You might be familiar with electronic cigarettes, but the details about vape juice might not be so clear. Vape juice is the soul of electronic cigarettes, almost all disposable vape devices, MOD devices, and POD equipments have to be filled in e-liquid before working them, and today we’ll briefly introduce the composition of vape juice.
Currently, there are over 8,000 flavors of vape juice, ranging from various fruits to coffee, bread, and toast if you can get any flavor of vape juice that you imagine.
I. Composition of Vape Juice
1, Propylene Glycol (PG)
PG is a common pharmaceutical and food additive. It has hygroscopic properties, a slightly sweet taste, and is colorless, odorless, and transparent. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines PG as “generally safe for human consumption.”
In vape juice, PG acts as a base ingredient, primarily serving as a carrier for flavors. It enhances the taste of vape juice, produces a small amount of vapor when heated, and provides a certain throat hit.
2, Vegetable Glycerin (VG)
Similar to PG, VG is a widely used ingredient in daily life. Many snack packages list “propylene glycol, propylene glycol” among their ingredients. People who enjoy sweets often consume a significant amount of VG, found in cakes, desserts, and other snacks.
In vape juice, VG’s main role is to produce vapor. When heated, VG generates a substantial amount of vapor. If you want to increase vapor production, adding a significant amount of VG directly achieves the desired effect. VG has high hygroscopicity and is very viscous. A vape juice with poor flowability likely has a high VG ratio, resulting in substantial vapor but slightly inferior flavor and a weaker throat hit.
3, Nicotine
Nicotine, a well-known component of tobacco, is a major reason many people smoke. Apart from alleviating nicotine cravings, it also creates a unique throat hit that many smokers enjoy.
Due to the toxicity of pure nicotine upon skin contact, in vape juice, it is usually dissolved in VG (vegetable glycerin) to ensure both the volatility of nicotine and to avoid direct skin contact risks. VG, also a primary component of vape juice, helps stabilize the nicotine solution, making the vapor smoother and less irritating to the throat.
4, Food-grade Flavorings
Food-grade flavorings are the soul of vape juice, determining its taste. Vape juices with unique flavors generally have more complex flavoring formulas.
II. Manufacturing Process
The production of vape juice typically involves two methods: measuring devices or electronic scales, differing in whether they measure in volume or weight. Today, we’ll discuss using electronic scales to mix vape juice.
Add the VG nicotine solution to a dedicated container. Before adding, shake it as nicotine is quite viscous and tends to settle during mixing.
Add flavorings, PG, and VG to the container in sequence.
The ratio of these four ingredients, excluding trace amounts of nicotine, usually has flavorings at 10%-15%. The PG and VG ratio is adjusted based on specific requirements. A higher proportion of PG gives a stronger throat hit and lighter vapor, while VG provides the opposite. Those who prefer big clouds often choose a higher VG ratio, while a 50:50 ratio caters to both throat hit and vapor quantity.
After pouring all the ingredients, the layers will separate due to different densities. Shake the mixture thoroughly to blend them. After shaking, let it sit for optimal results.
Now, the vape juice is ready!
While the vape juice-making process is relatively straightforward, achieving precise flavor profiles can be challenging. Vape juice, like perfumes, has top, middle, and base notes. Complex vape juices involve a mixture of various flavorings, requiring experimentation to find the perfect balance.
