What is E-Liquid? A Guide To E-liquid

There are so many choices of different styles and flavours of e-liquids to choose from. From shortfills to nic salts, tobacco flavour to cheesecake, there is something to suit everyone's needs. What are e-liquids? What are they made from, and which liquids are right for you? We’ll explore all of this here, and answer some common questions. 

A Guide To E-Liquid

First of all, what is E-Liquid? E-Liquid (also referred to as ‘Juice’ or ‘E-Juice’) is the substance that you put into your vape, which is then heated by a coil to create the vapor that you inhale.

E-Liquid is made from two main base ingredients, Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerine (PG / VG). These are mixed in various ratios, depending on the liquid that you buy, alongside with food grade flavourings and nicotine if you choose to have any. Not all e-liquid will contain nicotine. 

Propylene Glycol (PG) is a very commonly used substance, just slightly thicker than water. It’s been used in the food industry for years, as well as in medications and hygiene products. In vaping, it acts as an emulsifier to keep all the flavourings together in E-Liquid. It also gives the E-Liquid it’s throat hit, so the higher the level of PG, generally the more throat it the e-liquid tends to have. 

Vegetable Glycerine (VG) acts as a thickening agent for E-Liquid, and is the substance that creates most of the cloud that you exhale. Again, it’s commonly used across the food industry, as well as in medications and cosmetics. It is naturally sweet tasting, odorless and can be clear or slightly brown in colour. Because it’s much smoother than PG to inhale, it reduces a lot of the throat hit that comes with PG. 

So why does e-liquid come in varying ratios of PG / VG? And how does the ratio of PG and VG affect your vaping experience? The easiest way to think about it is the higher the VG ratio in your e-liquid, the thicker and smoother it tends to be. Because it is a thicker liquid, it does require more power to vaporise. This makes higher VG liquids (70% VG 30% PG for example) perfect for Sub-Ohm vaping, which runs at higher power.  A higher PG ratio (50% VG 50% PG for example), is ideal for MTL kits because they are a thinner liquid, and require less power to vaporise and offer a comparatively more intense flavour. The ratio of PG / VG is listed on their individual product pages in the product description.