E-Liquid FAQs

This FAQ page is designed to answer any and all questions you may have about e-liquid products for personal vaporizers. This comprehensive guide will give you a good idea of how e-liquid works and what you can expect when you are purchasing e-liquid for yourself or a loved one!

What is E-Liquid?

E-liquid is the substance that is used to fill cartridges or tanks used by e-cigarettes or personal vaporizers. The e-liquid is responsible for carrying the flavor and nicotine to the vaper once it has been vaporized. Also known as e-juice, e-liquid is made to vaporize when it passes through the heating chamber of your device, making it easy to inhale and exhale, similar to smoking. Typically your device will use a wicking material like cotton to absorb e-liquid and transport it to the heating coils, where it reaches the appropriate temperature for vaporization.

What is in E-liquid?

All e-liquids are made up of four main ingredients: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), flavorings and nicotine. While the first two on this list may sound like dangerous chemicals, they are actually used widely throughout the medical and food industries, and are safe for consumption. Here's a quick breakdown of each one:

Propylene glycol: Propylene glycol is actually derived from petroleum to form an odorless, flavorless clear fluid. This fluid carries flavor very well and is commonly used to carry all kind of flavorings, such as fruit flavorings for popular sports drinks. In addition, propylene glycol is used for carrying medicines used in breathing treatments. Thus, it has been safely used for inhalation for many years. Propylene glycol is generally associated with stronger flavor and a stronger throat hit of the nicotine being delivered.

Vegetable glycerin: Vegetable glycerin is a natural fluid derived from vegetables. It is also used as a base for creating e-liquids. It is thicker than PG and has a slightly sweet taste to it, so it is not as flavorless or odorless as PG. However, VG is widely used as a mild sweetener in many foods, and is used to add moisture to baked goods. It is safe for ingestion and creates much denser vapor clouds when vaporized than PG. Thus, many popular e-liquid brands use a blend of 75 percent VG and 25 percent PG to create large, thick clouds that still carry a good flavor and a strong nicotine hit.

Flavorings: As mentioned above, most flavorings are delivered via PG. This is why even MAX VG e-liquids are not considered 100 percent VG, because the flavorings come in PG form regardless. Flavorings range from candies to traditional tobacco to coffee and tea. They can also be mixed together to create completely unique flavors.

Nicotine: The nicotine used in our e-liquids is 99.89 percent pure and comes from safe sources. Vapers should be on the lookout for companies that do not openly state the source of their nicotine. Nicotine with a lower purity rating may not deliver the expected results and may contain other chemicals that are not being advertised.

How Much Nicotine Do I Need?

You will notice that our e-liquids come in a variety of nicotine strengths ranging from zero nicotine up to 36 milligrams of nicotine. It is important that you find the right strength for you if you are trying to transition from smoking to vaping.

Choosing an e-liquid with too much nicotine could hit you harder than anticipated and have a negative impact on your ability to quit. Likewise, choosing an e-liquid with too little nicotine at first may make vaping feel like a poor substitute. The goal is to find an e-liquid with a nicotine level equivalent to your current cigarette usage and allow your body to adjust to the differences of vaping before you actually begin stepping down your nicotine level over time.

Obviously, the zero-nicotine option is the final frontier for those who have actually weaned themselves off of nicotine altogether but still enjoy the feel and taste of vaping fun flavored e-liquids. Both the three- and six-milligram strength e-liquids are very low on the strength test, much lower than even a "light" strength cigarette.

They are the last steps before giving up nicotine, but still contain just enough to take off the edge. A 12 mg e-liquid is about equivalent to a light cigarette, and an 18 mg e-liquid is equivalent to most full strength cigarettes. Finally, 24 and 36 mg e-liquids are usually reserved for those who have been heavily chain smoking for years and need a very robust liquid that delivers a powerful hit.

If there is ever any question of which liquid you should choose, you can always purchase the e-liquid one level above what you expect to need, and then use a bottle of zero nicotine liquid to dilute it down to a comfortable level on your own.

What about Custom E-liquids?

At VaporFi we offer a variety of customization options to make your e-liquid just right for you. Not only can you choose the nicotine strength of your vape, but you can also choose the VG/PG blend that makes up your vape.

If you prefer fewer clouds and more getting down to business, a higher-PG blend is probably good for you. However, if you enjoy making shapes with the clouds and throwing up big plumes of vapor, more VG may be in order. You can also adjust this combination depending on how you want the vapor to feel on your tongue and throat.

Next you can add extra flavor shots to your e-liquid if you enjoy a flavor but want it to be just a little stronger. Or a lot stronger! Add up to three flavor shots to any e-liquid to make it your own.

Finally, mix and match flavors in our Create Your Own shop. Perhaps you enjoy our American Red Tobacco flavor but you want to add a hint of menthol or vanilla to it. From our site you can combine the two in any proportion you desire to create a flavor that isn't already available. We will mix it for you in our FDA-approved lab and ship it to you.

What Should I Be Worried About?

For the most part, there have been few reported issues with e-liquids across the board. However, you should always make sure to check the ingredient list of your e-liquids. In the past, many e-liquids were made with a flavoring that contained an ingredient called diacetyl. Diacetyl is commonly used for butter flavorings such as popcorn and baked goods. However, it has been associated with a potentially harmful lung condition known as Popcorn Lung. While most manufacturers, including VaporFi, have banned its use, there are still a few companies who use this ingredient.

Secondly, some people find that e-liquids with a high PG content are irritating to the throat because of the strength of the hit they provide. Some people call it an allergic reaction. For the most part the symptoms go away after a few hours or days of not vaping, or by simply vaping something with less PG. If you start to experience these symptoms after you've been vaping a lot, make sure to change things up.

How to Judge an E-liquid?

If you are reading reviews of e-liquids online, there are several things you will want to know about it before you make your purchase. These include: the throat hit, the flavor and the vapor production. The throat hit is how strongly it delivers the nicotine and flavor to the back of your throat. This is how you judge whether or not it provides an experience similar to smoking a cigarette.

Over time you will likely move to liquids with a softer throat hit, but in the beginning it can feel strange not to have a strong throat hit. The flavor obviously describes the strength of the flavor, as well as how accurate it is to its description. Many online reviewers post at length about how well the flavor actually holds up to its target flavor.

Finally, the amount of vapor produced by the vapor can be important. Again, online reviewers are happy to tell you if a particular e-liquid is notorious for creating very dense clouds, or if it can be vaped discreetly with almost no visible vapor produced.

How to Store E-liquid?

E-liquid has some interesting qualities that mean you need to pay attention to how it is stored. First and foremost, e-liquid should always be stored in a child-proof container. E-liquid can be harmful to young children if ingested. Most manufacturers have already changed to child-proof containers to minimize risks, but if you happen to keep yours in a different bottle, beware.

Secondly, e-liquid should be stored in a cool, dry place out of the sunlight. Sunlight and heat can cause the ingredients in your e-liquid to separate, and it is impossible to recombine them once that happens. This will change the flavor and feel of your vape and make for a bad experience.

As a final note, some flavors taste better after they have been left to steep for a few days or a week. Many online reviewers will tell you if they have had experience with an e-liquid that did not taste quite right when they first opened it, but after a few days it tastes exactly as described online.

This is often the result of companies producing large quantities of e-liquid in a small amount of time and shipping them out the door before they have fully finished steeping in the warehouse. Give it a shot if you are unsure of whether or not a flavor is delivering on its promise.