Juul Labs secured federal permission on Friday, August 28, to sell an updated version of its e-cigarette, the first new device from the company since its debut more than a decade ago. The redesigned product, branded Juul2, includes an optional age-verification system intended to prevent underage use.
The clearance from the Food and Drug Administration lets Juul market the device alongside updated tobacco- and menthol-flavored cartridges. It arrives after years of legal and financial strain, during which the company laid off hundreds of workers and paid roughly $3 billion to settle government and private lawsuits tied to teen use of its products.
The new age-gating feature asks users to verify their age through an online app before the device will operate. For a would-be teen buyer, that step adds a digital barrier that older Juul products never had — a direct response to the scrutiny that once threatened the company’s survival.
Chief Executive K.C. Croswaite said the company plans to sell the system with “a portfolio of flavors — beyond tobacco and menthol — that are targeted to adult nicotine consumers.” In 2019, Juul discontinued mango, mint and creme varieties that had driven most of its sales but proved popular with adolescents.
Regulators stressed that the decision is neither an approval nor an endorsement, and that people who do not smoke should avoid Juul and all other e-cigarettes. The FDA said its finding indicates that smokers who switch completely can reduce exposure to the carcinogens and other harmful chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.
Company studies reviewed by the agency showed that between 20% and 50% of smokers who used Juul products had stopped smoking after six weeks, with quit rates varying by flavor and nicotine strength. Those switching figures formed the core of the evidence behind the authorization.
The ruling reflects a broader pattern of the FDA weighing consumer safeguards against public-health tradeoffs, similar to its recent decisions on other regulated products such as updated vaccines cleared for wider distribution.
Juul now moves from courtroom settlements toward a commercial relaunch, betting that a device built with age controls can rebuild regulatory trust. The company will begin rolling out the Juul2 system and its cartridge lineup as it tries to recover market position lost during years of restrictions.