What is an e-liquid ?

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The e-liquid is a crucial component of an electronic cigarette. It serves as the fuel for the e-cigarette and is made up of food flavorings, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and sometimes nicotine. When the e-liquid is heated by the coil, it turns into vapor which you inhale.

You’ll find them in different formats going from 10ml for nicotine up to 100ml or more for the nicotine-free. Numerous flavors are also available to give taste to your vape.

We selected for you the greatest references of e-liquids with the best manufacturers from France and all around the world to help you find the perfect one for you!

What is an e-liquid made of?

What is the composition
of an e-liquid?

The composition of e-liquids for electronic cigarettes is well-known, they use all the same ingredients but in different quantities. Only the flavors differ from one product to the other.

Here is the most common composition of an e-liquid:

  • A base composed of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG)
  • Food flavorings
  • Nicotine (optional)
  • Demineralized water (optional)
  • Ethyl alcohol (optional)
  • Propylene glycol

    The propylene glycol

    Propylene glycol, more commonly called PG, is a liquid compound generally used in the food, cosmetic, and medical industries. It fluidifies the e-liquid, and once it is associated with nicotine, it favors the throat hit: this throat sensation that results in the pharynx contraction when the vapor passes through.

    In e-liquids for e-cigarettes, the PG also is a flavor enhancer. The more the PG proportion is important, the more the e-liquid is fluid with a strong hit and powerful flavors.

  • Vegetable glycerin

    The vegetable glycerin

    Vegetable glycerin or VG is a largely used compound by the food-processing and pharmaceutical industries. It’s a very well-known product whose effects are well-documented.

    The VG has 3 attributes that are particularly interesting for the composition of an e-liquid for electronic cigarettes:

    • Thickness: thicker than the PG, the VG allows the thickening of an e-liquid
    • Sweet taste: the VG naturally has a light sweet flavor.
    • Vaporization: the more the VG part is high and the more the vapor production is high.
  • Flavors

    The flavors

    To give a flavorful taste to your vape, the e-liquid holds food flavorings. These flavorings can come from natural sources, synthetic sources, or a combination of both.

    The flavors are used to reproduce the most accurate taste of a fruit or a drink.

    There are thousands of possible combinations to use the flavors with the electronic cigarette, that’s why at A&L we categorize them into different families to make it easier for you to choose:

    • Fruity
    • Mentholated
    • Tobacco
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
  • Nicotine

    The nicotine

    Used in a liquid form, nicotine is an optional ingredient of e-liquid for electronic cigarettes.

    Its concentration varies between 0 and 18mg/ml and cannot exceed 20mg/ml in a 10ml bottle according to the current legislation.

    It is used for a smoking withdrawal to accompany smokers in their battle against tobacco.

  • Water

    Water

    Some e-liquids may use demineralized water, but you'll never find them at a volume higher than 5% in total.

    The water is used to dilute the base when the manufacturer doesn’t want a high propylene glycol content..

  • Alcohol

    Alcohol

    Rarely used nowadays, the alcohol (ethanol) allows to fluidify the base while increasing the hit by enhancing the flavors.

    Offered in low quantities (less than 2%), the alcohol use in an e-liquid doesn’t hold any danger. It is only used to make the final product more homogeneous.

Which flavor should you choose for your e-liquid?

The diversity of flavors offered plays a key role in the success of the electronic cigarette.

Indeed, with millions of possible combinations, the universe of flavors accessible by the vapers has no limit!

Faced with such an immense choice, A&L helps you by selecting the best references on the market, so your choice is always the right one.

You'll find a vast selection of e-liquids gathered by format to adjust to your needs, but also by flavors to make your choice easier:

  • The fruity e-liquids make you discover different mixes of fruits with realistic or original recipes. Ideal for red fruits, pineapple, strawberry, or kiwi enthusiasts!

  • The mentholated are must-haves of vaping. Created on a mint base to which you’ll add other ingredients, they are generally appreciated by the vape beginners for their freshness.

  • Tobacco flavors are commonly the first choice of vape beginners who are looking for the taste of the traditional cigarette in their vape.

  • Generally, dessert flavors are complex flavors that imitate the popcorn, cheesecake, or pastry flavors.

  • The drink flavors reproduce cocktail or tea flavors with realism or in an original way.

As the taste is subjective, we recommend choosing your first e-liquid from something you like in everyday life.

