Nic-salt e-liquid is the stuff in those small bottles that sit beside the regular-sized ones in a vape shop. When I first heard the name I assumed it meant salty juice, and since I lean toward sweet and fruity flavors I ignored the whole category for a while. Eventually curiosity won and I looked into it. This is what I found.
No salt involved
The name misleads. A nic-salt liquid contains no table salt, adds nothing to your sodium intake and leaves no salty aftertaste. “Salt” is a chemistry term here: nicotine salts (also written nic salts or salt nic) are the neutrally charged compound you get when a base reacts with an acid. Nicotine is the base, and the acid used is benzoic acid. Neutralizing the nicotine this way produces a form that feels smooth on the inhale. JUUL Labs, which takes credit for bringing nic-salt to the vape market, says the result resembles the nicotine present in tobacco leaves before extraction strips it out.
Where it came from
Nic-salts took off when Juul pods arrived, and JUUL Labs is credited with developing and popularizing them through its small pods. The idea was a smoother hit with a higher nicotine concentration than regular vape juice, so that a vaper gets a strong dose from less liquid and less vapor. That makes for a more discreet device, and using less juice costs less over time. Once the format caught on, e-juice companies started releasing their popular flavors in nic-salt versions.
How it compares with freebase e-liquid
Traditional e-liquid uses freebase nicotine and has been around since vaping began. A large bottle typically lasts several weeks, depending on how often you vape. Freebase has two traits that new users sometimes struggle with:
- Depending on the strength chosen, the throat hit can be harsh.
- It needs high temperatures and wattages to bring out its flavor, which also means big plumes of vapor.
Nic-salts differ on both points. The throat hit is gentler and the liquid vapes well at low temperatures. They do not work in sub-ohm tanks. Instead you need a small pod device, either one that comes pre-filled with nic-salt flavors or one with a refillable cartridge. These devices are pocket-sized and cost considerably less than box mods and tanks.
The other difference is concentration. Nic-salt strengths can run from 25-60mg per mL (the original article printed these units the wrong way round). A freebase liquid at around 50mg per mL would be far too harsh on the throat in the high-wattage devices most freebase users own, which is why strengths that high are sold as nic-salts for low-power hardware.
Nicotine and addiction
Nicotine is addictive, whatever form it comes in. Whether nic-salts are more addictive than regular e-juice was an open question when this article was written: few studies had examined how quickly the brain receives nicotine from either type of liquid, and nic-salts were the newer and less researched of the two. One view reported at the time was that more nicotine in the liquid means a higher potential for addiction, and that the total amount of nicotine consumed over time matters more than the salt format itself, since a stronger liquid tends to be used less often.
The long-term effects of vaping, with nic-salts or freebase, had likewise been studied very little.
Picking a nicotine strength
Strength is a personal preference, usually settled by trial and error. A few reference points help.
| Type | Typical range | Hardware |
|---|---|---|
| Freebase | 0mg-6mg | Sub-ohm tanks at higher power |
| Mr. Salt-E nic-salt | 3-5mg | Sub-ohm tanks |
| Most nic-salts | 20-60mg | Low-power pod and MTL devices |
Freebase liquids sit at the low end, and because of those low levels they are made to be vaped at high power in sub-ohm tanks. Mr. Salt-E is an exception among nic-salt brands: its liquids come in 3-5mg and can be used in sub-ohm tanks too, with a clean, smooth taste aimed at vapers who put flavor first.
Most salt-nic juice spans a wide range. People new to nic-salts generally start at 20-35 mg, the middle of the options and a comfortable choice if 50mg looks intimidating. Liquids at 50mg+ are the strongest available and are not recommended for non-smokers or for vapers accustomed to low nicotine. They call for low-power MTL devices, which are easy to find both online and in brick-and-mortar shops. One regional note: Europe does not sell nic-salt above 20mg.
Summary
Nic-salt e-liquid is nicotine neutralized with benzoic acid. It is stronger and smoother than freebase juice, comes in small bottles, and is meant for low-power pod devices instead of sub-ohm tanks. Match the liquid to your hardware, choose a strength you are comfortable with, and remember that every version of it contains an addictive substance.