Tobacco-free Nicotine – What is Synthetic Nicotine?

What's the difference between regular nicotine and tobacco-free nicotine?

25 March 2022 | Hannah Rubery

What is Tobacco-free Nicotine (TFN)?

Tobacco-free Nicotine (TFN), also known as synthetic nicotine, is made using chemicals in a laboratory, rather than being extracted from tobacco plants. Most E-Liquids use tobacco-based nicotine that involves extracting the nicotine from tobacco plants to create Freebase Nicotine or Nicotine Salts that you are familiar with.

Recent innovations however have given birth to synthetic nicotine. It has yet to take off in the wider market but there could be a possibility that this will increase.

How is it different from Tobacco-based Nicotine?

The main difference between Tobacco-free Nicotine and Tobacco-based Nicotine is the creation of the product. As mentioned before, TFN is created in a lab from chemicals to recreate pure nicotine. Unlike normal Tobacco-based Nicotine, it contains no impurities that can sometimes be brought through the extraction process, from the tobacco plant. Technically this makes TFN the purest version of nicotine available.

Another difference between the two is that Tobacco-free Nicotine contains no extra flavour or scent that is commonly associated with tobacco. Manufacturers generally end up using more flavourings to cover up the taste of nicotine, but with synthetic nicotine, this would not be necessary.

Is Tobacco-free Nicotine safe?

Compared to normal Tobacco-based Nicotine, synthetic nicotine is technically somewhat safer due to it containing no impurities from the tobacco plant. Although nicotine is noted by many to be relatively harmless in its own right, it is highly addictive and as such, should be treated with care. Nicotine does naturally occur in many food items that we eat such as potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, aubergine and more, but the amount in these vegetables is very low.

Is Tobacco-free Nicotine better for you?

Tobacco-free Nicotine doesn’t contain any of the impurities that could be in regular nicotine. As nicotine is extracted from the tobacco plant, some impurities can be present in the nicotine depending on the process used. However, nicotine is still an addictive substance and as such should be used responsibly.

Is Tobacco-Free Nicotine addictive?

Yes, it’s the same as any other form of nicotine. TFN is just as addictive as regular nicotine and should be treated with care. Nicotine addiction is but one of the side effects of smoking, but it is possible to deal with by lowering your nicotine intake until you no longer feel cravings. Vaping can help with this and especially here at Pod Salt, we aim to help smokers not only quit smoking but quit nicotine for good.

Is there a vape with no nicotine?

Nicotine-free E-Liquids are mostly referred to as shortfills or longfills. These E-Liquids contain no nicotine, only the VG, PG and flavourings that are normally present. Nicotine-free E-Liquids are perfect for those looking to vape without nicotine or control their nicotine intake. Shortfills are designed with space left in the bottle to add your own nicotine shot. This allows you to lower your nicotine intake by adding less or lower strengths to your favourite vape flavours.

Overall, whether synthetic nicotine takes off and becomes popular depends on how the market sways. With changes in legislation, some companies have made the switch to synthetic nicotine however due to the process to create it, it can be costly to achieve, probably why it has yet to properly take off. Could the future be to move away from tobacco-based nicotine altogether? Let us know what you think in the comments below.