Peer-reviewed article
Global market trends of flavour capsule and menthol cigarettes in 78 countries, 2010-2020
Kyriakos C, Qi D, Chang K, Laverty A, Filippidis F ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study analyzes global market trends of flavored cigarettes between 2010 and 2020 across 78 countries. It documents that flavour capsule cigarettes increased from 0.2% to 4.5% of the market while menthol cigarettes declined from 5.0% to 3.8%. The research identifies socioeconomic factors associated with these market shifts and notes that flavored products may appeal to youth.
Key points
- Flavour capsule cigarettes (FCCs) grew substantially globally, increasing from 0.2% market share in 2010 to 4.5% in 2020
- Menthol cigarette market share declined from 5.0% to 3.8% over the same period
- FCC market growth was highest in the Americas and upper-middle income countries
- Europe saw a 0.64 percentage point decrease in FCCs from 2019 to 2020, attributed to EU ban on flavoured cigarettes
- Market shares were associated with unemployment rates, urbanization, and smoking prevalence
Limitations
This study documents market trends and associations with socioeconomic factors but does not measure impacts on children's smoking behavior or well-being. It cannot establish causal relationships or determine actual effects on youth tobacco use initiation.
Abstract
Abstract Background Flavoured tobacco products, including innovative flavour capsule cigarettes (FCCs) and menthol cigarettes, can increase appeal and encourage smoking initiation and use. Global epidemiological data on these products are scarce. Methods This study examined market trends of FCCs and menthol (non-capsule) cigarettes across 78 countries from 2010 to 2020 and assessed ecological-level factors associated with market shares of these products. Market share and retail volume data came from Euromonitor Passport and country-specific sociodemographic data come from the WHO and World Bank. Adjusted linear fixed effects panel regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between predictors variables and market outcomes. Results Global total retail volume of FCCs increased over time (0.2% in 2010 to 4.5% in 2020) and market share was associated with year and unemployment rate and inversely associated with % urban population and smoking prevalence (p < 0.001). In contrast, menthol retail volume decreased over time (5.0% to 3.8%) and market share was associated with % urban population (p = 0.001) and inversely associated with year (p = 0.004) and unemployment rate (p = 0.017). The greatest market increase of FCCs was observed in the Americas region and among upper-middle income countries. In Europe, there was a decrease of 0.64 percentage points from 2019 to 2020. Conclusions Overall, FCCs experienced substantial global growth in the recent decade, with the exception of Europe whose slight decrease may be attributable to the European Union ban on flavours in cigarettes. Findings indicate that there is a need for increased efforts to address flavours and innovative features used in tobacco products, which are known to appeal to youth. Key messages • This study contributes to global monitoring of tobacco products. • Findings can be used by advocates and policy makers to support countries in adopting measures to ban flavoured tobacco products.