WHAT IS NIC SALT?
'Nic salts' is short for 'nicotine salts' and is nicotine in a slightly different form to the usual form, known as 'freebase nicotine'. Nic salt is processed from tobacco leaves and bonded to benzoic acid, turning it into a salt that provides a lighter nicotine hit when used in e-liquid, indicating use to make high nicotine liquids without an unbearable throat hit.
Do you know how to use nic salts? As a new vaper, to get your head around how to find the best vape starter kit for the most realistic vaping experience, you will need to understand the different types of nicotine that are available. Beyond the wide range of vape devices and pod systems, you then have the choice of the vape juice, nicotine levels and the form of nicotine. So it can get a bit overwhelming for a smoker looking for a simple device to help them quit.
In the Vaper’s Guide to Nicotine Salts, we will hopefully make things a bit clearer, teach you about the different forms of nicotine, how to use salt nicotine, and give you the relevant information to help you find the best e-cigarette for you!
WHAT ARE NICOTINE SALT E LIQUIDS?
Nicotine Salt e liquids and freebase nicotine e-liquids both deliver nicotine in a cleaner vapour format compared to smoking traditional cigarettes.
Nicotine salts are a more processed form of nicotine derived from the tobacco leaf and is then bonded with the chemical benzoic acid. Many vape companies will have you believe that nicotine salt e-liquids provide a better vaping experience but here at SMOKO, we don’t necessarily agree. It is important to understand why salt nicotine e-liquids first became popular and the reason why.
Essentially nicotine salt e-liquids provide a much smoother throat hit at higher nicotine levels. Made popular by Juul in the US, high nicotine salts e-liquids were used to dramatically increase the amount of nicotine level that could be put in an e-cigarette without making the nicotine hit too strong for the user. In our opinion, this is counter-intuitive and dangerous in trying to maintain and eventually reduce the amount of nicotine consumption a smoker would get from cigarettes.
At the time, the most vapers used a 2.4% freebase nicotine e-liquids which provided a realistic sensation. Juul became very popular with their nic salt pod kits which had a massive 5.5% nicotine strength (TOO MUCH NICOTINE). Because nicotine salts reduce the nicotine hit by about half, they were able to double the amount of nicotine in their vape pods making them hyper-addictive compared to regular e-liquid. In our opinion, the nicotine hit you experience with a freebase nicotine creates a natural limitation to how much nicotine you should be consuming.
HOW DO NIC SALTS WORK?
Nic Salts work in a similar manner to freebase nicotine which deliver nicotine into your bloodstream when you inhale the vapour into your lungs without negative effects. But nicotine salts are a bit sneaky. With the addition of benzoic acid and a lower ph level, nic salts reduce the throat hit you experience while increasing the rate of absorption of the nicotine into your system. While many vape brands will proclaim that nicotine salts speed up the absorption into your system, the reduction in the smother throat hit acts as a trojan horse allowing the amount of nicotine to be increased. This is the case with the increasingly popular disposable vapes that are flooding the UK market.
Essentially, nicotine salts mean you get more nicotine at a fast rate into your system without the physical warning of a smoking hit that is too strong. If you imagine being able to smoke 2 cigarettes at the same time but it only feels like you are smoking one, then you can begin to understand how the use of nic salts is a sly way to get more of the addictive nicotine into your system.
HOW ARE NICOTINE SALTS DIFFERENT TO FREEBASE NICOTINE?
WHICH IS BETTER - NIC SALT OR FREEBASE NICOTINE?
The question of which is better - salt nicotine or freebase nicotine - tends to split the opinions of the vaping industry. Many vape brands want to increase the amount of nicotine in its purest form you consume will suggest that nicotine salts with benzoic acid lower the ph level are better and reduce the harsh throat hit. The logic makes sense in the US where the amount of nicotine you can put in an e-cigarette is unregulated (most closed nic salt systems would a high level of 5.5% nicotine strength - DOUBLE WHAT IS ALLOWED IN THE UK). Using a nic salt e liquid allows vape companies to add more nicotine content most than most vapers consume with the same throat hit.
This same logic doesn’t work in the UK or the EU where the amount of nicotine delivery allowed in a vape is limited by law to a maximum of 2.0% in e-liquids. Using nicotine salt e liquids made with propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine, 1.8% nicotine strength will have the nicotine hit satisfaction of using a 0.9% freebase nicotine strength. So for heavy smokers looking for a solid and realistic nicotine hit while also getting a strong nicotine hit in the UK or the EU, using a freebase nicotine vape juice in a smaller device will be much more satisfying than salt nicotine.
Again, we are very biased towards freebase nicotine at SMOKO as we believe that reducing the throat hit to slip too much nicotine into your vape is counterproductive and could lead to even great nicotine addiction as seen in the US market over the past few years.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF NIC SALTS?
Many other brands will praise the various benefits of nicotine salt e liquids as being smoother vape on the throat and faster absorption, we do not hold the same beliefs. The situation created in the US by high levels of nicotine content nic salt pod systems fortunately cannot be repeated in the UK or the EU due the maximum nicotine delivery content permitted in e-cigs by law.
