How much nicotine in a vape?
Helping you find the right nicotine strength e-liquid.
We often get asked the question ‘how much nicotine in a vape?’. Now technically this isn’t quite right as the nicotine is contained within the e-liquid. But because nicotine levels can be a little bit confusing, especially if you’re new to vaping, we know what our customers are getting at.
In this article, you’ll find out what nicotine is, the strengths available in UK e-liquids, as well as get some tips to help you select the right strength of nicotine. We’ll also quickly touch on nicotine salt and reducing your nicotine intake.
Firstly, what is nicotine?
Nicotine is a substance found naturally in plants, including leaf tobacco. It’s what helps make cigarettes so addictive, especially as tobacco manufacturers add increased potency nicotine into cigarettes too.
Most e-liquids also contain nicotine to simulate the experience of smoking and to relieve the nicotine cravings smokers get. Despite being addictive, nicotine has not been found to increase the risk of serious health problems. Also, the risks with vaping are massively reduced compared to smoking. What causes harm to smokers are the toxins produced by cigarette smoke, such as tar and carbon monoxide.
The nicotine strengths of UK e-liquids.
It’s difficult to calculate exactly how much nicotine is in a cigarette as it varies between brands. However, when it comes to e-liquids, the amount of nicotine in each one is clearly identifiable.
In the UK, the nicotine strength of e-liquids ranges from 0 mg/ml to 20 mg/ml. That’s because the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) introduced a requirement in May 2017 that the maximum strength in the UK can be 20 mg/ml. ‘mg/ml’ is the measurement, which is calculated as the amount of nicotine in milligrams for every millilitre of e-liquid. This is sometimes expressed as a percentage, for example, 0.3% instead of 3 mg/ml.
What nicotine strength is right for me?
When it comes to working out what nicotine strength e-liquid to choose, it’s not an exact science. It would be wonderful to just go: ‘you used to smoke XX cigarettes a day, therefore you’ll enjoy an e-liquid with XX mg/ml nicotine level’.
Fortunately, with the range of strengths available, you should find one that replicates the same hit you got from smoking. To help you select the right nicotine strength and ensure you’re enjoying vaping, you should consider the following:
- Usage - If you vape sparingly throughout the day, a higher nicotine e-liquid might suit you. However, if you vape a lot, the high levels of nicotine might be too much and even cause sickness and dizziness. The size of your inhalations will also affect how much nicotine your body absorbs, so if you take big, long hits, a high nicotine e-liquid might also be too much for you.
- Throat hit - A higher nicotine e-liquid might satisfy your craving, but it can deliver a harsher throat hit.
- Taste - A lower nicotine level can produce a smoother throat hit, which allows you to taste the flavour better.
- Smoking equivalent - Because it’s difficult to know how much nicotine was in your cigarettes, it’s hard to know exactly the strength of e-liquid you should choose. A general rule of thumb is, if you were a heavy smoker, then a high strength nicotine level should suit you better. Although this isn’t always the case, with some heavy smokers preferring lower strength nicotine e-liquids because they are less harsh.
What are nicotine salt e-liquids?
Without getting too technical, these are a different type of e-liquid that deliver a smoother throat hit. It means you can use a higher concentration of nicotine to satisfy your craving, without the harshness. There’s a bit more to it, like nicotine salts only work with certain types of vaping devices, but it’s another option for you to consider.
Reducing your nicotine levels.
For some, finding the perfect nicotine level is their goal. Others are looking to reduce it to zero. If you want to cut it right down, it’s best to do it gradually over a longer period, reducing the strength of the nicotine in your e-liquid one level at a time.
Still, need more advice on nicotine levels?
It’s not easy to find the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquids, especially if you’re new to vaping. Although the factors in this article might help steer you, there’s still an element of experimentation.
If you’d like some more help get in touch with one of our advisors to chat it through further.