these products offer the fruit and dessert flavors that Juul gave up, and they’ve captured a huge share of younger and price-sensitive consumers. Juul’s decision to limit its U.S. lineup to tobacco flavors made regulatory sense but handed a massive competitive advantage to rivals.
Billions Lost and Billions in Settlements
The financial toll on Juul has been staggering. Altria, the tobacco giant behind Marlboro, invested $12.8 billion in Juul in December 2018 for a 35% stake. By September 2020, Altria had written that investment down to $1.6 billion, a loss of over $11 billion in under two years.
On top of that, Juul has paid out settlements to state attorneys general across the country. California alone secured over $175 million. The company reached a multistate settlement involving 33 states and a separate agreement with seven additional states, with individual payouts ranging widely. These settlements resolved claims that Juul deliberately marketed its products to minors and downplayed the addictiveness of its nicotine formulation.
The Juul2 Exists, but Not in the U.S.
Juul has developed a next-generation device called the Juul2, which launched in the United Kingdom in September 2021. It’s a significant upgrade: a larger battery, Bluetooth connectivity, a companion app with age-verification technology, and tamper-resistant pods with an embedded chip that blocks counterfeit cartridges. The device can also lock itself through the app and show users real-time data on their vaping habits.
None of this is available in the United States. Given the unresolved FDA review of its original products, Juul hasn’t brought the Juul2 to the American market. The device represents what the company might look like if its regulatory problems were resolved, but for now it’s an international product with limited reach.
Why Juul Still Exists at All
Juul’s survival comes down to brand loyalty and the slow pace of regulation. Millions of adult smokers switched to Juul during its peak years, and many never switched away. The company still generates enough revenue to rank second nationally in e-cigarette sales, even with only tobacco-flavored pods. Its name recognition remains unmatched in the category.
The company has also repositioned itself as a harm-reduction brand focused on adult smokers, distancing itself from the youth-marketing image that nearly destroyed it. Whether that pivot is enough to secure FDA authorization, rebuild its market share, or survive the ongoing wave of litigation remains an open question. But for now, Juul is still on shelves, still selling, and still the second-biggest e-cigarette brand in America.