Ever just sitting in a comfy chair and thinking about random stuff? Don’t worry; it does not happen to you only. There are many others who might look at their perfectly-normal vape kit and, out of the blue, start wondering who invented vape juice and why. What is the vape liquid made of? Why e-liquid is essential for vaping? Relax; by the end of this blog, you will be able to answer all these questions and much more for yourself and anyone who asks, so let’s dive right in!
E-liquid – The Soul Of An E-Cigarette:
Where the battery is called the heart of a vape device, e-juice can be labeled the soul of the device. Yes, you read right, “the soul” is because, without vape juice, e-cigarettes cannot work. Its importance lies in the fact that the e-liquid is the component of a vape device that you consume — not by ingesting, but by inhaling!
How interesting it is that the same thing, when consumed orally, can lead to any health issue, but when inhaled in the form of vapors, provides satisfaction? Let’s take it one step at a time, break down all the concepts of vape liquid and go through them one by one.
Composition Of Vape liquids:
The vaping liquid, also known as vape juice, e-juice, and e-liquid, is made of food-grade materials. This means that these components are considered safe to consume and approved by various health and regulatory authorities. The major ingredients of vape liquid are:
- Propylene Glycol (PG)
- Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
- Nic Salt
- Flavor
Propylene Glycol:
It is a colorless and odorless liquid that makes your e-juice runny. PG acts as a base that holds flavors and nic salt (nicotine). Besides vape tanks, Propylene Glycol is widely used in other industries, such as cosmetics and medical products. It is also used in pet foods and asthma inhalers.
In vaping, PG acts as an agent responsible for providing the throat hit, which is similar to smoking. High-PG e-liquids tend to give a much closer experience to smoking due to the intense throat hit and the nicotine buzz. Such e-juices vanish faster when used in high-wattage devices. Since PG is a runny liquid, it does not produce big clouds. The only job of Propylene Glycol in vape juices is to deliver nicotine and flavor particles to your body.
Vegetable Glycerine:
It is relatively thicker than PG and is a natural derivative of plants. Like PG, Vegetable Glycerine is also used in the cosmetics industry. It is also used in baked goods, some daily life commodities, and many other products. VG is a safe element for consumption, as it does not carry cancerous toxins.
VG is odorless and slightly sweet, often used as a sweetener. In e-liquids, VG is the component responsible for producing humongous vape clouds. Thick, massive vape clouds are produced when there is VG in the vape liquid. This is the reason why cloud-chasers go for high-VG liquids.
Although it is naturally a slightly sweet chemical, it does not interfere much with the flavor used in the vape juice. You can have a smoother vaping experience with a less harsh throat hit, thanks to VG.
Nic Salt:
It is a modified form of natural nicotine found in tobacco leaves. When freebase nicotine is reacted with benzoic acid and other chemicals, it produces salt nicotine. In most vape devices, you will find a nic salt-containing e-liquid instead of freebase nicotine because the former is more effective in the smoking cessation journey.
This laboratory-made element is used in vape juices to help satisfy the nicotine cravings of ex-smokers in a much better way. Nic salts absorb in the bloodstream faster and stay in the body for more extended periods. This is why vapers feel less need to take puffs every few hours than smokers.
Nic salts are much better than natural nicotine and are available in different quantities in vape liquids. Their quantity ranges from 0mg-20mg per ml; this is to help people reduce their nicotine intake over time. When you gradually decrease the amount nic salt, you will not face any severe withdrawal symptoms, making you able to wean off nicotine once and for all and, eventually, quitting smoking altogether. For those who have successfully reduced nicotine strength over time, nicotine-free vape juices are also available.
Flavors:
Flavors are an essential component of vape juices. These days, you can find countless e-liquid flavors, from fruity to beverage, and dessert to blends, sweet, sour, bitter —- every type of flavor can be found. In traditional cigarettes, flavor choices are minimal, and most people are stuck with the harsh, bitter taste of tobacco, which numbs their taste buds.
E-juice flavors are loved because they add joy to the already pleasant vaping experience and also because they give you the opportunity to change flavor after some time. When a person keeps jumping from one flavor to another, it helps restore their taste buds slowly, and they become able to feel the taste of different food products.
Importance Of E-Juice:
Now that you have learned about the nature, purpose, and effect of individual components of vape juice, it might become easier to grasp its importance. Each ingredient is there for a special purpose, and your vaping experience might seem incomplete without any one of these. Nic Salt is the only component that you can opt not to have in your e-liquid; the rest are compulsory for a perfect vaping session.
95% Safer Vapours:
Vape liquid absorbs into the wick and is heated by the coil wrapped around the wick. Through this process, vapors or vape clouds have been produced that looks like cigarette smoke but are 95% less harmful, as approved by NHS and other reputable institutes. So, what you inhale during vaping is the e-juice, and you cannot even imagine a vape device working without it. By far, this is the safest and most effective method of helping people quit smoking.
Summing Up:
To sum it all up, despite the heavy criticism vaping has received over the years, it cannot be denied that it is much less harmful than smoking and is the best alternative for smokers. Furthermore, e-liquid is crucial for the functioning of an e-cigarette/vape device. Its components are food grade and are heated instead of burned.