U.S. — The Food and Drug Administration granted Juul Labs permission to sell an updated version of its e-cigarette device on August 28, 2026. The authorization marks the first time the agency has allowed the company to market a new hardware iteration since its initial launch more than a decade ago.

Juul plans to market the new device under the brand name Juul2. The system will include updated versions of tobacco- and menthol-flavored cartridges designed for use with the new hardware. Regulators stated the FDA decision is not an approval or endorsement of Juul products.

The updated device includes an optional age-verification system designed to prevent underage use. The new device allows users to require age verification via an online app before the e-cigarette can be unlocked. According to Juul Labs, the optional 21-and-up app pairs with the connected device and provides adult consumers insights into product use, device location, real-time battery, and pod-level information. The app will also allow consumers to lock a paired device to prevent use by others.

Regulators stated that people who do not smoke should not use Juul or any other e-cigarettes. The FDA has authorized a handful of e-cigarettes to help adult smokers quit or cut back on cigarettes. In May, the agency authorized the first fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers.

Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the U.S. The company trails Vuse, which is sold by tobacco giant Reynolds American. Reynolds American also makes Camel and Newport cigarettes. Juul paid roughly $3 billion to settle government and private lawsuits over teen use of its products.

Juul discontinued several flavors, including mango, mint, and creme, in 2019. K.C. Crosthwaite, CEO of Juul Labs, addressed the company's future product strategy in an official statement. "The company plans to seek authorization for a portfolio of flavors — beyond tobacco and menthol — that are targeted to adult nicotine consumers," Crosthwaite said.

Why It Matters

This authorization represents a regulatory milestone for Juul Labs, an American electronic cigarette manufacturer. It is the first new device authorization for the company since it began selling its original product in 2015. The decision follows a period of legal and regulatory scrutiny, including financial settlements related to youth usage concerns.

The inclusion of an optional age-verification system reflects ongoing efforts to address underage access while maintaining product availability for adult smokers. The FDA's emphasis on population-level health benefits versus risks shows the stringent evidentiary standard applied to tobacco product marketing applications. This framework requires manufacturers to demonstrate that their products provide a net public health benefit, particularly for adults seeking alternatives to combustible cigarettes.

Timeline

Altria acquired a 35% stake in Juul Labs for $12.8 billion on December 20, 2018. In May, the FDA authorized the first fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes intended for adult smokers.

On that same date, K.C. Crosthwaite stated, "The company plans to seek authorization for a portfolio of flavors — beyond tobacco and menthol — that are targeted to adult nicotine consumers." Also on August 28, 2026, Juul Labs noted that the optional 21-and-up app pairs with the connected device and provides adult consumers insights into product use, device location, real-time battery, and pod-level information.

What's New

Historical context clarifies the corporate structure leading to this point. The FDA stated it considers the risks and benefits to the U.S. population as a whole, including benefits to adults who switch to potentially lower-risk products and risks to youth and non-users.

The agency further stated that to receive marketing authorizations, it must have sufficient evidence that new products offer greater benefits to population health than risks. Juul Labs was co-founded by Adam Bowen and James Monsees as part of Pax Labs and started selling the Juul device in 2015.