Vape Juice Explained:

Updated March, 2026

What Is Vape Juice?

Vape juice, also called eJuice or eLiquid, is the fluid that makes vaping work. For most vapers, it's how they get nicotine and flavour without combustible tobacco. If you're new to vaping and feeling overwhelmed by the variety and terminology, that's completely normal. This breaks it all down.

It Goes By a Few Names

eLiquid, eJuice, and vape juice all refer to the same thing: the liquid you fill your device with or that comes pre-loaded in pods and disposables. The names are used interchangeably across brands and retailers, so don't read into the difference - there isn't one.

What's Actually In Vape Juice?

Most juices are made up of three to four ingredients: Propylene Glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerin (VG), flavour additives, and optionally, nicotine. That's it. Here's what each one does.

Propylene Glycol (PG)

PG is one of the two base ingredients used in vape juice. It's a thin, odourless liquid that carries flavour and nicotine effectively, and produces a throat hit that many vapers find familiar. PG is widely used in everyday foods, medicines, and personal care products - including asthma inhalers, baby wipes, and shampoos and is approved by Health Canada. Some people have a sensitivity or allergy to PG, in which case a high-VG or full-VG liquid is the better option.

Vegetable Glycerin (VG)

VG is the second base ingredient. It's thicker, slightly sweet, and produces the dense vapour clouds that vaping is known for. Like PG, it's non-toxic and widely used in food and pharmaceutical applications. Because VG is so viscous, a 100% VG liquid can be difficult to vaporize efficiently - most juices use a blend of both PG and VG, with the ratio typically listed on the bottle or in the product description.

Flavour Additives

Flavourings in eJuice work similarly to food flavourings. ISO certified labs generally have four options when formulating a flavour: natural, artificial, flavourless, or a blend of both.

Natural fruit, mint, or tobacco flavourings are generally derived directly from their source. They're concentrated and added to the mix. Artificial flavourings are chemically developed to replicate a taste, and are widely used because of lower costs and faster production. Most commercial vape juice use a blend of both to hit the flavour profile they're after. Flavourless options also exist! Believe it or not, these are very popular - I vape this myself. Flavourless options feature just the base ingredients of PG, VG, and optionally nicotine. There are no added flavouring or sweeteners.

Nicotine

Nicotine is the optional fourth ingredient, and it comes in two forms: freebase nicotine and nicotine salts. Let me take a moment to reach into my Preacher bag here. No matter what your friends or crazy uncle on the Facebooks says, Nicotine is insanely addictive. If you don't currently ingest nicotine in some form, do not start. Just vape nicotine free. There are mountains of scientific evidence on the insanely addictive nature of nicotine.

Freebase Nicotine

Freebase Nicotine is the traditional form, and still the standard for higher-wattage, open-system devices. It delivers a noticeable throat hit and is effective at lower concentrations. Common freebase strengths are:

• 0mg — Nicotine-free
• 3mg — Light
• 6mg — Moderate
• 12mg — Strong

Nicotine Salts

Nicotine Salts are now the dominant format in the pod and disposable market. Unlike freebase nicotine, nic salts use benzoic acid to lower pH, which reduces harshness and allows for higher nicotine concentrations without the rough throat hit. This makes them ideal for lower-wattage devices and vapers looking for a stronger, smoother nicotine delivery. In Canada, nicotine salt products are available up to the federally regulated maximum of 20mg/mL. Nicotine salt strengths commonly available in Canada:

• 10mg - Light
• 12mg - Moderate
• 20mg - Maximum strength (Health Canada regulated)

A note worth repeating:

Nicotine salts are designed for low-wattage devices. Using them in a high-wattage or sub-ohm setup will result in an uncomfortable amount of nicotine - avoid it.

That's the Full Picture

Four ingredients, a lot of variety, and a format that's given a lot of people a real alternative to tobacco. Whether you're still figuring out where to start or just wanted to know what's actually in the bottle - now you do.