What is Vape Juice Made of?

May 13, 2022

The use of e-cigarettes known mostly as vaping, is an alternative for adult smokers who would like to transition away from smoking cigarettes. 

The demand for an alternative dates back decades when Herbert Gilbert claimed the first patent in 1965 for a smokeless, non-tobacco cigarette. As the long-term effects of smoking became more widely known, people sought ways to get their satisfaction from nicotine without the adverse effects. Thus, vaping became an alternative and companies rushed to craft both the devices and the e-liquid that comes with it.

An e-cigarette consists of two major components, the device which contains the battery and the vape juice, contained either in disposable pods or refillable cartridges. 

But what is in vape juice? 

Here, we provide an all-inclusive guide to the various ingredients in e-juice. Most people know that an e-cigarette contains nicotine, but knowledge of the other e-liquid ingredients is slimmer. 

Let us dive into the specific ingredients of what makes the e-liquid and what provides it with its great variety of tastes. 

How Is E-Liquid Made?

More research is ongoing to craft the ingredients lists for a wider variety of flavours. Companies work to balance the nicotine amount with the other ingredients to create diverse and stimulating satisfactions. 

Understandably, most users are curious about how the parts of e-juice combine to make a whole. Especially if the desire to use vape devices is part of an effort to adjust  nicotine consumption, knowing about the ingredients is a critical part of this process. 

The Ingredients

Without each unique ingredient  of the e-liquid, we would not have the vaping experience we have today. 

There are a few primary parts to e-liquid ingredients:

• Propylene glycol
• Vegetable glycerin 
• Taste concentrates or flavours
• Nicotine

Each of these ingredients is essential to the vaping experience as a whole. We discuss the individual parts in detail later.

The Process of Creating Vape Juice

The process behind the creation of e-liquids is lengthy and requires expertise. Each part requires careful measuring before they combine into a single batch. 

Each manufacturer has its proprietary recipe. After measuring out the ingredients, they add the taste concentrates or flavours to a mixture of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin (PG and VG). 

The nicotine goes in last, and then everything gets mixed. 

The parts steep for a few days before being added into the vape pods. Fortunately, the ingredients are listed on every pack of pods you purchase. 

Want to learn more about how each part works together to deliver a memorable vaping experience? ? 

Let’s discover what every ingredient adds to the mix. 

Vegetable Glycerin

The first half of the e-liquid base is Vegetable Glycerin (VG). About 80% of each e-liquid mixture is this ingredient. It is also known as Glycerol or Glycerine.

The compound generally consists of the sugar alcohol from soybeans, or coconut or palm oils. Vegetable Glycerin is prevalent in vape juice, among other things. 

The liquid is non-toxic, colourless, and odourless. On the other hand, you’ll taste sweetness when you consume VG. 

Other examples of products that use VG include: 

• Food sweeteners
• Medicines
• A part that helps foods retain moisture for more extended periods

Propylene Glycol

The second half of the PG and VG base mixture in e-liquids is propylene glycol (PG). The substance helps to absorb water Companies also use the compound to mix in tastes and colours into their e-liquids. 

Some examples of other products that use propylene glycol (PG) include:

• Skin lotions
• Moisturizers
• Food colouring 

Similar to VG, PG is colourless and odourless. However, unlike the other ingredients, PG has a low viscosity, which means that it’s a thin liquid. 

The clouds produced by high PG mixtures are not as thick and fluffy, meaning that you won’t see as much when you’re vaping. You’ll also get more taste in your mouth due to the solvent properties of the PG substance. 

PG/VG Ratios

Most e-liquids combine both compounds to balance the size of the clouds with the quality of the throat sensation. The combination also helps give an intense taste with every puff you inhale. 

You can get a variety of PG and VG ratios in any vape juice, such as:

• 50% VG and 50% PG
• 70% VG and 30% PG
• 70% PG and 30% VG

If you want to experiment with different ratios, you can do that as well. You might also want to test out strictly PG or strictly VG mixtures to see which you like best. 

Flavourings

When flavouring the e-liquid, companies have to consider a variety of factors carefully. 

First, the heat required to heat the vape dramatically affects the taste components one can use. Most natural flavouring components will evaporate and lose their potency before you start vaping. 

Because of this, many brands use synthetic parts. The use of synthetic taste components leads to the second factor. 

Before using the variety of synthetic flavourings to create vapour pods, businesses check the compounds for their food grade and safety. All the taste parts go through screening to ensure that the e-juice is safe for consumption with no adverse side effects. 

When it comes to synthetic tastes, you have an endless supply of options. Companies are working daily to ensure that you can enjoy your vape sessions without having to worry about the safety of the taste components. 

Nicotine

The final part of the mixture, which isn’t in all e-liquids, is the nicotine. 

The long-term effects of nicotine are what people hyper-focus on without looking into the other parts that make an excellent pod. 

To summarize, nicotine briefly releases dopamine in your system.

Fortunately, you can use an e-liquid without nicotine. Many flavourings have all the components packed with taste and big cloud releases without nicotine added. 

You can choose an e-liquid pod with or without nicotine depending on what you prefer. The decision is yours. 

Conclusion

The only ingredient that most people know in e-juice is nicotine. The other components in the mixture don’t get as much attention. Now, you know about the factors besides nicotine that go into making vape juice and the distinct taste variations. When you have conversations about vaping and nicotine, you can go in feeling confident and informed.  

Whether you are curious about e-liquid pods in general , or just want to know how companies create the flavours, you can reach out to companies like RELX UK to learn more. You’ll find a variety of pod tastes, plus lists that highlight the main ingredients and other components of each pod. 

When working with high-quality vape companies, you can be sure that you’re getting ingredients of only the best quality. 

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