Smoking releases thousands of nasty chemicals that are inhaled and that can seriously impact your health. This is the reason why most smokers wish to kick the habit.
Vaping can help you to quit smoking and will prevent you from suffering from many of the associated withdrawal symptoms, but you may be concerned about the ingredients that e liquids contain. After all you wouldn't want to jump out of the proverbial frying pan into the fire.
So, what ingredients do e liquids contain and are any of them harmful?
All e liquids feature base liquid, and this is a mixture of two ingredients: propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG). The proportion of PG to VG varies.
Base liquid acts as a carrier for the flavourings and nicotine that are also found in e liquids. Both PG and VG are food additives that are considered safe for human consumption. It is these ingredients which are vapourised by your device to give you vaper to inhale.
Propylene glycol (PG) is a synthetic chemical that is commonly used as a solvent, a carrier and an emulsifier in both food products and medications including asthma inhalers. It is a colourless, odourless and flavourless compound that carries flavour well and that delivers noticeable throat hits.
While PG is safe for humans to ingest it can adversely affect feline immune systems. If you have cats, take care not to vape near them. Some vapers find that PG can irritate their throats. Allergic reactions to PG are rare but do happen. High levels of PG can lead to you experiencing a dry throat and increased thirst. This may be an issue when you first start vaping but one that will often improve once you are acclimatised to vaping.
Found in food, cosmetics and medications, VG is derived from vegetable oils and acts as a moisturiser and a sweetener. It does not carry flavour as well as PG does, but adverse reactions to it are extremely rare and it delivers increased vaper. The naturally sweet taste of VG can impact the taste of e liquid flavours.
VG is thicker than PG. This is why it can clog up the coils of high resistance devices such as entry level vape pens and pod kits. E liquids that are high in VG are best suited to sub ohm set ups as their low resistance coils get hotter and so are more efficient vaporisers of the VG.
The ratio of PG to VG in base liquids varies. The base liquid ratio is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, an e liquid labelled as being 50PG/50VG is 50% PG and 50%VG.
E liquids contain flavourings. These are food grade flavourings of the type used to flavour sweets, drinks and snacks. This is one of the reasons that e liquids can taste both familiar and authentic. Flavourings may be natural or artificial.The only difference between the two types of flavouring is that an artificial flavour is synthesised in a laboratory, and a natural flavour is extracted from something that occurs in nature. However, a natural flavour, won't necessarily have come from the fruit or other edible mentioned in the flavour name. A natural apple flavour may actually have been extracted from another fruit altogether.
The most common e-liquid flavouring is sucralose, a sugar-free sweetener. While sucralose does taste delicious, it leaves a residue on your atomizer coil that can eventually produce a burnt taste. To learn more about sucralose, read our guide to sweetened and unsweetened e liquids.
The final ingredient found in e liquids is nicotine. Not all e liquids feature nicotine, however, most do. Nicotine is an addictive substance but one that is thought to be safe to inhale.
It is possible to overdose on nicotine and become ill. The side effects of a nicotine overdose include nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, arrhythmia and fatigue. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop vaping immediately. You should start to feel better reasonably quickly. If you don't, seek medical help.
Children and pets are at greater risk of nicotine poisoning than humans. Always ensure that you keep your e liquids somewhere safe that kids and pets cannot access.
There was a time when e liquids that contained nicotine featured only a form of the chemical known as freebase nicotine. This provides noticeable throat hits but can feel harsh and does not deliver immediate relief of your cravings. It is the form of nicotine that you will find in nicotine replacement therapies such as patches.
These days you can also choose to vape e liquids containing salt nicotine (nic salts). Salt nicotine is nicotine that has been converted from a free base to a salt via the addition of a mild acid such as benzoic acid. Salt nicotine gives you smoother throat hits and swifter relief of your cravings. Many vapers feel that the relief gained from salt nicotine is longer-lasting than that enjoyed with freebase nicotine.
E Liquids feature just four ingredients, and all are considered safe. Unlike smoking, vaping does not produce dangerous chemicals due to combustion that will find their way into your body. So long as you choose only genuine, branded e liquids, they will be free from additional chemicals as they will have been rigorously tested. Counterfeit products will not have been subjected to such testing and could contain harmful ingredients including diacetyl.
Diacetyl is a chemical with a buttery taste that has been linked to lung disease. It has been found in fake e liquids. Don't be seduced by cheap e liquids that may not be genuine!
