The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it had approved the first menthol-flavored e-cigarettes in the United States, less than two months after the Biden administration delayed a fiercely contested decision on whether to ban traditional menthol cigarettes.

The F.D.A. said it had authorized four types of menthol-flavored e-cigarettes made by NJOY, part of the tobacco company Altria, making them the first flavored e-cigarettes that can be sold legally in the United States. The F.D.A. said that evidence indicated that they could benefit adult smokers who want to transition to a “less harmful product.”

Public health groups sharply criticized the decision, warning that e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products were especially appealing to young people.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids pointed out that, according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nearly a quarter of high school students who use e-cigarettes use illicit menthol-flavored varieties, which are often easy to find in gas stations and corner stores.

“Today’s decision is hard to understand in light of the F.D.A.’s own repeated conclusions that flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products, appeal to kids and have fueled the youth e-cigarette epidemic,” Yolonda C. Richardson, the president and chief executive of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “What has changed?”

Harold Wimmer, the president and chief executive of the American Lung Association, called the F.D.A.’s decision “highly questionable and deeply troubling,” and said two of the menthol-flavored e-cigarettes that the agency had authorized had “nicotine levels higher than a pack of cigarettes.”