Vaping is considered a harmless way to deliver nicotine to your body and it's used by millions of people who made their switch in order to quit cigarettes. Vaping employs the use of e-liquids to deliver nicotine and they are made of 4 major ingredients, including, PG, VG, nicotine, and artificial and natural flavouring and sweeteners. The amount of nicotine varies from e-liquid to e-liquid, but in some countries, there’s always a limit to how much nicotine manufacturers can put inside their e-liquids. The nicotine strength you select depends on your previous intake of nicotine via cigarettes. But the ultimate purpose of vaping is to help its users gradually lower their nicotine intake and get rid of their dependence.

The Nicotine Content in E-Liquid and Cigarettes:

When switching to vaping, it’s always advised to set the nicotine level in your e-liquid as per your need. That need in the first place is determined by your previous cigarette consumption pattern. But for a lot of people, it’s hard to carefully calibrate the nicotine level, especially for those who’re new to vaping. Here’s a quick overview of different density levels of nicotine in e-liquid and their respective types of cigarettes:

A More In-Depth Analysis of Nicotine in Cigarettes and E-Liquids:

From the above chart, it has become clear that anything beyond 30mg exceeds the limit of what is deemed appropriate with respect to nicotine consumption. A 20ml bottle of e-liquid, containing 24mg of nicotine would have 480mg of nicotine in it (24mg x 20ml.) similarly, a 30ml bottle of e-liquid, containing 16mg of nicotine would have 480mg of nicotine in it as well (16mg x 30ml.) Different brands of cigarettes also vary in terms of the amount of nicotine they have. A regular cigarette can contain 6mg of nicotine to over 30mg of nicotine. It also varies with the size of the cigarette, where a longer cigarette contains more nicotine than a standard one. But to offer you some clarity, here is the amount of nicotine that famous cigarettes have:

1. Ultra-light cigarettes – Marlboro ultra-light – each cigarette contains approximately 0.5mg of nicotine, whereas a pack contains 10mg nicotine (0.5mg x 20)
2. Light cigarettes – Marlboro light – each cigarette contains approximately 0.7mg of nicotine, whereas a pack contains 14mg nicotine (0.7mg x 20)
3. Regular/hard cigarettes – Marlboro red – each cigarette contains approximately 1.2mg nicotine, whereas a pack contains 24mg nicotine (1.2mg x 20)

Using the above given reference of nicotine strength in e-liquid, we can also analyze the amount of nicotine consumed via vaping. 1ml of e-liquid contains around 20 droplets of e-liquid, hence if you are using 16mg e-liquid, there would be 0.8mg of nicotine per droplet.

Do You Consume All the Nicotine Present in The E-Liquid?

The amount of nicotine consumed by the user depends on a lot of factors like the vape device you are using, the amount of e-liquid your device uses per puff, the frequency of puffs, and the density of your e-liquid. As you vape, the nicotine that enters your bloodstream is not directly proportional to the nicotine that your e-liquid contains, because a lot of it turns into vapor and gets vaporized in the air. For example, 1ml of e-liquid containing 16mg nicotine, wouldn’t provide your body with 16mg nicotine. You may only be able to absorb around 40 to 70% of nicotine. The absorption rate also depends on your vaping style (mouth to lung vs direct to lung) and your vaping frequency.

Can You Lower Your Nicotine Intake Using E-Liquids?

The e-cigarette industry offers you a lot of ways to lower your nicotine content using different vaping devices and different e-liquids. One of the best ways to lower your nicotine consumption via vaping is by using short fills e-liquids. Short-fill e-liquids are large bottles of e-liquids that contain 0mg nicotine and have some space left deliberately so users can add their desired level of nicotine. They help you monitor and regulate your nicotine intake and you can gradually curb your nicotine level with the aid of short-fill e-liquids.

Reducing your nicotine level also helps to reduce your tolerance. If you reset your norm and minimize it, you will inevitably lower your tolerance and you will start noticing the magnitude of your older consumption level. In the beginning, you might experience minor withdrawal, but it’s not as bad or intolerable as cigarette withdrawals. That said, you might end up just vaping more to compensate which might negate any tolerance lowering, but you must keep going if you really want to rid yourself of higher doses. In the end, everyone is different and everyone will undergo different effects when they lower their nicotine level.

Final Note:

Using the right strength of e-liquid is imperative if you want to taper your nicotine level in the long run. If you are a smoker, and you start off with an e-liquid that’s too strong, chances are it might be overly harsh on your throat, which might put you off in the beginning. You must remember that, that you can always vape a little more to top up but you can’t go the other way around. Therefore, moderation is the key to vaping, as with anything else. In the end, with the amount of money you'll be saving by quitting cigarettes, it won't poke a hole in your wallet if you end up not liking the flavor or strength of your e-liquid and wanting some other instead. In any case, it's always better to have a backup vape and e-liquids so you can have multiple flavours at hand to reset your palette.