Over time, we encourage you to try as many different flavors as possible, so that you can refine your preferences and choose more easily later on. Don't forget that vaping a liquid you like is one of the keys to successful smoking withdrawal!

If you need to, you can also discover the team's choices, where our experts suggest the e-liquids they prefer!

Choosing the nicotine rate for an e-liquid

Which nicotine rate should you choose?

Choosing the nicotine rate for an e-liquid is essential when using an electronic cigarette as a tool for smoking withdrawal.

The first thing to know, it’s that the nicotine body assimilation is different with the e-cigarette compared to traditional tobacco.

With vaping, the nicotine diffusion in the body is slower. It is more difficult to get the same nicotine dose than with a tobacco cigarette.

It’s the reason why people usually vape more than they used to smoke, at least at the beginning, it is to compensate and is totally normal.

Secondly, it should be known that the goal of nicotine in vaping is double.

Its first use is to help the organism in its smoking withdrawal. Indeed, you’ll stop smoking without having a sensation of need which will create an easier transition to vaping.

Then, the nicotine allows you to get a throat hit: a muscular contraction in the throat while the vapor goes through. An essential sensation for the smokers.

To correctly choose your nicotine rate, try to answer the following question:

How many cigarettes do you smoke every day?

According to the result, you can determine a nicotine rate suited to your needs:

  • Fewer than 10 cigarettes/day
    -> 6 mg

    Occasional smoker

    If you’re an occasional smoker with a consumption below 10 cigarettes per day, we recommend a dosage of 6mg/ml. You can also have a second highly dosed “safety” e-liquid (12mg/ml of example) in case you have a hard time.

  • Between 10 and 20 cigarettes/day
    ->12 mg/ml

    Regular smoker

    If you’re a regular smoker with consumption between 10 and 20 cigarettes per day, it is better to choose an 11 or 12mg/ml dosage and have the same safety e-liquid in a nicotine rate higher or equal to 16mg/ml for difficult moments.

  • More than 20 cigarettes/day
    -> 18 mg/ml

    Heavy smoker

    If you’re an inveterate smoker with a consumption higher than 20 cigarettes per day, we recommend a high dosage of 18mg/ml. According to your needs, you can also choose to use an electronic cigarette a bit more performing where you can set the power to face difficult moments.

The nicotine salts?

What are nicotine salts?

You may have seen it, there are two types of e-liquids with nicotine:

  • The e-liquids have a traditional liquid nicotine
  • The e-liquids with nicotine salts

The nicotine salts have a chemical form closer to the nicotine naturally present in the tobacco plant. Thanks to a chemical process that consists of adding an acid-base to the nicotine, it makes the nicotine salts come out.

Beyond this technical process, the objective is to get a different acidity for different effects.

Thanks to these nicotine salts, the nicotine diffusion in the organism is quicker. The sensations are similar to cigarettes.

It allows one to find satisfaction more quickly, which avoids building the nicotine rate or the equipment power to get better results.

Which nicotine rate should you choose with the nicotine salts?

Contrary to traditional nicotine, there are only two rates of nicotine salts for an e-liquid:

  • 10mg/ml
  • 20mg/ml

You can then choose a 10mg/ml rate if you usually use 3 or 6 mg/ml rates for a traditional e-liquid and 20mg/ml when you use a higher or equal rate to 12mg/ml.

Choose PG/VG rate

Which PG/VG rate should you choose?

Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) make the base of any e-liquid for e-cigarettes. It’s in this base that you’ll add flavors to give a taste and/or nicotine for the smoking withdrawal.

Each of these two elements possesses its own attributes:

  • The PG thins the liquid, increases the flavor rendering, and favorises the throat hit.
  • The VG thickens the base and allows it to produce more vapor.

Good to know: the ratios are systematically expressed in the same way: PG/VG. The most common bases are 20/80, 30/70, 50/50, and 80/20. Even though there are 100% VG e-liquids, there are no 100% PG e-liquids.

Choosing the PG/VG ratio of your e-liquid depends on your needs, equipment, but also your preferences.

Indeed, if you need a strong throat hit or a more precise flavor rendering, you should increase the PG proportion.

On the contrary, by increasing the VG rate, you’ll get more vapor, less hit, and lower the risks of leaks.

Which PG/VG ratio should you pick according to your electronic cigarette?

The choice of the PG/VG ratio of your e-liquid should also be made according to your equipment.

If you use a small electronic cigarette with low power, favor an e-liquid with a PG rate of a minimum of 50%.

