Nic Salts - The Evolution of E-liquids and Vape Juice

Nicotine Salts, salt nicotine or “nic salts”, surged onto the vaping scene over the last couple of years, and is now the most commonly used type of nicotine by vapers who are trying to quit smoking. ‘Freebase’ is the term used for the nicotine extraction method used in cigarettes and early e-liquids, patented by the Philip Morris Tobacco company in the early 1960’s. ‘Nicotine salts’ is the commonly used term for the more modern e-liquids that have been optimised for todays’ smaller and more advanced vaping devices.  

What are the differences between freebase and nic salts? Why are nic salts so popular? Are nicotine salts safe? This guide will walk you through what nic salts are, and review if they are indeed worthy of all the hype.

How Did Nic Salts Become so Popular?

The genesis of nic salt popularity is accredited to and coincides with the meteoric popularity of JUUL devices and JUUL nicotine pods in the United States. JUUL pioneered salt nicotine e-liquid chemistry and technology and brought it into the mainstream. The popularity of nic salts exploded. The industry understandably followed suit and nic salts soon became the buzz of the vaping community.

What is Nicotine Salt?

The name ‘nic salt’ derives from the chemical reaction that nicotine undergoes while residing in tobacco leaves.  A ‘salt’ is actually, by definition, when a positive acid charge and a negative base charge chemically react.

Nic salts are created when combining nicotine and an organic acid, usually benzoic acid. These salts are absorbed much faster in the body and are vaped at much lower temperatures than freebase nicotine juices. 

“Nicotine salts' chemical composition has a weak base which seeks out positively charged particles (protons) so that they can become stable (ionised). Since ions have difficulty moving through our cell membranes, it's hard for them to reach our body's nicotine receptors.

Unmodified nicotine salt when added to a PG/VG mix would need to be vaped at extremely high temperatures for the nicotine to become effective. Even if that were possible, absorption of nicotine would still be inferior to its freebase equivalent. Hence to make it effective for vaping, nic salts require a touch more chemistry before they are used in vaping e-liquids.’¹

What is Freebase Nicotine?

Before nic salts, freebase nicotine e-liquids were the most popular form and only readily available form of nicotine e-liquid on the market. It is still a hugely popular form of vaping nicotine. Freebase nicotine has been around since the 1960’s. Extracting it uses the same method used by big tobacco companies for over half a century to extract nicotine from tobacco leaves.

The freebase technique takes the nicotine in its’ purest form - salt, in tobacco and mixes it with ammonia to release it. This makes the extracted nicotine much more potent. The salt protons are stripped away using ammonia (an alkaline) which raises the pH level and modifies it to a deprotonated ‘freebase’ state. It effectively increases the potency of the nicotine without increasing the dose making it perfect for upping the nicotine dose in cigars, cigarettes, and early e-liquids.²

Freebase vs Nic Salts

When asked, most vapers state their #1 requirement for a good vaping experience is that vaping needs to closely replicate the experience of smoking.  It makes sense as millions are flocking to vaping in search of a more healthy and sustainable alternative to smoking tobacco.

Vaping needs to replicate the sensations of smoking as much as possible to realistically establish itself as a tobacco alternative and eventually replace combustible tobacco cigarettes altogether. The biggest drawback of vaping freebase nicotine vape juice is the low potency, or limited levels of nicotine that it is able to deliver.

Freebase nicotine at high doses, similar to nicotine levels delivered by a traditional cigarette, causes burning to the throat due to the extremely high temperatures and volume of vapour required to satisfy the nicotine craving. Higher volumes of vapour result in the consumption of large volumes of e-liquid. This is optimal for recreational vapers who are cloud chasing and having fun, but not for those looking to vape to help quit smoking.

How are Nic Salts Optimised and Optimal for Vaping?

Nic salts can safely deliver higher doses of nicotine into the body than can freebase nicotine juices.³ How did they do this?  

To oversimplify, nic salts are chemically altered so they can be more easily absorbed in the body. They are also altered to vapourize at much lower temperatures. This explains why pod vape devices are the best vapes to use with salt nics as they deliver strong hits at low temperatures. Nic salts have reduced pH levels - thus reducing the burn many vapers experienced with older freebase nicotine e-liquids. Nic salt e-liquids are now able to offer vapers higher levels of nicotine that can be ingested quickly and safely - better replicating a smoking experience.

The salt nic allows vapes with smaller batteries, more compact devices and more discrete vapour production. Here is a link to some of the best pod vaping products in the market right now. 

Nicotine Salts

Will contain Benzoic or Citric acid for optimising

Fast absorbing in the bloodstream

Still smooth in higher doses

Constrained cloud production

Suits the mouth-to-lung vaping technique

Available in the highest nicotine strengths

Optimal for newbie vapers and mixed users

Works best with lower power wattage devices (pod vapes)

Can achieve cigarette like nicotine hit with less e-liquid

Longest shelf life due to slower oxidation

Freebase Nicotine

Contains zero additives

Slower absorbing in the bloodstream

Becomes harsher at higher doses

Larger cloud production

Suits both direct-to-lung and mouth-to-lung vaping techniques

Requires higher power wattage devices for most effective vaping

More e-liquid required for cigarette like nicotine hit

Shorter shelf life due to faster oxidation

Why to Choose Nic Salts over Freebase

If any of the following statements describe why you vape - then choose nic salts.

• I need to quit smoking
• I am looking for a cheaper option to smoking
• I smoke when I drink
• I’ve tried vaping before using a big, bulky device - I didn’t like it.
• Vaping doesn’t seem to give me the same nicotine kick that smoking does

Conclusion

This guide hopefully clarifies the major differences between nicotine salts vs freebase nicotine. The team at PodVapes have forever made it their mission to simplify, educate and enlighten smokers about the complex world of vaping.  Nic salts are a superb example of the rapid advancements the vaping industry is constantly undergoing.  Keeping current with all the advancements and news can be challenging, but the PodVapes Team is always adding new content to help clear up any potential confusion. 

Nic salts ‘check most of the boxes’ ex-smokers say they are concerned about when looking to vaping for the first time. Using nic salts can most closely replicate the ‘smoking’ experience many ex-smokers crave and need to truly stop smoking . Nicotine salts’ quicker nicotine absorption, stronger and smoother pulls make them superior over the older, more archaic freebase e-liquids, when looking to quit smoking.

Vaping with freebase nicotine e-liquids is still a much healthier option than smoking. Freebase juices are fine for those who do not need high levels of nicotine or who enjoy making large vapour clouds. Nic salts take the best of what freebase e-liquids offer and add modern vaping technology to the old nicotine delivery system. We are excited at what new changes are in store for vapers in the near future, as many reputable vape producers are constantly striving to make vaping safer and healthier.

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¹ https://www.chiefofvapes.com/nic-salts-vs-freebase-nicotine-the-complete-guide/

² https://www.podvapes.com/blogs/news/what-is-nicotine-salt-4-things-you-need-to-know

³ https://www.momoeliquid.com/blogs/news/nicotine-salts-vs-freebase-nicotine