Nicotine information disclosed online by e-cigarette brands popular with young people

Clara Rykaczewski; Alayna P Tackett; Elizabeth G Klein; Jill M Singer; Bo Lu; Loren E Wold; Dylan D Wagner; Megan E Roberts

doi:10.18332/tpc/186953

Nicotine information disclosed online by e-cigarette brands popular with young people

Tob Prev Cessat. 2024 Apr 25:10. doi: 10.18332/tpc/186953. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Clara Rykaczewski¹, Alayna P Tackett², Elizabeth G Klein¹, Jill M Singer¹, Bo Lu¹, Loren E Wold², Dylan D Wagner³, Megan E Roberts¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States.
² The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States.
³ Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: E-cigarette use is most prevalent among adolescents and young adults - and there are often misperceptions about product risk. The purpose of this study was to determine what nicotine information is provided on e-cigarette brand websites.

Methods: Based on national and local surveys, we identified 44 e-cigarette brands commonly used in the US by adolescents and young adults. For each of these brands, their associated websites were analyzed for disclosed nicotine information. Specifically, for each brand's website, we coded whether there was information on nicotine concentration (recorded if a numerical value was provided such as '5% nicotine'), nicotine form (free-base, nicotine salts, or not stated), and nicotine type (tobacco-derived, synthetically derived, or not stated). Coding allowed for both lay (e.g. 'nic salts') as well as scientific (e.g. 'isomers') terms.

Results: Of the 44 brands examined, all provided basic information on nicotine concentration (e.g. '5% nicotine'). However, 23% of brands did not disclose information on nicotine form (i.e. nicotine salt vs free-base), and 66% of brands did not disclose information on nicotine type (i.e. synthetic vs tobacco-derived).

Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that the e-cigarette industry is not fully informing its consumers about the nicotine in their products. Given that nicotine form and type have implications for e-cigarette addiction potential, these findings highlight a public health concern. There is a need for more comprehensive national regulations for mandating product constituents and emissions disclosures.

Keywords: disclosures; e-cigarettes; nicotine; tobacco.

Grants and funding

FUNDING This study was supported by American Heart Association grant 20YVNR35490079 and by grant U54CA287392 from the NCI and FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the FDA.