If you use performing equipment with high power, it is preferable to choose an e-liquid with a VG rate higher than 50% to avoid leaks.

In case you have doubts, we recommend choosing a balanced 50PG/50VG ratio between all the characteristics of a base. The 50/50 represents the great majority of e-liquids for electronic cigarettes.

PG/VG ratio 80/20 70/30 50/50 30/70 100%
Suited for beginner equipment Yes Yes Yes No No
Vapor Production Very low Low Balanced Important Very important
Which coil should you choose? 1.2Ω and more 1 - 1.2Ω 0.70 - 1.2Ω Only sub-ohm Only sub-ohm

What if you’re intolerant to PG?

Some users may experience a form of intolerance to propylene glycol PG, which can be felt as a tingling or scratchy sensation in the throat. In most cases, the problem resolves itself by increasing the VG vegetable glycerin content of the liquid.

In other, rarer cases, the intolerance may be more severe, and some people may also be allergic to PG. In these cases, it's best to vape only 100% VG products, or liquids with a Végétol base, or to use vegetal bases like those you can find on our website. These bases are specially designed without PG for this type of problem.

E-liquid choice

Which e-liquid should you choose if you’re a beginner?

Most beginners choose a tobacco-flavored e-liquid to stay close to the traditional cigarette taste, but this is not a hard-and-fast rule.

Indeed, it is possible to start with a fruity and/or dessert recipe according to your needs.

The best advice for choosing your first e-liquid is to favor simplicity like a spearmint or a strawberry and then to taste new flavors to refine your preferences.

It is better to start with a 10ml bottle to be sure to love the taste and/or the nicotine rate and that it is suited to your needs before buying multiple bottles or choosing a bigger format.

Different e-liquid formats

What are the different formats of e-liquids?

There are two formats of e-liquids for electronic cigarettes:

  • The 10ml e-liquids
  • The big format e-liquids (50ml, 70ml, 100ml,...)

The 10ml are the only ones holding nicotine. They correspond to the format authorized by the TPD law that compels the nicotine products to a maximum capacity of 10ml and a rate limited to 20mg/ml.

The big formats are nicotine-free. Indeed, you have to add a nicotine booster to get a product with nicotine. A nicotine booster is a neutral e-liquid without flavor offered at a 20mg/ml rate, the maximum rate authorized by the law.

By adding a nicotine booster to a 50ml bottle, you’ll get an e-liquid with nicotine to 3mg/ml. With two boosters added to 50ml, you’ll get a 6mg/ml of nicotine rate.

The big formats are also called ‘mix and vape’ or ‘shortfill e-liquids’ as they are overfilled with flavors. By adding a booster to dilute the liquid, you won’t lose any flavor.

Which e-liquid format
should you choose?

10ml e-liquid

The 10ml e-liquids

The 10ml, it’s the perfect formula for beginners that is also called ‘ready-made’. It makes sure that the nicotine rate matches your needs and that you love the e-liquid flavor. It avoids waste!

Big format e-liquid

The big format e-liquids

The mix and vape, it’s the formula to make savings so it allows us to buy our e-liquid in a big format. By simply adding a nicotine booster if needed, you’ll get a big ready-made quantity.

However, it's best to opt for the 10ml format if you're not sure you like the taste. Similarly, if you usually vape at 12 mg/ml or higher, you'd be better off with smaller formats. Shortfills aren't really adjusted to higher nicotine levels.

Alternatively, you can go the DIY route and make your own large-format e-liquid in the nicotine rate you prefer.

CBD e-liquids

You’ve probably already heard of it, there are CBD e-liquids. This molecule called cannabidiol is naturally extracted from hemp and has tranquilizing and pain-relieving effects.

This CBD molecule is perfectly biocompatible with the e-liquids as it is stable when it is heated at a low temperature. That's why it can be used in conjunction with electronic cigarettes to reduce the risks associated with smoking cannabis.

In this sense, Arômes et Liquides offers a selection of high-quality CBD e-liquids made in France in compliance with the strictest standards.

Remember that the CBD e-liquids offered in our shop don’t contain THC (psychoactive cannabis molecule). CBD is not a medicine and it cannot be used as a treatment for a disease. It is better to see your doctor for more information.

BBD e-liquids

What is a BBD?

It is an acronym for Best Before Date. It’s a date that you can find on the label of all your e-liquid bottles. It indicates the date after which the quality of a product can start to degrade.

