What is in Vape Juice? (E-liquid or E-juice Ingredients)

If you’re new to vaping, you have good reason to be fascinated by the juice that gives your vape its flavor, texture and feel. The vape juice, aka e-liquid or e-juice is what fills up your vape tank and is vaporized by your mod or e-cigarette.

One of the first questions newcomers to vaping ask is, ‘what is in vape juice?’ or ‘what is vape juice made of’? The answer to this question is very simple, but it is important to understand the ingredients of vape juice before you start using it.

whats in vape juice

Vape Juice Ingredients

To put it simply, vape juice, e-liquid or e-juice has five (5) main ingredients:

  • Water
  • Propylene Glycol (PG)
  • Vegetable Glycerin (VG)
  • Flavoring
  • Nicotine

These ingredients are present in all vape juices but the composition of the base (PG & VG) does vary.

Propylene Glycol in Vape Juice (PG)

Propylene Glycol is a synthetic chemical which serves as the base for most vape juices or e-liquids. It is a colorless and odorless liquid with a very faint sweet taste. It is generally considered safe by the FDA is also used in various food products.

Vegetable Glycerin in Vape Juice (VG)

Vegetable Glycerin, or VG, is also a base for vape juices and is a natural product as opposed to PG. It is made from vegetable oil, which gives it a thicker texture and sweeter flavor. It is also an FDA approved liquid and is preferred by some vapers over PG.

PG vs VG Comparison

A lot of new vapers also want to know which of the two bases is better, and what are the differences between PG vs VG dominant vape juices.

Firstly, a lot of vape juices come with both PG and VG in mixed ratios. For instance, you can have 60% PG and 40% VG or even 80% VG and 20% PG, depending on your choice.

Propylene GlycolVegetable Glycerin
Drags hit your throat strong Drags don’t hit your throat
Purer flavorFlavor has added sweetness
Moderate vapors/cloudsThicker vapors/clouds
Lasts longer in storageDoes not last as long as PG
Does not drain much batteryDrains your mod’s battery faster
Low maintenance and cleaningCauses buildups inside your tank
Some people have allergies to PGIs natural, so no allergies

Best PG VG Mix Ratios

Vape juices have a lot of variety when it comes to PG VG mix ratios and we’ve put together a summary guide so you can pick the best PG VG ratio for your preferences in terms of more clouds, more flavor, stronger hits or a neutral balance.

  • 100% PG: Strongest throat hit accompanied by pure flavor but light vapors.
  • 80/20 (PG/VG): Slightly denser clouds with a good strong throat hit.
  • 70/30 (PG/VG): Even more vapor and less of a throat hit.
  • 60/40 (PG/VG): Common ratio with decent vapors and a moderate hit.
  • 50/50 (PG/VG): The perfect balance between smooth clouds and a soft hit.
  • 40/60 (PG/VG): Stronger vapors and an even softer throat hit.
  • 30/70 (PG/VG): Heavier vapor clouds and a very mild throat hit.
  • 20/80 (PG/VG): Very thick clouds and very, very mild throat hit only on long drags.
  • 100% VG: Non-existent throat hit with a very sweet aftertaste and very, very thick clouds, best for tricks.

Nicotine in Vape Juice

A word of warning here, nicotine is known to be very addictive and potent and also has several harmful side-effects, including birth defects and reproductive harm and is highly dangerous for pregnant women.

So if you don’t already smoke cigarettes or tobacco, there is no need for you to opt for vape juices which include nicotine.

Even though there are varying levels of nicotine in vape juices, it is only suggested as a way for smokers to reduce their intake and slowly wean off nicotine.

Nicotine measurements in vape juice denote milligrams present in one milliliter of the e-juice. A typical tobacco cigarette has around 7mg – 12mg nicotine, while vape juices have anywhere between 0mg (no nicotine) to 25mg+ (very high nicotine).

Once again, we don’t recommend vape juices with nicotine unless you’re an existing smoker who is looking to quit or reduce nicotine intake.

For nowadays, the Nicotine salts become popular in the vape pods system,  click here read more about Nicotine Salt

Flavorings in Vape Juice

Vape juices come in a large variety of flavors. From classics like Apple, Cherry and Berries, all the way to crazy hybrids you can’t even imagine. Most of these flavorings are due to chemicals which are FDA approved and considered food-grade.

However, flavors are also the vaguest of all the ingredients in vape juice. You don’t really know the exact combination of any flavor because the companies that produce them don’t reveal them.

Moreover, flavors being food-grade means they are safe for consumption and ingestion, but we aren’t quite sure how they affect us when we inhale them.

Which Vape Juice is Best for you?

Finally, to answer this question, it is important that you understand what vape juice is made of. After that it is a simple matter of preferences and priorities. If you want a good, smooth vaping experience, you may want to go for VG heavy juices, but if you want solid throat hits and are an existing smoker, you should lean towards PG heavy mixes with moderate nicotine quantities.

The best vape juice for you depends on what you need. Flavors are the same way and it takes some trial and error before you find your best mix ratio, flavor and temperature for vaping.

That’s all for now guys. Got questions about vape juice and its ingredients? Hit us up via the comments below and we’ll get back to you.