Vuse

Who Makes Vuse?

Vuse is made by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a unit of Reynolds American Inc., which in turn is a wholly owned US subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT).⁴ BAT completed its takeover of Reynolds American on July 25, 2017, buying the 57.8% it did not already own for about $49.4 billion.⁵

The Vuse brand launched in 2013, according to Vuse's own FAQ.⁶ Outside the US, BAT sold its vapes under an earlier name, Vype, Wikipedia notes.⁷ Another Reynolds American subsidiary, Reynolds Marketing Services, supplies Vuse to retail and wholesale customers, Convenience Store News reported.⁸ Most of Vuse's US website opens only after a visitor creates an account and passes an ID check.⁹

Vuse Market Share and Youth Use

Vuse's market share was the largest of any US e-cigarette brand when the FDA described Vuse in October 2023 as the most commonly sold brand in the country, with Alto as its most popular sub-brand.¹⁰ A Nielsen report cited in April 2023 gave Vuse 42.2% of convenience store sales, against 26.1% for Juul.¹¹

In the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, Vuse was the second brand most often reported by current youth e-cigarette users, at 12.5%, behind Puff Bar.¹²

Vuse FDA Marketing Orders

Vuse FDA marketing orders began on October 12, 2021, when the agency authorized the Vuse Solo power unit and its Original 4.8% G1 and G2 cartridges, the first e-cigarettes ever authorized through the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway.¹³ The same day it denied 10 flavored Solo products.

On May 12, 2022 the FDA authorized two Vuse Vibe power units with the Vibe Tank Original 3.0%, and two Vuse Ciro power units with the Ciro Cartridge Original 1.5%, while denying other Vibe and Ciro products.¹⁴

The Vuse Alto came last, on July 18, 2024: the FDA authorized the Alto Power Unit and six sealed, prefilled tobacco pods, Golden Tobacco and Rich Tobacco at 5%, 2.4% and 1.8% nicotine.¹⁵ That brought Vuse to 16 entries on the FDA's list of authorized e-cigarettes, and as of August 28, 2026 none of them is menthol, mixed berry or fruit.¹

Vuse Menthol Denials and Court Stays

Vuse menthol denials came in three rounds. On January 24, 2023 the FDA denied the Vibe Tank Menthol 3.0% and the Ciro Cartridge Menthol 1.5%, saying the applications did not show a benefit to adult smokers over tobacco flavors large enough to outweigh the risk to youth.¹⁶ The Solo's menthol 4.8% G1 and G2 cartridges followed on March 17, 2023.¹⁷

On October 12, 2023 the FDA denied six flavored Alto products, three menthol and three mixed berry, each flavor in three nicotine strengths.¹⁰ The next day the Fifth Circuit gave R.J. Reynolds Vapor an emergency administrative stay of the Alto menthol order, and the company said the pods would stay in stores while it sought a formal stay.⁸

On February 2, 2024 the Fifth Circuit granted a judicial stay of the denial orders for Alto, Vibe and Solo menthol products, which let Reynolds keep selling them, and turned down the FDA's motion to transfer the case.³ A stay pauses a denial; it is not a marketing order, and none of these menthol products is on the FDA's authorized list.

The dispute reached the Supreme Court, which held 7 to 2 on June 20, 2025, in FDA v. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. (No. 23-1187), that retailers can petition for review of FDA denial orders. That let the Fifth Circuit challenge to the denials of Reynolds' berry and menthol e-cigarettes go forward.¹⁸

Flavored Vuse Pro Pods in 2026

Flavored Vuse Pro pods in Peach, Berry, Watermelon and Fresh Mint reached Ohio and other states in early September 2026 without an FDA marketing authorization, 2Firsts reported.² Vuse Pro pods hold about 5.0% nicotine and are made for Vuse Alto devices, and Reynolds told 2Firsts that the pod label lists 2.0 mL of e-liquid.

The launch followed the FDA's May 8, 2026 guidance, which says the agency does not intend to prioritize enforcement against vapes with a pending, accepted and filed application, except products with certain youth-appealing features or other safety concerns.¹⁹ Reynolds had finished its PMTA submissions for an age-gated Vuse Pro device on June 27, 2024; that device works only after the user's age is verified through an app.⁴

STAT reported on September 8, 2026 that the pods were being sold at an Ohio gas station, and quoted Reynolds saying the sales are consistent with applicable state regulations and come with ID checks and purchase limits. STAT also noted that California, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey ban flavored vapes.²⁰

Vuse Patent Cases

Vuse patent cases brought by Altria and by Philip Morris International both ended in jury findings of infringement in 2022. In September 2022 a North Carolina jury awarded Altria Client Services $95.23 million in past damages after finding that the Vuse Alto pod assembly infringed three Altria patents.²¹

In the Philip Morris case, a 2022 jury found that Vuse Alto and Vuse Solo G2 cartridges infringed and awarded $10.91 million and $3.16 million. In April 2023 a federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia denied an injunction, so Vuse stayed in stores, and set royalties of 1.8% on Alto and 2.2% on Solo G2.¹¹

Vuse Nicotine Strengths

Vuse nicotine strengths run from 1.5% to 5.0% by weight, Vuse's FAQ says: Ciro 1.5%, Vibe 3.0%, Solo 4.8%, Alto 1.8%, 2.4% and 5.0%, and Vuse Pro 5.0%.⁶ The same FAQ says every Vuse closed system uses nicotine salts.