Liquid Nicotine – All You Need to Know

We answer your questions about liquid nicotine

9 March 2022 | Hannah Rubery

What is Liquid Nicotine?

Liquid Nicotine is the liquid form of nicotine extracted from the tobacco plant. In its liquid form, the nicotine is much purer than that used in tobacco cigarettes which use dried tobacco leaves. Most traditional Liquid Nicotine is known as Freebase Nicotine or regular nicotine, but Nicotine Salts are fast becoming popular. Nicotine Salts are Liquid Nicotine that is derived from the same tobacco plant however is extracted by a different method. Liquid Nicotine is also sometimes used to refer to E-Liquids in general but it’s important to note that not all E-Liquids contain nicotine.

What are the dangers of Liquid Nicotine?

Liquid Nicotine is a substance that is toxic to ingest and can cause skin irritation if there is skin contact. It’s important to be aware that Liquid Nicotine is not for ingesting only for vaporising, and that vapers mixing their own E-Liquid should wear protective gloves when handling Liquid Nicotine. Like standard nicotine, Liquid Nicotine is an addictive substance and can be harmful, especially to young adults and children. Too much nicotine can produce unwanted side effects such as nausea, rapid increase in heart rate, elevated blood pressure and more.

What is Liquid Nicotine used for?

Most commonly Liquid Nicotine is used in the making of E-Liquid for E-Cigarettes and vape devices. Nicotine makes up a part of standard E-Liquids which also include vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, alongside any flavourings. It can be found ready-mixed in with these other ingredients, or as a separate shot that can be added to nicotine-free E-Liquids such as shortfills and longfills.

Can you buy Liquid Nicotine?

Yes, you can buy Liquid Nicotine. In the UK, we sell Nicotine Shots which are usually combined with shortfill bottles for vapers to mix their own E-Liquid. This allows them to create nicotine versions of their favourite flavours that do not already contain nicotine. More experienced vapers also buy Liquid Nicotine shots to create their own concoctions with. You can find quality Liquid Nicotine shots in the UK here.

What is the legal amount of Liquid Nicotine in the UK?

In the UK, the legal maximum strength of nicotine is 20mg/ml. There are a variety of nicotine strengths available including lower than 20m/ml all the way to nicotine-free E-Liquids. Some E-Liquids, and disposables especially, contain nicotine strengths higher than 20mg/ml which are illegal in the UK.

Is 20mg Nicotine a lot?

A 20mg/ml nicotine strength is usually advised for smokers who used to smoke around a pack of cigarettes a day. For vapers who smoke less than a pack a day, lower strengths are more likely to be better for you. 20mg/ml of nicotine may be too much for many vapers if they only smoke lightly.

What is Nic Salt?

Nic Salt, or Nicotine Salts, are an alternative version of Liquid Nicotine. Made by extracting nicotine from the tobacco plant and mixing with an acid to reduce the pH of nicotine, helps create a more alkali version. Simply, this means that Nicotine Salts provide a smoother, less harsh hit to the throat when inhaling whilst still providing a strong nicotine hit. The problem with Freebase Nicotine is that at higher strengths, it can be too harsh on the throat. For more information on the difference between Nicotine Salts and Freebase Nicotine, check out our article here. Or learn how to safely use Nicotine Salts here.

How much nicotine is in a cigarette?

On average, a cigarette contains around 10 to 12mg of nicotine but you’re unlikely to inhale all of this as it burns. You’re more likely to inhale around 1.1 to 1.8mg of nicotine by the end of a cigarette – so if you smoked 20 cigarettes you would likely inhale around 22 to 36mg of nicotine.

How many puffs equal a cigarette?

Different types of E-Liquid (Freebase or Nic Salts) along with their nicotine strength can all impact how many puffs are equal to a cigarette. Generally, it’s an industry standard that a disposable vape device or 2ml of E-Liquid is approximately equal to a pack of 20 cigarettes.

Education around nicotine is vital for ensuring there is no misinformation and to correctly provide users of vape products the information they need to make informed choices. Vaping is widely being recognised as a less harmful alternative to smoking and has been noted to be even more useful than traditional NRTs (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) in recent studies.

Although nicotine itself is seen as not being the leading cause of health issues created by smoking, as it is an addictive substance, it should still be treated with care. Therefore, Pod Salt do not recommend vaping for those who have never smoked and have never intended to smoke. Vaping is a valuable smoking cessation tool that pushes for harm reduction but vaping itself is not entirely harmless.