Find Out More About Nicotine Salts

"Nicotine salts". You hear a lot about nicotine salts in the world of e-cigarettes these days. What's the difference between a regular nicotine e-liquid and a nicotine salt e-liquid? Why are more and more e-liquids made with nicotine salts? Why is there so much kit out there designed specifically for vaping nicotine salt e-liquids? If you've been asking yourself that kind of question, it's time to get the full picture on nicotine salts.

First of all, why "nicotine salts"?

Nicotine, when extracted naturally from the plant, is an alkaloid. Mixed with an organic acid (benzoic acid, in some cases) to form what are called nicotine "salts" – a chemistry term, nothing to do with table salt. Nicotine salts aren't found in crystal form, but rather as a liquid.

The point of this process is to produce a form of nicotine with lower acidity than the nicotine typically used in e-liquids. The pH drops from around 8 in a classic e-liquid to between 5 and 6 for nicotine salts. The result is an e-liquid with enough nicotine strength but without any throat irritation. At the same strength, the vaping comfort is night and day.

What's the benefit of nicotine salts?

The benefit is significant. Many vapers are, in fact, unsatisfied with the hit (the throat sensation) caused by classic high-nicotine e-liquids. As a result, new vapers either end up vaping four times as much because their nicotine strength isn't enough, or they give up on e-cigarettes altogether because the irritation is too much. The possible uses for nicotine salts become clear once you see it this way.

Nicotine salt e-liquids are brilliant for those starting out with e-cigarettes. They deliver the dose of nicotine that ex-smokers need (or, more precisely, that their brain's receptor cells need). Because nicotine salts don't cause irritation, the nicotine strength can be set higher. This means a feeling of satisfaction is reached more easily than with a classic e-liquid. Vapers therefore no longer need to puff away on their e-cig all day long. And they end up vaping less overall.

What's the downside of nicotine salts?

That said, nicotine salt e-liquids aren't a miracle product that will cure all of a smoker's problems. Firstly, the hit is weaker. While they offer a certain comfort, the hit is also a key thing new vapers are looking for. There is a hit, but it's nothing like that of a real cigarette. Then there's the price. Yes, nicotine salt e-liquid is more expensive to manufacture than a "normal" e-liquid.

We'd still recommend this type of product for beginners (though not only for them, as we'll see below), because it satisfies the need for nicotine effectively, which is the most important thing. The price, meanwhile, should be put into perspective given the low daily consumption of nicotine salt e-liquid.

How do you vape nicotine salt e-liquids?

When the first nicotine salt e-liquids appeared, shops dug their first-generation e-cigarette stock out of dusty old boxes. Indeed, these e-liquids are vaped using "small e-cigarettes" that don't care about power. With nicotine salt strengths of up to 20mg maximum (in Europe), higher-resistance coils of 1.0Ω and above – the type used for indirect (MTL) inhalation – are the right choice. With sub-ohm kit designed for heavy vapour production, nicotine salt e-liquids become unpleasant, or even almost unvapable, because too much nicotine is delivered at once. Vapers can end up with a nasty head spin, a passing headache, or unpleasant nausea.

This is why you'll find pods absolutely everywhere these days. E-cigarette manufacturers quickly adapted to this market and now offer what are known as pods.

A quick reminder about pods

A pod is nothing more than a battery with a tank attached – basically, the simplest form an e-cig can take. Since vaping "Salt Nic" e-liquids doesn't require any major technical capability, manufacturers have really gone to town, offering pods in all shapes and styles. All you have to do is choose between design and battery life, and possibly tank capacity, which can sometimes go beyond 2ml.

This compact format is the pod's second great strength. And it appeals to seasoned vapers too, the coil-building, DIY-savvy crowd. Fed up with bulky dual-battery setups? Got an errand to run? Just pop a little pod in your pocket and off you go!

Time to dig out the old kit!

A pod really comes in handy when you're worried about running short on nicotine, when you don't want to be lugging around a "big" e-cig, when you want to stay discreet, and also when you don't want to bother people in public with huge clouds of vapour. Cloud chasing isn't always a socially welcome activity, after all.

If you're already equipped with a Nautilus, a Zenith, a Jem clearomiser, a GS Tank from Eleaf, or basically anything that allows for indirect (MTL) inhalation with coils of 1.0 ohm and above, then you're all set to vape nicotine salt e-liquids.

Who are nicotine salts for?

If we sum up the uses of nicotine salt e-liquids, they're useful for beginners, and also further down the line, once you're vaping at 3mg with a classically nicotined e-liquid, or when you need an occasional stopgap solution. In between these two points – meaning somewhere in the middle of a smoking cessation journey – classic nicotine e-liquids are more suitable, since you're working with an intermediate nicotine strength (for example, 6mg/ml). Nicotine salts aren't really relevant at that stage.

Nicotine salts are a useful tool, certainly, but are they entirely safe for health?

As a relatively new product on the vaping