However, nowadays the term BBD is more and more replaced by DDM: Date of Minimum Durability.

If it means more or less the same thing, the date that follows the mention of ‘DDM’ ensures that the taste, the flavor intensity, the base thickness, and the olfactive qualities of the liquid will be perfectly preserved up to this date.

Can you vape an e-liquid once the BBD is passed?

The answer is YES. BBD and DDM are not consumption deadlines.

When the BBD is passed, it means that the quality of your product can change like the color, the smell, or the taste. Consuming an e-liquid after their BBD is no risk for your health.

However, it is better to respect the BBD to keep the flavor quality of your product. That’s why we recommend not stocking big liquid quantities to avoid waste.

Find our complete guide on e-liquid’s BBD.

Preserve an e-liquid

How to preserve an e-liquid?

There are several easy rules to preserve e-liquids for electronic cigarettes. First, to keep the aromatic qualities, but also for safety reasons for your children or animals.

There are two elements to protect them against:

  • Heat. An e-liquid must not be exposed to a heat source that can modify the molecular attributes of its components. It shouldn’t be stored behind a window or close to a radiator!
  • Light. Even if it’s optional, natural light doesn’t suit nicotine. In contact with UV, it oxides, the liquid browns, changes color, and the flavors are altered. There’s no danger in consuming it; it’s just less good.

Here are your suggestions to preserve your e-liquid:

  • Keep them in a dark and dry place
  • Stock in a fresh place
  • In a closed cupboard out of reach for children and animals
  • Correctly close your bottles to avoid oxidation

How much time last an e-liquid?

It is legitimate to want to know how much time your 10ml e-liquid bottle lasts. Indeed, it is the main consumable of our electronic cigarettes, and many smokers use vaping to make savings.

However, the consumption of a vapor varies according to different factors:

  • The device
  • The use power
  • The suited nicotine rate
  • The way of vaping
  • The use frequency

On average, a vape beginner with equipment suited to indirect inhaling and with low power will consume a 10ml bottle in 5 days to 1 week. It’s around 4 to 5 bottles per month.

How much time last an e-liquid ?

Can you make your own e-liquid?

Are you creative? Don’t be scared to roll up your sleeves to make nice savings.

Welcome to the DIY (Do It Yourself) world (Do It Yourself) or the art of making your own e-liquid!

Economical, fun, and rewarding, DIY is an invitation to create, since you can imagine your own recipes while controlling the entire manufacturing process.

With DIY, you’ll choose your flavors, PG/VG ratio, nicotine rate, and you can create your e-liquid in the quantity that you desire!

A&L is the DIY specialist in France and has been a pioneer since 2014, providing all the equipment necessary to create your own e-liquids. Explore our wide range of concentrate flavors and follow our recommendations to discover a new way to vape and enjoy yourself!

E-liquids standards

What are the current standards for the e-liquids?

In France, vaping is regulated by the European TPD (Tobacco Product Directive) law so it protects consumers and regulates the market.

This legislation limits nicotine products. They can be commercialized in 10ml bottles with a maximum rate of 20mg/ml of nicotine. It bans the presence of diacetyl or formaldehyde in e-liquid composition for electronic cigarettes.

In France, manufacturers have to declare the exact composition of their products by filling them with a safety sheet to guarantee product traceability. This declaration is public and available on ANSES’s website.

Moreover, if they wish, the manufacturers can ask for an AFNOR certification for their product. It is an independent certification organism that delivers high-quality labels with one made for vape products. A safe label for the consumer.

However, it doesn’t mean that products without labels have poor quality. Indeed, numerous French manufacturers respect the strictest standards imposed by AFNOR without demanding the certification as the process is long and costly.

The dangers of e-liquids

Is the e-liquid for electronic cigarettes dangerous?

In France, we are fortunate to have vaping professionals who initiated the world's first standards in terms of electronic cigarette e-liquid manufacture, notably the Afnor standard.

The manufacturers of e-liquids follow the strictest specifications in their making process to guarantee the traceability of products for consumers. Before being placed on the market, the composition of an e-liquid must be declared to ANSES. This list of ingredients can be consulted publicly.

Finally, some manufacturers like A&L have set up a permanent watch on the molecules used to manufacture e-liquids. So, if the use of a molecule becomes problematic, as a precautionary principle, we immediately remove it from our manufacturing process.

For more information, please read our article: Is vaping harmful to your health?

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