Toxic but Tasty: The role of flavors in e-cigarette product appeal

E-cigarettes (or “vapes”) are harmful but popular, partly because of appealing flavors like strawberry cheesecake. This PhD explored what shapes how these flavors are perceived and how much they are liked. We found that not only the flavoring ingredients matter, but also factors like the color of the device, which can make a flavor seem sweeter. Differences between users, such as whether someone smokes, did not strongly change how flavors were experienced or liked.
We also looked at what happens when flavors are restricted. In the Netherlands, many people reduced or stopped e-cigarette use after an e-cigarette flavor ban, although some found ways to still access banned flavors.
These results show that flavors play a key role not only in the appeal of e-cigarettes, but also in their use. This is important for policy: regulating flavors and design features like color, may help reduce the use of these products and potentially protect public health.