You may have seen this word floating around when looking at vaping and wondering what it means, the term e-liquid is used to describe the type of liquid that is used inside vaping devices that creates the vapour you inhale and exhale. The coil is used to heat the e-liquid and turn it into a vapour, depending on the vaping kit you have and your own temperature preference e-liquid is heated to anything between 90°C and 200°C turning it into the vapour you inhale. It comes with many flavours, strengths and ingredients.

E-liquid Ingredients

• Nicotine (but not always!)
• Propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerine (VG) – or a mix of both
• Food-grade flavouring

Let’s delve deep into each ingredient.

Let’s start off with the ingredient that people are the most familiar with especially if they are transitioning from cigarettes to e-liquid

Nicotine

There is a bit of misconception when it comes to nicotine in e-liquid as many people believe that it is dangerous but that is not the case, however nicotine is very addictive and if you are used to smoking or a heavy smoker then you can develop an intense craving, these cravings do not last long (around 20 seconds or so) but for some this short amount of time can feel like a lifetime when your brain is craving a nicotine fix.

Why is nicotine so addictive?

Whether consuming nicotine from traditional cigarettes or modern vaping it leads the release of a chemical called dopamine in the brain. As with many medications dopamine prompts the brain to repeat the same behaviour (such as using tobacco) over and over.

Different strength nicotine in e-liquid

Believe it or not you can vape without nicotine for the just for pleasure vaping experience that many people enjoy and known as 0mg nicotine, some of our products are 0mg which can be viewed here.

There are other options of varying strengths of nicotine

• 3mg nicotine – this is the lowest nicotine level you can get (unless you mix it yourself with 0mg to dilute it), this is often the best option if you are on the final stage of quitting and have cut out almost all of you nicotine intake or if you are a light smoker that only smokes a few cigarettes a day.
• 6mg nicotine – this is the next strength up from 3mg, this will still give you that nicotine hit and would be similar to Ultra Low/Ultra-Light cigarettes. This nicotine strength is for those who are getting through around 10 a day and of course depends on the strength you are used to.
• 12mg nicotine – This is the perfect strength if you are an average smoker who gets through about a pack a day. It is a good starting point to get you used to vaping and is enough to keep the cravings away.
• 18 -20mg nicotine – This is the highest nicotine level you can get and is for people who get through a serious amount of cigarettes a day, because this is such a high strength not all vaping devices support this high level of nicotine.

You can learn more about nicotine here:

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine(VG)

Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG) are used to make e-liquid for e-cigarettes. If the e-liquid is made from a reputable manufacturer PG and VG are mixed so you can get the benefits of both.

What is Propylene Glycol (PG)?

Let’s put the scientific spectacles on for a minute, in scientific terms PG is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH₃CHCH₂OH.

It is both colourless and odourless with a low viscosity, meaning it is a thinner e-liquid, the opposite of VG e-liquid which is a thicker liquid and is often used in food production (as a preservative).

It carries the flavour of your e-liquid which gives you the hit you would expect from traditional cigarettes.

Why is PG used in e-liquids?

• It is in a thinner liquid, it is easier to handle when it comes to filling and re-filling.
• Because PG is thinner, using a PG e-liquid means less build-up and gunk on the coil of your vaping kit making it last longer.
• It absorbs heat much faster too meaning you can start vaping quicker once your vape is switched on and ready to go.
• Tasteless and odourless, it doesn’t interfere with the flavour of your e-liquid.
• They also produce a less dense vapour so your clouds won’t be that big!

*Note:  PG based e-liquids carry a very small risk of allergic reaction.*

What is Vegetable Glycerine (VG)?

Vegetable Glycerine is an all-natural liquid that is extracted from plant oil and goes by the chemical formula C3H8O3.

As opposed to PG, VG is a much thicker and sometimes sweeter liquid. VG is what creates the big vapour clouds that you see when people are vaping.

Why is VG used in vaping liquid?

• Because it is a thicker liquid, you can produce impressive clouds!
• Easier on the throat, it delivers less of a flavour hit.
• It contains flavour and sweetness of its own making the final product sweeter, although many people say that the overall flavour is ‘duller’.
• There are some downsides to VG e-liquid, one of which is the gunk that can accumulate on the coil. It also needs more power to reach optimal temperature before you can start vaping.

Mixing PG & VG

Many manufactures tend mix PG and VG for example our Tropical Mango is a high VG e-liquid. The VG percentage is more than half of the total content, this means that it requires a high powered sub ohm style device to be vaped optimally.

Sub ohm vaping is when the coil you’re using is rated at an ohm rating under 1.0 Ohms. Sub Ohm vaping produces more vapour, more clouds and in-turn more flavour from your e-liquid.  together the reason being is that it gives the user the best of both worlds and there are a few different ratios you can go with:

These are the main ratios

• 50:50 – is for those who need a higher nicotine level and should go with a standard vape pen or mod and the reason for this is that the higher level nicotine can make it easy to get too much.
• 70:30/80:20 – this is if you are looking for something with a lower level there a few more options, if you are not a fan of smoking the a higher VG could be the way to go especially if you want to create those big vaping clouds.

These are the three main ingredients found in most e-liquids however there can be a lot more ingredients depending mainly on the flavour you choose.