E-Liquid, also known as vape juice, e-juice, or vape liquid, is the flavoured mixture that goes inside your trusty vape kit. This liquid is added to your pod or tank, and when heated, creates a vapour designed to be inhaled.
E-Liquids are usually made up of 3 or 4 ingredients, depending on whether or not the juice contains nicotine.
A colourless, odourless flavour carrier known for its thin texture and excellent throat hit.
A colourless, odourless, plant-derived flavour carrier with a thicker consistency, known for producing big clouds.
Flavourings deliver the incredible taste of your favourite vape juice. They can be either natural or artificial.
Nicotine helps satisfy your cravings when you quit smoking cigarettes. Some juices, like shortfills, do not contain nicotine.
Each E-Liquid type is designed to be used in specific types of vape kits and contains different ratios of PG and VG. Some contain nicotine, some do not, and some use different types of nicotine.
50/50 juices are made with traditional "freebase" nicotine which is derived from the tobacco leaf. Freebase 10ml E-Liquids are great for new users as they're compatible with most basic starter vape kits and pod kits. They're available in a variety of strengths from 3mg to 18mg.
Nicotine Salts—also known as salt nicotine or salt nic—have seen a massive spike in popularity since 2019. They are similar to 50/50 blends and are compatible with the same devices, with the added benefit of providing a quicker nicotine fix and a much smoother throat hit at higher strengths.
Nicotine Salts are best suited to current and recent ex-smokers for use in starter vape kits and pod kits and are available in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg strengths, with 20mg being the standard for most smokers.
Shortfills are reserved for sub-ohm vapers employing a DTL (Direct-to-Lung) vaping style and are usually formulated in higher VG blends, making them best suited for low-resistance, high-wattage vapes like the ones in our advanced vape kits section.
100% VG juices are made without any propylene glycol (PG) whatsoever, specifically formulated for vapers who have a PG intolerance, sensitivity, or allergy. These juices require specific hardware to use—usually, an advanced vape kit which uses coils with large wicking holes.
Depending on the type of vape kit you're using, you'll need to make sure you pick a juice with the right VG/PG ratio. Let's break down what you need to look for.
These kits are great for beginners. For pod vapes ands starter kits, you'll need to make sure you buy E-Liquids with at least 50% PG or higher, which includes most salt nicotine juices and 50/50 freebase E-Liquids. These thinner E-Liquids work perfect with low-powered beginner vapes.
When in doubt, look for 10ml E-Liquid bottles. A good rule of thumb is that small vapes take small bottles of vape juice.
Sub-ohm or DTL vape kits require thicker E-Liquids for the coils to saturate and vaporise properly. Because VG is typically thicker than PG, you'll want to make sure the E-Liquid you use in your sub-ohm vape has more vegetable glycerine—at least 70% VG.
But from there, the choice is up to you! If you like denser clouds and more flavour, you can opt for even higher VG percentages like 80%.
Because these are considered "closed pod systems," disposable vapes and pre-filled vape pods cannot be refilled. For pre-filled pods, simply replace the entire pod once it's empty. Disposable vapes cannot be refilled either. Instead, when the light flashes, please discard it in accordance with your local authority's guidelines.
There are a few different types of nicotine that you might find in an E-Liquid, though you might find none at all in the case of shortfill vape juices. E-Liquids sold in 10ml TPD bottles usually contain some form of nicotine, which helps you satisfy your cravings after you quit smoking. They come in a variety of strengths and each type offers certain benefits.
• Smooth throat hit
• Fast nicotine delivery
• Available in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg strengths
Salt nicotine is a form of nicotine created by adding an acid—usually benzoic or salicylic acid—to the nicotine molecule, which lowers the pH and allows it to enter the bloodstream quicker. Plus, this type allows for a smoother throat hit, which means you can vape higher nicotine strengths without it feeling too harsh on your throat.
Salt nicotine is the preferred type for current and recent ex-smokers for its quick "nic fix" and smooth feeling on the throat. Plus, it means that getting your higher-dose nicotine is easier, quicker, and more satisfying than with freebase liquids.
• Strong throat hit
• Longer nicotine delivery
• Available in 3mg, 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg strengths
Freebase nicotine is the traditional form that emerged when vaping first began, and it's been a mainstay ever since. Derived from the tobacco leaf, this type of nicotine feels more like a cigarette, and the higher the strength you choose, the more you'll feel it on your throat.
Freebase nicotine doesn't work as fast as nic salts do, but it lasts longer in the body to keep you feeling satisfied. Plus, freebase has the benefit of being available at strengths as low as 3mg.
• Medium throat hit
• Fast & long nicotine delivery
• Available in 5mg, 10mg, and 20mg strengths
Pioneered by Riot as a type of nicotine designed to help keep smokers off of cigarettes, hybrid nicotine offers the best of both worlds. This type of nicotine is a combination of both freebase and salt nicotine, so you get the quick satisfaction of nic salts with the long-lasting benefits of freebase nicotine.
Plus, much like freebase liquids, hybrid nicotine offers a stronger, sharper throat hit the higher the strength you use. They're often marketed as hybrid nic salts.
In the UK, all 10ml bottles of E-Liquid come pre-mixed with nicotine and are ready to use straight away. They're available in a variety of VG/PG ratios, thousands of flavours, and a number of different strengths and can fully refill your vape kit or vape pod up to 5 times. Plus, with our incredible Mix & match offers, you can stock up for less.
You may see these vape juices referred to as TPD E-Liquids. This is because the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) of the EU and the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) in the UK have strict rules and regulations that dictate the sale of E-Liquids containing nicotine. Their laws, for instance, are what limit nicotine E-Liquids to 10ml bottles and ensure clear warnings and ingredients lists are printed for your peace of mind. They also have a law that says E-Liquids in the UK can have no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine.
If you're familiar with DTL (Direct-to-Lung) or sub-ohm vaping, you'll know that this vaping style tends to consume a lot more vape juice than your average pod vape will. So, when TPD and TRPR set the 10ml bottle size limit on E-Liquids, sub-ohm vapers needed to find a workaround.
Shortfills are a solution to this, allowing sub-ohm vapers to stock up on 50ml and 100ml E-Liquids without this 10ml limit. This is because shortfills come without any added nicotine. When you buy a shortfill, if you're hoping to vape with nicotine, you'll need to purchase a nicotine shot to add in there.
Thankfully, shortfills come "short filled"—hence the name—in larger bottles, leaving the perfect amount of space for you to add in a nic shot or two, depending on the size of the bottle. This makes shortfills cost-effective and customisable for DTL vapers.
If you purchase a 50ml shortfill, it'll come in a 60ml bottle, and a 100ml shortfill will come in a 120ml bottle. If you add an 18mg nic shot to the 50ml liquid, or 2 x 18mg nic shots to the 100ml, you'll get a perfect 3mg strength E-Liquid once you shake it up.
