Wherever you are in the world and even with individual vaping laws, which differ from country to country, the need for vaping as an alternative to cigarettes remains the same. Containing nicotine, the same addictive ingredient as cigarettes, the comparison of ingredients between cigarettes and e-liquids typically stops there. Measured in millilitres instead of grams, people who purchase e-liquids for their e-cigarettes always ask the same question – how long will my vape juice last?
However, this question can relate to many areas of vaping and is an important one for smokers looking to quit. Below we explain everything you need to know, from the shelf life of an e-liquid to how many puffs per 10ml compared to cigarettes per pack. Understanding whether vape juice has an expiration date is also key to ensuring high-quality flavour at all times.
Can Vape Juice Expire?
Vape juice, a common nickname for e-liquid, is a vital component of e-cigarette use. Without the nicotine, you simply cannot vape. When heated, it turns into a vaporiser which a person inhales to get the throat hit, flavour and cloud production, as well as the habit, to combat smoking habits. Like with any product you consume, it does have a standard expiration date, which is between one and two years. This is much better than cigarettes, which although they last roughly two years despite no official expiry date will quickly diminish when the seal is broken as the tobacco will dry out.
The shelf life of any e-liquid product relates to whether the product is still sealed correctly and stored in a safe place. Providing you don’t keep vape juice in direct sunlight, unopened it should last up to two years and still taste the same. But it does also depend on where you store the product, the ingredients inside and the quality of the brand. Opening and using your vape juice shouldn’t impact the shelf life greatly and can still be safe to use for up to two years.
What Happens to E-Liquids After Two Years?
Whether opened or not, eventually the contents inside the bottle, such as nicotine, Propylene Glycol or Vegetable Glycerine will degrade in flavour and consistency. You will be able to tell this because it will start to turn darker once it loses its shelf life. Therefore, once you have purchased the product, it’s advised to use it as soon as possible and not leave it open to lose its production value. Ideally, for the best flavour consistency, it should be used within one-year maximum to get the best results intended by the manufacturer that produced the e-liquid.
How Many Puffs of E-Liquid Need to Match Cigarettes?
Another important consideration for smokers is how much e-liquid they will need to match their habits with cigarettes. As a simple comparison, e-liquids which are measured in millilitres are roughly 10mg per ml. E-liquids containing nicotine can only be sold in maximum sizes of 10ml. So, you have about 100mg of nicotine at 10mg per ml diluted.
In terms of puffs, a 2ml disposable is typically 600 puffs per bar. Therefore, with a 10ml e-liquid bottle, at a better value, you get roughly 3000 puffs and about 5 refills before the vape juice bottle empties. This can vary depending on how long you take to puff, as you will use more e-liquid. Other considerations such as the setup and accessories you use (i.e. tanks and coils) also play a significant role. To save even more money, buying vape juice in bulk is a great way to stock up and save some pennies!
And What About Disposable Vapes?
Disposables are the latest trend for all types of vapers. For beginners who have never vaped before, you need no technical knowledge to use them so it’s good to go straight out of the pack! For more advanced vapers, it’s an easy backup or convenient all-in-one kit for a night out or a trip with friends during the day. Because there is a 2ml limit on disposables, you get no more than 600 puffs and they are typically produced with 10mg or 20mg nicotine concentrations using a nic salt base, which is much smoother than traditional freebase nicotine e-liquids. The duration that they last (20mg 2ml puff bar equivalent to 40-45 cigarettes), depends on how often you vape. To maximise the life of your Elux or Elf Bar, use it sparingly when you need to puff.
Is 10ml of Vape Juice Per Day Enough?
This depends on your habits as a smoker or current vaper. If you smoked a lot of cigarettes previously in the past at the heavy smoker end of the scale (15 to 20 a day or more), you will need a higher amount of nicotine. Because of the restrictions via TPD regulations, you have three options.
Either a 2ml disposable vape containing 20mg nic salt e-liquid (beginner), a 10ml bottle of freebase nicotine should last a few days, or a 50/100ml shortfill, which contains only vape juice and you add your nicotine shot to mix yourself. This is deemed the best in terms of value but creates larger clouds and contains less diluted nicotine (3mg for 50ml or 6mg for 100ml).
Therefore, this option is suited more to Sub-Ohm vaping, which means bigger clouds and flavour. So, you need to weigh up some key factors before picking the right vape juice:
- Intended budget
- Nicotine habits previously as a smoker
- Level of convenience needed
Once you have narrowed down the vape juice required, you can try to look for the best deals, buying in bulk and storing as advised for no longer than two years, using as frequently as needed. It’s not dangerous to vape expired vape juice, but we recommend keeping topped up with fresh e-liquid as part of your routine while at the same time dropping your e-liquid strengths till you no longer need to vape. If in doubt, like with any food product or liquid you believe may have expired, simply throw it away and purchase again to be on the safe side.