What are Nic Salts?

Nic Salts are the most common form of e-liquid on the market. To understand what they are and why they’ve become so popular, lets look at the basics. Nicotine used in E-Liquid is a synthetic form of the compound found naturally in tobacco leaves. It comes in various forms and the most popular of which is nicotine salt. But What is Nicotine salt? And why is it more popular than the standard “freebase” nicotine? It all comes down to the speed at which nicotine salt is absorbed by the skin, and it’s reduced harshness in the back of your throat when compared to freebase. Salt Nicotine is simply freebase (the normal stuff) with the addition of an acid of some kind. The acid reduces the Ph of the solution so it doesn’t produce such a harsh throat hit and it can more easily be vaped at higher strength. Back before nicotine salt cam to the market, it was quite uncomfortable to vape freebase above 10mg/ml. Considering that the majority of vapers will use e-liquid at strengths at least 10mg/ml, it’s no surprise that the “smoother”, less harsh nicotine salt has become the most popular choice. 

There are various forms of nicotine salt available, and you should check the label of your chosen e-liquid just so you know what you’re vaping. Generally there are a few types of nicotine salts available: 

• Benzoate – This is perhaps the most common form of nicotine salt and reduces harshness
• Salicylate – Another form of acid used to reduce Ph
• Lactic Acid – Can slightly alter the eliquids overall flavour
• Pyruvate – Uses pyruvic acid to reduce Ph 

Nicotine salts are formed from Nicotine and an Acid. The above chemicals are all different acids used to create the final product which is then either mixed with flavourings to form what we commonly call nicotine salts, or mixed with VG/PG to create nicotine shots – which are then added to flavour by the end user. 

The reason the Nicotine base is added to an acid is to reduce the PH of the solution, thereby mitigating the harshness in the throat as felt with Freebase Nicotine (which is higher in PH). It is also thought that Nicotine salts increase the rate at which nicotine is absorbed into the blood stream, providing a nicotine hit in a shorter time frame. Freebase Nicotine typically takes longer to be absorbed by the body, but the advent of salts in ejuice has increased this to a level found in smoking tobacco. The main advantage of vaping in a pod vape over smoking is the fact that nicotine uptake is essentially the same as with smoking but without so many of he negative health effects associated with smoking.

It is for these reasons that nicotine salts have become so commonly associated with pod style vapes. Elf Bars and other disposables have been the king of convenience in the vaping market for the past few years but the cost of living crisis has diverted people back to more traditional, reusable platforms hence the rise of pod vapes.

Nic Salts are 10ml bottles (as regulated by the Tobacco Product Directive) containing ready-to-vape E-Liquid with nicotine and flavour. You simply remove the cap and insert the nozzle of the bottle into your pod or coil and fill it. 

Are Nic Salts Better?

As with almost all things it’s very much subjective but if the market demands are anything to go by then we can safely say nicotine salts are the more popular. Some individuals still prefer freebase nicotine over salts as they find the strong throat hit quite pleasant. The use of nicotine salts has become prolific due to their convenience besides elf bars and other disposable vapes. They are essentially the next best thing for a few reasons:

• convenient, small size
• ready to vape
• always in the same format (bottle type)
• huge range of brands
• huge range of flavours
• small volume meaning you can switch flavours easily

But besides the obvious, nicotine salts work well due to the rapid uptake by the body which mimics the sensation of smoking more closely than freebase. A smoker looking to quit would have an easier time using nicotine salts than freebase for this exact reason, and would be best to start with a high strength of 20mg/ml, steadily reducing it in order to near complete freedom from nicotine.

What Vape Kits Can I Use Nic Salts In?

Nicotine salts are typically sold in a vg/pg ratio of 50/50, making them very well suited to pod style vapes like the Xlim SE or the Argus Z as these are lower powered devices with small coils requiring a less viscous liquid to function properly. Most MTL kits are perfectly paired with nic salts and this is where the market is currently heading. Nic salt eliquids do not generally work very well with sub-ohm devices due to the ratio of vg/pg.

Cheaper Nic Salts

Nic Salts are always 10ml, as per the TPD regulation. However, because the specific regulation pertains only to nicotine-containing eliquids, you can buy DIY Nic Salts in much larger volumes, and simply add the nicotine to the bottle to complete. This is a form of DIY E-Liquid and serves to save you a considerable sum of money. Crystalize Longfills contain 50% flavour concentrate, so you can add the remaining 50% nicotine shots (unflavoured nicotine liquid) to complete.

Worlds First 20ml Nic Salts

There are certain legal loop-holes that allow manufacturers like us to offer a 20ml Nic Salt. Our Quick Mix 6000+ Nic Salts are designed to deliver 20ml of super-strong nic salt (or bar salt as they’re becoming more commonly known) e-liquid for use in pod kits. The loop hole is that the nicotine and the flavour are in two separate bottles contained within an outer box. We’ve used a unique male/female nozzle dosing system so one bottle simply plugs into the other, allowing you to transfer the contents of one to the other. It’s a simple concept we’ve perfected by trial and error and forward thinking. If you’re looking for a larger format nic salt that’s super easy to use – think Quick Mix.