Base liquids

What is base liquid made of?

Although an e-liquid's composition varies from one brand to another, they almost always contain two ingredients. These two products are commonly used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

What’s in nicotine-free base liquid?

Propylene Glycol - This is a viscous and colourless liquid that belongs to the alcohol group. It enhances the ‘hit’ (the feeling when the vapour goes down the vaper’s throat) and makes up between 50 and 80% of a base liquid’s contents.

Vegetable Glycerin - This is also a viscous, colourless, and odourless liquid. It has a slightly sweet taste and adds a delicate and smooth touch to your vape. It usually makes up between 20 and 50% of an e-liquid’s recipe. It’s used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products like creams, toothpastes and mouthwashes.

There is also a bit of water and alcohol in e-liquids to fluidify the mixture, between 1 and 2%. Finally, there are various food flavourings to give the e-liquid a nice taste, of course.

What’s in nicotined e-liquid?

The user can choose to add nicotine to his e-liquid. This is pure liquid nicotine, extracted from tobacco leaves. It causes the aforementioned ‘hit’. The more nicotine your e-liquid contains, the stronger the hit will be. The e-liquid’s contents also influence this phenomenon.

There are five common dosages for nicotined e-liquids: 0 mg/ml (no nicotine), 6 mg/ml (low amount), 11 mg/ml (medium amount), 16 mg/ml (high amount), 19.6 mg/ml (maximum amount).

How to dose your nicotined e-liquid depending on your vaping frequency

Depending on the number of cigarettes you smoke, you can dose your base liquid by applying the following formula:

Number of cigarettes per day x the cigarette’s nicotine content (in mg) = the nicotine dosage the smoker should adopt in order to maintain a similar nicotine dosage to the one his old cigarettes had.

For example: a person smokes 20 cigarettes a day, each with a nicotine content of 0.8 mg (this information is printed on the side of the cigarette packet). The calculation is as follows: 20 cigarettes x 0.8 mg of nicotine = 16, meaning 16 mg. Therefore, the smoker should vape an e-liquid with a 16 mg/ml nicotine dosage.

How to choose your base liquid

There is no clear rule about choosing your base liquid. Indeed, you can adjust the PG/VG ratio of your liquid according to your preferences. That’s why A&L offers many affordable e-liquids, so that you can try making your own and experiment. Thus, you’ll easily be able to increase your liquid’s PG (Propylene Glycol) content if you want a stronger throat hit, or increase the VG (Vegetable Glycerin) content if you want more vapour. Arômes et Liquides makes things easier for you, by offering several base liquid packs with a 50/50 PG/VG ratio, which is the ideal balance of vapour and flavour, along with a satisfying hit.