It’s Not Regulated? - Debunking the Myths Around Vaping

Is vaping harmful and are E-Cigarettes as bad as some would have you believe? At Pod Salt, we’re passionate about helping smokers on their journey to quit and make the switch from cigarettes to vaping. Today we’re shedding light on the popular topic of what’s inside E-Liquids and whether they are regulated.

We don’t know what’s inside them & it’s not regulated!

We know exactly what are in E-Liquids and it’s surprisingly quite simple.

E-Liquids contain propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine as a base and are combined with water, flavourings, and nicotine. Now water and flavourings speak for themselves, but what’s the rest of it in laymen’s terms?

Propylene glycol is a clear, mostly odourless liquid that is a commonly used substance in many cosmetic and hygiene products and is also used as a food additive. It has a faintly sweet taste and can be found in products such as food dressings, soft drinks, food colouring and more. In E-Liquids, it works as an emulsifier to keep the ingredients in the E-Liquid together.

Vegetable glycerine is another clear syrup-like liquid that is typically made from soya beans, coconut, or palm oil. It is often used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. It is odourless and like propylene glycol it has a mildly sweet taste. It’s added to foods to help oil and water-based ingredients to mix or to prevent ice crystals from forming in frozen food. In pharmaceuticals, this can be found in heart medications, cough remedies and more. In E-Liquids, this is used as a thickening agent to the liquid – if an E-Liquid has more Vegetable glycerine (VG) in it, then it will produce more vapour and a more intense flavour.

Nicotine is another element that most people know about. This addictive substance is found in tobacco and is commonly most people are introduced to it through smoking. E-Liquids contain a synthetic version of nicotine known as ‘freebase’ which has been extracted from tobacco via a chemical process. Recently, Nicotine Salts have taken the market by storm, introducing a new way of adding nicotine to E-Liquids. Nicotine Salts are extracted from tobacco plants through distilling and provide a stronger hit of nicotine.

E-Liquids and E-Cigarettes are highly regulated in the UK.

More so than many places around the world, in the UK we have tight regulations around nicotine-containing vaping products and refill containers under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TPD). These ensure the safety and quality standards across the board from nicotine strength to advertising, health warnings, ban on certain ingredients and more.

In the UK we believe that vaping truly is a positive step towards quitting smoking, so ensuring that all things involved with vaping are to the highest degree of safety and quality, is paramount. You can check whether you E-Liquids are TPD compliant by checking your E-Liquid/E-Cigarette with the governing body of your country. In the UK you can check your E-Cigarette and E-Liquid products with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), all products that are TPD compliant are listed here before they can be sold to the public.

What does this mean then?

All products within the UK must comply with the rules and regulations set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with detailed information regarding the ingredients used. This means that when using products manufactured in the UK you can rest assured that you will know exactly what is in your E-Liquid or E-Cigarette, and that there is legislation in place to assure the safety and quality of said goods. Keep posted for more Monday Myth-Busting with Pod Salt!

Sources:
● Healthline – Propylene Glycol in Food
● Healthline – What is Vegetable Glycerin?
● Legislation.gov – The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016
● Alcohol and Drug Foundation - Nicotine
● Yorkshire Cancer Research – Position Statement on Vaping products