Currently in the US, the attitude to vaping as an acceptable means of quitting smoking is very negative. E-Cig and flavoured vapes have been banned in many states and according to Drugwatch.com, as of July 22, 2020, Juul is at the heart of 758 lawsuits from around the US. Concerns over high levels of vaping in youths and higher nicotine addiction are at the heart of many of the concerns of local state governments.
Because of the Tobacco Products Directive laws and regulations in the UK and the EU which puts a cap on the amount of nicotine in its purest form in 10ml bottes of e-liquid, we believe the prevalence of nic salts with benzoic acid will not reach the same levels of popularity. Freebase nicotine in propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine e-liquids delivers a great nicotine hit to satisfy your cravings when switching from smoking to vaping for the first time with the same realistic throat hit.
ARE NICOTINE SALT E-LIQUIDS SAFE?
From a health point of view, all evidence supports that using nic salt e-liquids is safe. However and as mentioned previously, using nicotine salts e-liquids as a means to ramp up the nicotine concentration is a major health and safety concern. This situation has come to a point in the US where the future of electronic cigarettes is precariously close to an all out ban.
Alternatively in the UK, the leading health and medical professionals view e cigs as one of the most effective means of helping people to quit cigarettes and reducing adult smoking rates. Vaping have helped over 4m people to quit smoking and to live smoke-free. Public Health England states that “e-cigarettes are at least 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes”.
The use of e-cigs is so important in helping to reduce smoking related diseases, the leading charity Cancer Research UK now claim that “there is growing evidence to show that vaping can help people cut down or stop smoking”.
The difference in the 2 nations opinions on the effectiveness of vape devices as a positive way to quit smoking comes back to the legal regulations on the amount of nicotine, whether nicotine salts or freebase e-liquids, are allowed in e-cigarettes. But using high nicotine salt e liquids in sub ohm devices will be too strong for most new vapers.
WHAT IS THE RIGHT NIC SALT STRENGTH FOR YOU?
When trying to understand what the right nicotine salt e liquid strength is right for you depends on what type of smoker you are and how many cigarettes you smoke on a daily basis. For a heavier smoker in the UK or the EU, you will want 1.8% or 2.0% nicotine level in your vape kit to feel satisfied. If you are a lighter smoker, then you may want to drop down to a less harsh 1.5% nicotine level for a smoother experience.
Depending on the vape kit you are using, you may find that nicotine salt strengths are too low and you may be missing that solid niotine hit that you are used to. So if you try on a SMOKO VAPE Pod Starter Kit, a heavier smoker will definitely be happy using the 2.0% nicotine level to feel satisfied even at a lower temperature. If you are a lighter smoker, you may wish to order an e-cig starter kit and then try the less harsh 1.8% or 1.5% nicotine strengths refills.
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NICOTINE STRENGTH ON NIC SALT E-LIQUIDS?
Due to the vaping laws in the UK and the EU, the maximum strength nicotine salts vape juice you will be able to buy is 2.0% in 10ml bottles and are usually sold as a nic shot. Many vape e-liquid brands sell a maximum strength of 1.8% in their salt nicotine e-liquids. Again, depending on the vape pens that you are using, you may find your vaping experience is a little disappointing due to the lack of strong hit. But it is a trial and error approach until you find the nicotine salts e liquid that suits you best.
This is a misconception that nic salts would taste salty. There is no salty taste to e-liquids that use nic salts for their nicotine.
WHAT DEVICE IS RIGHT FOR VAPING NICOTINE SALTS?
E-Liquids that use nicotine salts sold as a nic shot will be best suited for smaller closed system vape pens that operate at lower temperature. Some vape kit manufacturer will either sell closed pods or open pods. A closed vape pod means that the e-liquid is already pre-filled and ready to use.
Open vape pod kits allow the user to add their nic salt e-liquids themselves.
Nicotine Salts are not recommended to be used in sub ohm kit due to the high power output of the batteries. Using nicotine salts in a larger open sub ohm kit vape device will deliver way too much nicotine for even the heaviest vaper to use.
If you are an adult smoker and you are looking to quit smoking using a vape, we would recommend a closed system that uses freebased nicotine for a realistic and satisfying vaping experience.
WHAT ARE NICOTINE SALTS - A VAPER'S GUIDE CONCLUSION
In this Vaper’s Guide about What is Nicotine Salt, we have addressed the differences in types of nicotine, what nicotine salts are and touched on some of the pros and cons about nicotine salts. In our opinion, the use of nic salts by large US vaping brands was nothing more than a way to ramp up the nicotine levels while limiting the natural “nicotine hit” that you would experience in a freebase nicotine vape liquid.
Many vape companies will completely disagree with us but we are not followers. Since we started over 10 years ago, we have helped to prevent over 600m cigarettes from being consumed and have received hundreds of amazing 5 star customer reviews from satisfied customers around the world. Not only have our customers saved over £320m of their hard-earned money from going up in smoke, they are not living smoke-free!
So if you want a realistic smoking experience with a small but effective vaping device that has helped countless people to quit smoking, check out some of our amazing vape starter kit deals!
*2023 Update - Now you can get a cigalike E-Cigarette starter kit FREE* when you buy a box of Cigalike refills! (One per customer)
