Choosing the Healthiest E-Juice: E-Liquid Ingredients Explained

Vaping is about 95 percent healthier than smoking, according to Public Health England, mainly due to the lack of combustion. When you light a cigarette on fire, it produces more than 4,000 chemicals, at least 40 of which are known carcinogens.

Vaping uses heat instead of flame to produce a vapor from your e-juice, automatically making it a safer alternative. The only chemicals you’ll encounter are those used as ingredients, and you can keep those at a minimum.

Standard E-Liquid Ingredients

Most e-liquids contain the chemicals of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), along with optional nicotine and some type of flavoring. PG and VG are both generally recognized as safe for ingestion by the Food and Drug Administration, and both are widely used in a variety of consumer products.

• Propylene glycol is frequently found in asthma inhalers, and it produces a sensation similar to smoking. PG is responsible for producing the throat hit vapors experience, and it’s also useful for carrying the flavor.

• Vegetable glycerin has a range of uses, including keeping baked goods moist. It adds a hint of sweetness to e-liquid while helping to produce large vape clouds.

• Nicotine is optional in most e-liquids, available in a range of levels. E-juice manufacturers may offer levels that start as high as 18 mg and dip all the way down to 0 mg. The healthiest option here would be an e-liquid with no nicotine.  

• Flavoring can be derived from a natural extract or man-made from synthetic ingredients. The best way to avoid unnecessary chemical additives is to opt for flavoring created using natural extracts, such as the tobacco extract used in Black Note e-juice.

Other Possible Ingredients

Manufacturers may use a combination of natural and artificial flavorings in their e-liquids, with many ingredients carrying no known risks. Ingredients you may run across include:

• Acetyl pyrazine: Organic compound for graham cracker-like flavor
• Ethyl maltol: Organic compound for sweet flavor
• Linalool: Component in flower, plant and fruit essential oils for herbal flavor
• Malic acid: Organic compound for fruity and sour flavor
• Tobacco absolute: Tobacco extract for tobacco flavor
• Vanillin: This vanilla bean extract component for vanilla flavor

Ingredients to Avoid

While there are many components used for flavoring in e-liquids that have no known risks, a few of them are better off avoided. These include diacetyl, acetoin and acetyl propionyl.

• Diacetyl is a buttery flavoring that has been associated with lung disease. Alternatives to diacetyl include acetyl propionyl and acetoin. 

• Acetyl propionyl may carry risks similar to diacetyl. 

• Acetoin is not known to be hazardous on its own, but it may contain traces of diacetyl.

For the healthiest vaping experience, it’s essential to know what’s in your e-liquid. While many ingredients may not come with any known risks, make sure you’re aware of those that do. The safest route is always the best route. This particularly holds true if you’re turning to vaping for a healthier alternative to smoking and you want to make vaping as healthy as it can be.

SOURCES:
http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm
https://www.blacknote.com/whats-in-vape-juices-and-is-it-safe/
https://www.blacknote.com/vaping-side-effects/
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456704/McNeill-Hajek_report_authors_note_on_evidence_for_95_estimate.pdf

This is a guest blog entry.