E-liquid fact sheets

In the UK, by law, all e-liquids that contain nicotine must be tested by an independent Lab, and proven to not contain certain chemicals. This is what’s known as TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) which covers cigarettes, and vapes.

So what exactly does TPD testing look for?

TPD testing ensures that harmful substances such as lead, diacetyl and arsenic are NOT present in the liquid. This testing also has to be done on devices, to ensure the coil does not have things like zinc or lead being used which would be harmful. All legal devices and e-liquids will then be given a unique ECID number which can be seen on the government website here (ECIG Dynamic Search | MHRA) 

This is why we don’t see incidents like they do in America, where people are admitted to hospital with vaping related injuries due to dodgy chemicals. 

So let's have a little deep dive into the facts, and look at some of the myths and the truth about what goes into your e-liquids.

Propylene Glycol is Anti-freeze?

No! No it isn’t. PG (Propylene Glycol) freezes at -59C which makes it a great ingredient in anti-freeze, however, it is also used in food, paint, makeup, and many, many medicines. This is because PG is a great ingredient to hold other ingredients in safely that we intend to consume.

So where does it come from then?

Three natural sources of PG are canola oil, rapeseed oil and corn sugar, which are all used in cooking and various other foods.

How can we be sure that PG is safe? So many media sites say it’s potentially dangerous!

Propylene glycol has been used and tested for over 100 years. While I’ll save the history of this for another time, we know a lot about it. For one, we know what happens to it in our bodies. How it breaks down, and that the 2 main things that happen to it is first, it is broken down to CO2, water, and a chemical used to process sugars, and secondly into lactic acid.
Lactic acid is the chemical our muscles produce when we exercise.

Okay, so what about the other thing in e-liquid, like VG?

VG is Vegetable Glycerin. This is turned into sugar in our bodies. VG also has a very low glycemic index, so those who suffer from diabetes do not need to worry about this affecting their blood sugar. Additionally, as we’ve already seen, PG helps process sugar.

Okay, so what are they used for? Why not just use nicotine on its own. Wouldn’t that be safer?

You would think that reducing the amount of things in the liquid would make it safer, but by diluting the nicotine in PG and VG, it is easier and safer to get an exact dose. We don’t use water for this as water would grow bacteria over time, and would not keep the nicotine in it as easily. It’s for these same reasons that many other industries use PG. It is safe for us to ingest it in many ways, while not giving bacteria an easy way to grow and also holds in other ingredients well.

So is there no risk to these?

There is never no risk, and in the case of PG, those who have epilepsy or kidney problems should consider talking to their doctor if they are unsure. This is due to a problem with processing lactic acid.

Additionally, some people are sensitive to PG. Those who are intolerant to PG will find that it causes a burning sensation, even when the PG is in something that is supposed to be soothing such as Sudacrem cream. This is not common, though if you are having issues with this, you may want to try using a high VG liquid, to reduce the amount of PG in your liquid.

What about other ingredients? I read on Google that e-liquid contains diacetyl and the news told me that kills people.

This one is a pet peeve of the industry in the UK. This is because chemicals like diacetyl are the reason we have the TPD law. If you buy an e-liquid from someone who keeps them hidden under the counter, they are probably illegal and are not tested. If you buy from a reputable company like VapeHQ, the company you are buying from will have checked to ensure that the stock they have is tested and is safe. This is not just because it’s a legal requirement, but because we care about our customers and we want you to be able to use a vape device safely!

So flavourings are safe?

The flavours in vapes are as safe as we can make them. If you are worried about the flavouring, just know that a lot of the ingredients in air fresheners, scented candles and perfumes are not allowed to go into e-liquid due to their dangers when inhaled. I’m not saying that scented candles are dangerous or that e-liquid is safe, but I am saying that the vape industry takes a lot of precautions. And, when we find out something isn’t safe, we remove it, and replace it with something safer.

What about Nicotine?

Nicotine is an addictive substance. That on its own shows that it has risks. Depending on where you look, there are doctors and scientists saying that it’s terrible, or potentially good for some people. All we will say is that if you are trying to quit a nicotine addiction or even just move to something that is “safer” than traditional cigarettes, and tobacco, we are here for you. We source our nicotine from safe manufacturers who care about giving quality. And we pass that on to you as our customers.

Okay, but some of these e-liquids say they contain something called benzoic acid. Should I be worried about this? Are they safe?

This is referring to something called a Nicotine Salt, and there are more versions than just the benzoic acid one. These are potentially more addictive than the normal Freebase ones like Pure, but they are not inherently more dangerous. The benzoic acid used is something to help keep the nicotine right, and it is stuck onto the nicotine rather than just being added to the bottle as an afterthought. While they have the word “acid” in their name, don’t forget that many things are called acid, from citric acid in lemons, to nicotinic acid aka, nicotine. Not all acids are super dangerous or corrosive like we see in films. Some of them like citric acid or acetic acid (vinegar) taste great.

So if there is this TPD law and stuff stopping all the bad things, why do I see things in the news about people getting hurt with Vapes?

If it’s happening in this country, the person using that vape likely was using something illegal. Unfortunately, while reputable companies try to make sure that we stock only the good products that are safe, there are some bad actors that would rather make a quick bit of cash. Whether this is someone selling products out the back of their car at a carboot, or a corner shop that hides their vapes in the back room and only sells them for cash.

Second to this, if you look into many of the problems with e-cigarettes, you will find that they are coming out of America. That is because while the rest of the world regulated them, America chose not to, meaning TPD law does not cover America. This resulted in many cases of people getting hurt, from ingredients, to just badly made devices or people using them wrong. News sites only have so many words they can use in a headline however, so we can’t put too much blame on them.