Juul

Who Makes Juul?

Juul is made by JUUL Labs, Inc., a privately held company whose chief executive is K.C. Crosthwaite, Dow Jones reported in August 2026.⁴ Co-founders Adam Bowen and James Monsees began selling the JUUL device in 2015; TechCrunch described Juul in September 2018 as a three-year-old San Francisco company.⁵

Tobacco company Altria paid $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in Juul in 2018. In March 2023 it gave the whole stake back in exchange for a non-exclusive license to some of Juul's heated tobacco patents.⁶ Juul announced a restructuring with large job cuts on August 23, 2023.⁷

Juul's FDA History, From Denial to Authorization

Juul's FDA history turned on June 23, 2022, when the agency issued marketing denial orders for every JUUL product then sold in the US, saying the applications lacked enough toxicology data, including on chemicals that could leach from the pods.⁸

The order never took full effect. The D.C. Circuit entered a temporary stay the next day, and the FDA stayed its own order on July 5, 2022 for more scientific review. On June 6, 2024 the FDA rescinded the denial and put Juul's applications back to pending, noting that a rescission is neither an authorization nor a denial.⁹

On July 17, 2025 the FDA authorized five JUUL products, the device and Virginia Tobacco and Menthol JUULpods at 3% and 5% nicotine, which brought the number of authorized e-cigarette products to 39.² The JUUL2 device and its tobacco and menthol pods followed on August 28, 2026, taking the total on the FDA's list of authorized e-cigarettes to 48.³

Juul Settlements and Lawsuits

Juul settlements with states began with a $438.5 million agreement in principle with 34 states and territories, which Connecticut's attorney general announced on September 6, 2022 after a two-year investigation of Juul's marketing.¹⁰

In December 2022 Juul settled with about 10,000 plaintiffs in more than 5,000 cases; Reuters reported that the amount was not disclosed.¹¹ On April 12, 2023 Juul agreed to pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia, and said it had paid more than $1 billion across 5,000 lawsuits in 47 states.¹²

Most federal Juul cases were gathered in one multidistrict litigation, MDL No. 2913.¹³ A federal judge gave final approval in March 2024 to a class settlement of just over $300 million, with $255 million from Juul and the rest from Altria.¹⁴ Alaska announced a $5.8 million settlement with Juul on December 5, 2025.¹⁵

Juul's Patent Fight With NJOY

Juul's patent fight with Altria's NJOY reached a ruling on January 29, 2025, when the US International Trade Commission found that the NJOY Ace infringed four Juul patents and ordered its import and sale barred, according to Juul.¹⁶

Juul filed new complaints over the NJOY Daily on August 8, 2025, and a separate Altria case against Juul at the ITC was still open in August 2026.¹⁷

How to Spot a Fake Juul

To spot a fake Juul, Juul's support site says to check that the batch code on the pod box matches the foil seal on the blister pack, that the printing is sharp, that the pod fits snugly and that the e-liquid is clear to slightly yellow.¹⁸

Juul says to buy only from authorized retailers or its own site, and to contact its support team before throwing out a product that looks wrong. JUUL2 pods add a Pod ID chip, which Juul says stops counterfeit pods from working in the device.¹⁹