Part 2: What strength nicotine should you have, and which strength do pigeons find most preferable should you be stopped in the street for pigeon related inspections.

You’re walking down your high street, minding your own business and next thing you know… “cooo, coooooo!” You’ve got a Government Pigeon with its laser eyes trying to grill you on what you’re up to. Well we can’t help you with your car tax questions, but we can help you with any e-cigarette related questions, and here we will explain what nicotine is in vapes, how you can know what it is you are vaping, what it is you can expect and how they are legislated to ensure you get the safest product you can.

First off, Nicotine is an addictive substance. If you do not already consume nicotine, don’t start. Addictions aren’t fun and even something as commonly available as nicotine has ruined lives, that’s why VapeHQ was set up, to help people quit that addiction and live a healthier life style! There are legal requirements for us as a company too to ensure that we keep inline with that goal. (Please note that VapeHQ was here before the law stepped in and we’ve always been looking to be better than those laws ever were.) 

Tobacco Products Directive and how it protects you.

So what are these laws and how do they affect you. Well 1: There is a maximum limit on the amount of nicotine that is allowed in a vape. This is 20mg per ml of e-liquid. This means that in a 10ml bottle there is a maximum of 200mg of nicotine. The reason for this is the toxicity of nicotine. If a small child managed to get hold of a full 20mg bottle, it would make them ill but shouldn’t do more than that. It’s a safety measure for those who don’t know any better and something that I agree with. Anyone with sense should agree with this too. You will see in other countries such as America, it is common to have 50mg often labelled as 5%, and being used to UK nicotine you might think this is an insane amount, but that is still perfectly safe (relatively speaking, it’s still addictive and has problems) to vape. 

Second, there are laws on what else can go into a vape containing nicotine. For example, it is possible to vape many products, such as caffeine, but as a company, we can not put anything else that will be stimulating in any way, aka, another active ingredient, if there is nicotine present. This is partially a safety reason as some people are sensitive to things like caffeine but also because, adding other elements like caffeine into an already addictive product only increases the addictive nature. You will not find a product at VapeHQ like this.

Third, and one my personal pigeon keeps telling me my view is wrong on, the naming. Nicotine products have to abide by certain naming conventions, specifically in line with “misleading” customers. Sounds fine but it is in my opinion, one of the silly rules. Just because a label says energy, doesn’t mean it’s going to give energy. But you won’t find “Energy” drink flavour on the market any more because it’s seen as misleading the customers into believing that it will give you energy, not flavoured to be like a common and popular energy drink…

Lastly, and one I strongly agree with, testing. All nicotine containing e-liquids in the UK must go through testing that will do several things. 1, test what chemicals are in the liquid. The chemicals used are natural or nature identical but not everything in nature is safe. If chemicals such as diacetyl or formaldehyde are present, it is not allowed to be put on the market. 2, it tests the amount of nicotine in the product. This is a very, very accurate test and while there is a little headroom for production discrepancies, it is also very strict. As a company, we’ve changed our manufacturing process due to just how accurate these tests are so we can ensure that discrepancies are not going to give you something different from the label on our products. 3, along with testing the amount of nicotine, it tests the amount of other chemicals too. You will find on eliquid packaging a small symbol, a triangle with an exclamation mark or skull in it. This mark is called a CLP marking and identifies potential toxicity. Most products under 20mg have an exclamation mark, but if a potentially harmful chemical is above a certain threshold, it can elevate everything down to 0mg to the skull mark. This doesn’t mean that it is dangerous to use outright, but is potentially dangerous, for example if a pet ate the bottle, the nicotine could make them ill, or a chemical in the pineapple flavour could. When vaped, the level is low enough that it is considered safe though, and if it wasn’t, we wouldn’t put it in our products. And I’m not saying that just because my pigeon is flapping its wings at me. I keep taking its charger off of it and I think it’s running out of battery…

So those are the main legal things on nicotine. What else is there?

Well, you will see nicotine come in 2 forms when you buy a vape product. Freebase or Nicotine Salts. Freebase is the pure clean nicotine taken from tobacco plants or made in a lab with nothing added to it. This is the first type of nicotine used in vapes and was until 2021 the most common type you would see. It has a distinct throat hit which some can find a bit harsh but if you are quitting smoking, this sensation is often something that you will need. Nicotine salts are a newer product and after the rise of disposable vapes, have become very popular and common. Nicotine salts are freebase nicotine with a buffer. This buffer keeps the nicotine more stable, and that is its only function. As a side effect, it makes the nicotine much smoother and largely reduces the flavour of nicotine too. While to some this sounds like it is breaching a law on active ingredients, the use of this buffer is only replacing chemicals in Tobacco plants that do the same thing. As the nicotine is stabilized it does also result in your body being able to use it quicker, which causes a quicker high from nicotine salts more representative of how a cigarette hits.

The key elements between these 2 though are the throat hit, and the way the nicotine high comes in. With Freebase, you will feel a scratchiness in your throat and the nicotine will last longer in your body while Nicotine Salts are a lot softer but also don’t last as long, giving you a very fast lift, but wearing off quickly too.

Next, we will look at the nicotine strength.

If you are coming from cigarettes, the strength you pick will depend largely on your habit. Heavy users might need to vape a higher nicotine strength to either get the high that they are craving or feel the sensory factor they are used to. Those who smoke rollups will find freebase much more to their liking due to the fact that pouch tobacco dries out much faster than sealed packets of cigarettes, resulting in more of a throat impact. If you dried out your tobacco on purpose for that feeling, you might be after 15 or 20mg regardless of how often you use the device to match the feeling. On average though, most people find it best to start with 5mg or 10mg and move up or down. 

Nicotine Salts, the most common form you find on the market being prefilled, are most common in 20mg. This is one of the reasons why we will always say go to a Vape store. We are not after a quick buck. We want to help you to a better you. That is why at QLabs, we started QSalts with a 5mg nicotine level, and in VapeHQ stores, you will be offered QSalts or Pure to try before a 20mg prefilled device. We want you to start with what we think is your best chance for success.

Finally, on nicotine type, if you stocked up on disposables before the ban and are beginning to see the end of your horde, we recommend that you do not switch to 20mg eliquid unless you are picking up a prefilled as the replacement. For example, if you take your average disposable and put it next to a Q2, for the same nicotine you will want to use 10mg on a 1.2 ohm pod, or 5mg on a 0.8ohm pod. Normal devices give you far more than disposables did, so be aware that you don’t need to stick with 20mg when you switch.

So, are there any fine points that you might need to know for your stop and coo? 

1: If it’s TPD tested, it will have an ECID number. You can find this on the back of our QSalt boxes. This is the first step to knowing it’s legal.

2: Nicotine content is listed in 2 ways. mg/ml and percentage. If it says more than 20mg/ml, it should not be in the uk. 20mg is written as 2%, 10mg is 1% and so 5mg would be 0.5%. If you go abroad and see 5% don’t mistake this for 5mg. IT IS NOT…

3: Nicotine salts are not more harmful, they are just nicotine with a buffer. You will get a quicker hit from it which will wear off quicker.

4: if you buy from a corner shop or supermarket, they will likely have very limited stock and will not be able to advise you on what you should buy to move towards quitting. Drop into VapeHQ to get expert advice on your journey.

Next time we will look at how using different resistance coils can help you in your stop smoking journey, and maybe 1 or 2 facts on pigeons that might surprise you...