What is in E-Juice

Now that we’ve reached the point at which there are more than 40 million people around the world who vape, you’d think that the topic of vaping wouldn’t still be a source of such confusion. One of the biggest sources of confusion is a rather simple question:

What is in e-juice?

Just try looking up the answer to that question online.

On one hand, you’ll find pro-vaping websites, merchants and bloggers claiming that when you vape, you’re inhaling nothing but water vapour. That’s definitely not the case.

On the other hand, if you visit the hardcore tobacco control sites, you’ll see the claim that we have no idea what’s in e-liquid. That’s also completely false.

It’s unfortunate that smokers and vapers have to deal with so much misinformation online, but that’s a sign of the times. On the bright side, for those willing to look past the propaganda, the ingredients of e-liquid aren’t shrouded in secrecy at all. In fact, how e-liquid is made is public knowledge, and all of the world’s biggest vape juice makers list their ingredients on every bottle.

Explaining E-Liquid’s Ingredients in Plain English

So, the good news is that finding out what’s in e-juice is actually very easy; just look at the label. The bad news is what’s on the label may not actually mean much to you unless you have a background in chemistry. If you don’t find the ingredients list on a bottle of e-liquid very informative, rest assured that you’re not alone.

In short, most of the vape juice on the market has four ingredients. Those ingredients are vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, nicotine and flavours. Sounds pretty simple, right? It’s simple, at least, if you actually know what vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol are – and if you don’t, that’s why this article is here.

Let’s dig in.

Vegetable Glycerine (VG)

Most of the vape juice produced today contains more vegetable glycerine – or VG – than any other ingredient. Vape juice generally contains at least 50 percent VG, but some e-liquids contain up to 80 percent VG and occasionally even more than that.

Vegetable glycerine is much thicker than propylene glycol, and it facilitates the production of large, room-filling clouds. Over the years, the ratio of VG and PG in the average e-liquid has been skewed more and more in favour of VG because people love the huge clouds it produces.

VG is a by-product of soapmaking. Soap producers add lye to vegetable oil, and the resulting chemical reaction produces soap and vegetable glycerine. Since everyone needs a constant supply of soap, there’s plenty of glycerine available for other purposes such as e-liquid production.

In e-liquid, you’ll always see VG referred to as “vegetable glycerine” rather than just “glycerine.” That’s because animal fat is a common soapmaking ingredient, and it also produces glycerine. E-liquid uses glycerine from vegetable sources.

Note that while VG comes from vegetable oil, it isn’t an oil and is in fact chemically related to alcohol. When you vape, you do not inhale fat.

VG isn’t toxic, and it’s a common ingredient in processed foods. It captures and traps moisture, so it’s used in some shelf-stable foods to help prevent them from drying out. VG also has a sweet flavour, so it’s sometimes used instead of – or in conjunction with – other sweeteners in various foods and beverages. Glycerine’s moisturizing properties make it a common ingredient in lotions and other cosmetics.

The fact that VG is so thick means that an e-liquid high in VG may not work well in the smallest e-cigarettes and vape pens. VG is too thick to flow efficiently through the wicks in smaller vaping devices. High-VG e-liquids work well in more modern vaping devices, though, and in those devices, VG produces very large, smooth vapour clouds with very little throat hit.

Propylene Glycol (PG)

After VG, most of the rest of e-liquid is propylene glycol or PG. There are some exceptions; there are some e-liquids on the market that contain more PG than VG, but most e-liquids these days contain 50 percent PG or less.

Like VG, PG is chemically an alcohol. It has no smell, and it is slightly sweet but not nearly as sweet as VG. PG is also similar to VG in that it absorbs and traps moisture. It also inhibits microbial growth and works well as both a solvent and an emulsifier. PG helps to keep shelf-stable food from spoiling. It’s added to ice creams and frozen custards to keep them soft. In liquid products such as cosmetics and lotions, PG keeps the ingredients mixed, so you can use those products without shaking the bottles repeatedly.

Some people have commented that vaping PG means that you’re vaping antifreeze. That’s actually an extreme oversimplification. The most common ingredient for antifreeze is ethylene glycol, which is toxic. Propylene glycol is used as an alternative ingredient in non-toxic antifreeze. As PG has been a common food ingredient for many years, it is generally regarded as safe for consumption in small amounts.

The fact that PG is very thin means that an e-liquid high in PG will work well in smaller vaping devices because it flows easily through small atomizer coils. Compared to VG, PG is a much better carrier of flavour. That’s why people who want to taste the subtle flavour nuances in their e-liquids often choose high-PG blends. PG-based e-liquids are also higher in throat hit, making high-PG blends attractive for those who use higher-nicotine e-liquids.

One important thing to know about propylene glycol is that a few people have reported feeling sensitive or allergic when vaping PG-based e-liquids. PG sensitivities and allergies are extremely rare – and given how common PG is in foods, cosmetics and topical products, it’s likely that you would already know if you were sensitive to it. If you do experience unpleasant symptoms when using an e-liquid containing PG, try switching to a 100-percent VG e-liquid.

Flavourings

Flavourings are the ingredients that make vape juice taste great. As you’ve already seen from browsing this site, there are hundreds of different e-liquid flavours in the world today – and vape juice makers are still coming out with creative new blends all of the time.

On its own, an e-liquid containing nothing but VG and PG would taste vaguely sweet, but most people would agree that such an e-liquid wouldn’t taste very good. So, most e-liquids contain a few drops of natural and artificial flavours in various combinations. E-liquid makers use the same flavouring agents that are available to companies in the food industry, and by blending those flavours in different combinations and proportions, it’s possible to create a virtually endless variety of flavour profiles.

By volume, anywhere from 5-15 percent of a typical e-liquid is flavourings. VG and PG are both solvents, though, so in many cases, the flavourings do not dilute the viscosity of an e-liquid. A few flavours are set in alcohol, and if you use an e-liquid with an alcohol-based flavour, you’ll notice it. Steeping the e-liquid will make the alcohol flavour less apparent.

Oil-based flavours also exist, but e-liquid makers do not use them because oils aren’t safe to inhale. All e-liquid flavours are food grade. Vape juice makers have worked hard to reduce or eliminate e-liquid flavouring agents – such as diacetyl – that are safe to eat but are known to be potentially dangerous for inhalation.

Nicotine

You started vaping in the first place to find an alternative way of getting your nicotine, so it’s actually a little ironic that there’s less nicotine than any other ingredient in a bottle of vape juice. By volume, no e-liquid contains more than about 5 percent nicotine – and most e-liquids contain far less than that. The most common e-liquid nicotine percentage is just 0.3 percent.

Nicotine, of course, has a pretty bad reputation because it is an addictive drug that serves no real benefit. Neither, however, is nicotine particularly harmful in moderate doses if you are an adult and aren’t pregnant. It’s the way most people consume it – by inhaling the smoke of burning tobacco – that causes harm.

What Shouldn’t Be in E-Juice?

So far, we’ve discussed the four ingredients that you’ll find in most of the e-liquids on the market. What about the ingredients that shouldn’t be in e-liquid? If you find ingredients like these, we recommend steering clear of that vape juice.

• Added colours
• Vitamins
• Caffeine and other supplements
• Any oils

These ingredients don’t do anything for your vaping experience, and little is known about their safety for inhalation. In particular, we know that Vitamin E acetate has the potential to cause severe lung damage when inhaled. If an ingredient doesn’t contribute directly to the quality of your vaping experience, there’s no need to compound your potential risk by inhaling it.