E-Liquid Ingredients Made Easy: the 4 Parts in Every Vape Juice

Ever wondered what’s in your vape juice? Here, we’ll be discussing the 4 main E-Liquid ingredients, which can be found in almost every vape juice on the market.

Every vape juice on the market has a maximum of 4 E-Liquid ingredients—some, in fact, have fewer than 4. Let’s get you more acquainted with these E-Liquid ingredients and how they function in your vape.

The 4 Main E-Liquid Ingredients, Explained

Propylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol—or PG for short—is a thin, semi-sweet, odourless substance which acts as a flavour carrier in an E-Liquid. It’s one of the two base E-Liquid ingredients which, when combined in varying ratios, make up the majority of your vape juice.

PG is an excellent flavour carrier, though it produces less dense vapour overall. PG is often added to an E-Liquid to make it thinner, particularly in the case of high-PG E-Liquids like Nic Salts and 50/50 E-Liquids. PG is thin enough that low-powered devices like pod kits and most starter vape kits can wick them without any issue.

In addition, you’ll also find that E-Liquids with a higher ratio of PG are more conducive to nicotine, which we’ll discuss more about later on.

There are some vapers who are intolerant to PG, which is important to note. Roughly 10% of new vapers will experience symptoms of intolerance to PG, which can include a dry mouth and eyes, sore throat, dry or itchy skin, and more. Many vapers will acclimate within a few months of regular use and their symptoms will subside, while others remain intolerant and must find other ways to vape.

Thankfully, Vape Green stocks the UK’s largest selection of 100% VG E-Liquids (entirely free of PG), so the PG-intolerant can find E-Liquids they can vape with no issue.

Vegetable Glycerin

Vegetable Glycerin (or, VG) is the second ingredient making up the base mixture of every E-Liquid. In fact, Vegetable Glycerin is perhaps the only ingredient on this list that you will invariably find in every single E-Liquid on the market.

VG is a naturally-sourced ingredient derived from plants, and it functions similarly to PG—with the main difference being that VG is thicker, and as such, it won’t function well by itself in low-powered devices.

VG is an excellent flavour carrier, and it’s responsible for the dense clouds you often see vapers producing.

Fun fact: vapers who compete in cloud chasing competitions usually have a 100% VG E-Liquid in their tank. This is because of the amount of vapour you get with a high-VG E-Liquid.

High-VG E-Liquids, because of their viscosity, are only suited to sub-ohm vaping with devices capable of firing at higher wattages, including advanced vape kits and vape mods.

If you want to learn more about the different E-Liquid ratios, check out our article, VG PG Ratio E-Liquids: Find Your Perfect Juice.

Flavourings

Ah, yes, everyone’s favourite among these E-Liquid ingredients. Whether it’s a good coffee flavour you’re after, or a nice fruity ice blend, it all comes down to the flavourings. All flavourings found in E-Liquids are food-grade.

Flavourings added to E-Liquid can be natural or artificial—but more often than not, you’ll get a combination of the two.

Some people prefer to vape only with all-natural ingredients, which is fair. But truthfully, the E-Liquid market would be bereft without artificial flavourings. There are so many flavour profiles which would be unattainable, and E-Liquids as a whole would be more expensive.

It’s also important to note here that all of the flavourings used in UK E-Liquids are tested and certified as safe for human consumption, and as of now, there are no known harms associated with vaping artificial flavourings in MHRA-approved E-Liquids.

Nicotine

This is one of the aforementioned ingredients that’s not necessarily present in every E-Liquid—in fact, in the UK, the entire Shortill E-Liquids category is free of nicotine.

In the UK, E-Liquids containing nicotine are confined to 10ml bottles by law, which is why you’ll find that all nicotine-containing E-Liquids on our website are in 10ml bottles.

Nicotine in E-Liquids comes in two forms: “freebase” nicotine, which carries the same nicotine formulation as a cigarette, albeit much less effective in vapour form, and nicotine salt, which is a newer formulation.

“Freebase” nicotine can be found in 50/50 E-Liquids, as well as in Nicotine Shots, which are a concentrated nicotine liquid which is added to shortfill bottles. This is the standard nicotine formulation, and it was all we had until just a couple of years ago.

Nicotine salt, on the other hand, is a mixture of nicotine with an added acid—usually citric or benzoic—which alters the pH level of the nicotine to allow it to enter the bloodstream faster. It also allows for a smoother throat hit at higher nicotine strengths, making this type of nicotine an excellent choice for recent ex-smokers. This nicotine formulation made way for a whole new type of E-Liquid, which makes it easier for smokers who are trying to quit.

Summary

There you have it: the four main E-Liquid ingredients, as seen on the back of every bottle of vape juice.

By now, you should be more familiar with these ingredients—Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Glycerin, Flavourings, and Nicotine—and you should be more aware of how they function in your vape.

If you’re struggling with finding your ideal E-Liquid, check out our handy guide: Which E-Liquid Should I Buy? Your #1 Beginner’s Guide to the Best E-Liquids.

Revised on 14th February 2022.