Vaping has come under a lot of scrutiny since becoming so popular. With many countries still criminalising vaping and prohibiting the selling of products in their countries, it can be surprising and a little frustrating to hear the reasoning behind it. Whilst some laws may be down to religious reasons, which must be respected, others are based on myths that are stopping whole countries from enjoying vaping. With e liquid stores in the UK becoming increasingly popular, there’s plenty of reason to help separate fact from fiction.

Vaping is poisonous

The short answer to this is yes, but no. To answer this, you need to look at the main ingredients of e juice. With propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings, water and nicotine, the only product in their which is poisonous is nicotine. Now vape juice itself has a high and potentially dangerous level of nicotine, which in high quantities can be poisonous. However, this is only dangerous if you were to drink the vape juice. Using it correctly and keeping it out of the reach of children and pets will ensure that you never suffer from nicotine poisoning.

Vaping stains your clothes

Yes, vape juice can stain your clothes, but it’s nothing stain remover, or a good wash can’t take care of. On top of this, this is only the juice, not the vapour itself. Whilst the tar from tobacco smoke and the fire from smoking can stain clothes, the actual vaping process, will not cause any staining of clothes or furniture, especially in well ventilated rooms.

Vapour has poisonous chemicals like tobacco smoke does

Whilst there are traces of formaldehyde in vapour, these are no more than the levels present in the air naturally. These are also nowhere near the levels in tobacco smoke, which has an extra 400 or so toxic chemicals present within. 40 of these chemicals are also known carcinogens. Vapour therefore has a few chemicals in it which could be classed as toxic, but not to the level where it would have any effect on the human body.

Nicotine is what makes tobacco dangerous

Nicotine is an addictive substance which will make you crave it time after time. This is what makes vaping such a good smoking cessation tool, still giving users that hit of nicotine but without the dangerous by-products of tobacco. It is these other by-products, the 400 toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke which make it dangerous, rather than the nicotine itself. Of course, nicotine should not be ingested by anyone under the legal age for vaping.

Vaping is a gateway to smoking

Whilst studies in the past have talked about how those who start vaping may be more likely to start smoking, the reality is that this is only true in underage vapers. With more stringent age restrictions, vaping still acts as a smoking cessation tool, not a gateway to it.

Though synthetic in name, this type of nicotine isn’t as “manufactured” as the name makes it out to be.

In the past few years, vaping has been the subject of much debate due to the sanctions and regulations imposed upon vaping products by the Tobacco Products Directive Laws. As a nicotine containing product, and nicotine having come from tobacco plants, vape juice and its accessories have come under tight restrictions. With a 2 ml limit on vape tanks and 10 ml vape juice bottles only being allowed to have a maximum concentration of 20 mg, vape companies have begun to look at alternatives for their nicotine, to find loopholes in the restrictive TPD laws. That’s where synthetic nicotine comes in.

What is synthetic nicotine?

Synthetic nicotine is made from a range of molecules which can be arranged to form the chemical we know as nicotine. Although this comes from tobacco, the main source we get our nicotine from, we can also find nicotine in other products, such as potato, tomato and aubergines, which are plants and vegetables in the same family of nightshade plants. Although these plants produce the same type of nicotine, they are in much smaller qualities. However, with the use of acids such as sulphuric acid and niacin, you can create the same strength in nicotine but using other products and some great chemistry. The only problem is creating the right “type” of nicotine, the (S) type. Nicotine coming in two different forms which are often mixed together. This requires some extra finesse from scientists, but it is doable in creating nicotine with the same potency as that from tobacco.

How can it help vaping?

Creating synthetic nicotine would mean that you can find nicotine from other products other than tobacco, ensuring that you are instead using anything from tobacco. Seeing as the TPD laws only focus on Tobacco and related products, you could get around the laws through the loophole and technicality that synthetic nicotine has little to do with tobacco. This in theory means that you would be able to bypass the maximum tank laws and vape in a freer way, currently prohibited from even the best e liquid stores in London.

Do companies use it?

There are a few vape companies out there who use synthetic nicotine or have begun experimenting with it in their products. The problem is, it’s still quite expensive to develop, due to the chemical processes and extra work which needs to go into developing it.

What does it mean for vaping in the long run?

So, will vaping be transformed from the choke hold of the TPD laws? Sadly, the answer is probably not. Due to the expenses which must go into developing synthetic nicotine, it’s still out of the price range of most people, whilst if it did make its way into the mainstream due to cheaper production, then the Tobacco Products Directive could most likely find a way to incorporate it into their laws which are still being reassessed and developed.

There’s no point being cynical though, synthetic nicotine may still have a chance of at least helping the vape community to give a definitive alternative and a concrete counter argument to the restrictive laws.

Most people go for the same old vape mixtures time after time, but where’s the fun in that?

There are thousands of vape flavours on the market, and whilst flavours such as summer fruit and cookie dough may remain fan favourites, there are plenty of other factors you must consider when vaping. Whether it’s opting for a smoother vape hit or a heady nicotine rush, finding the right sensations and texture are crucial for the vaping connoisseur. Vaping is so great because it can be personalised, edited to your own tastes, and so knowing the ways in which you can give your vape flavours that extra punch are crucial for an open minded and varied vaping experience.

How much nicotine do you need?

Standard pre filled vape devices have a maximum limit of 20 mg per 10 ml of vape juice. The minimum amount is 3 mg or 0 mg and many vape flavours will give you different nicotine concentration options. The higher the concentration, the bigger the throat hit, and the sharper the inhale. What’s more, you can find a wide range of short filled vape juices which come without nicotine. These give space in the bottle to add your own nicotine shots, meaning that you can vape with concentrations which are as high as you like.

PG Aand VG ratios

Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine ratios will bring a balance of flavour and smoothness to their varying mixtures. The higher the PG, the sharper the taste and throat hit. This is due to the PG compound being the carrier of flavour and nicotine in a e liquid. On the other hand, VG compounds add thickness and viscosity to the solutions, leading to VG heavy juices being a smoother draw.

What is MTL and DTL vaping?

There are two main styles of vaping. These are Mouth to Lung vaping and Direct to Lung. Whilst lower powered devices such as the cigalike and vape pen use mouth to lung vaping, direct to lung is reserved for hire powered sub ohm and variable voltage and wattage devices. DTL vaping refers to inhaling vapour and allowing it to travel straight down to your lungs, as opposed to bringing it into your mouth first, like with Mouth to Lung. Mouth to lung vaping is popular with recent ex-smokers, who prefer it due to the similarities in inhalation styles to their former habit. DTL vaping often uses higher VG liquids due to the amount of vapour being inhaled, whilst MTL use higher PG liquids.

Vape devices and their differences

Below are some of the devices you can choose from.

Sub Ohm

Sub Ohm devices have lower resistances and so are far better for higher VG liquids, giving you more vape juice and thicker clouds on the exhale.

Vape pen

These simpler devices are on the mid-range of power levels, and so can chop and change between higher PG and VG mixes, depending on the user’s preferences.

Pod Mods

Pod mods often use nicotine salts to make more potent the nicotine hit from their vape juices, this means that they are naturally higher in PG than they are VG.