What Are Nic Salts? Simple Guide for Beginners

Nicotine salt e-liquid was introduced in the mid-2010s as an alternative to traditional e-liquid, which uses the freebase form of nicotine. Before nic salts hit the market, many vapers weren’t even aware of the fact that nicotine came in more than one form. Companies in the vaping industry have used some fairly creative verbiage in marketing nic salts, which has created a bit of confusion among consumers. The way in which some companies have marketed nic salt e-liquid has also given some people the impression that nicotine salt has certain features or benefits that it doesn’t actually have.

In this guide, we’re going to clear up the confusion. Nicotine salt e-liquid isn’t a replacement for traditional vape juice; it’s an alternative. It also isn’t better than traditional e-liquid, although it may be better in certain vaping scenarios. Mostly, though, it should be nicotine strength rather than nicotine type that guides your purchase when you buy vape juice. You’re about to learn everything that you need to know.

What Is Nic Salt E-Liquid?

As we explained in this article’s introduction, nic salt e-liquid is any vape juice that uses the salt form of nicotine rather than the freebase form. Nicotine actually begins its life as a salt when it’s still in the tobacco leaf. It’s converted into a free base during the extraction process. Extracting nicotine from tobacco usually involves the use of a solvent such as ammonia, which increases the nicotine’s pH and makes it more volatile. The tobacco industry actually has a long history of processing tobacco with ammonia, which is something we’ll discuss at greater length shortly.

Converting nicotine from a salt to a free base is as simple as adjusting its pH, and the reverse is also true. To create nicotine salt vape juice, the maker simply adds a mild acid to a standard e-liquid base. Benzoic acid is a popular additive used in making nic salts. The acid lowers the pH of the mixture and converts the nicotine from a free base to a salt. That’s the only difference between nic salts and freebase e-liquid – nicotine salt contains an added acid and has a more neutral pH as a result. Freebase vape juice, on the other hand, is slightly alkaline.

What Are the Benefits of Nic Salt, and Why Should You Use It?

Nic salt e-liquid was developed to solve a very specific problem. With freebase nicotine, some people find it difficult to use high-strength vape juice because it causes throat irritation and coughing. The throat soreness occurs because freebase nicotine is slightly alkaline. That’s problematic for beginning vapers because a small vaping device needs to have a high nicotine strength in order to provide a satisfying experience, and new vapers usually want to use small devices like traditional e-cigarettes, disposable vapes and pod systems. Before nic salt was developed, some people tried switching to vaping but ended up reverting back to smoking because they couldn’t tolerate the throat soreness.

• If you use a small refillable vaping device such as a pod system or vape pen, you should consider using nic salts if you want to use an e-liquid with the highest possible nicotine strength. In the United Kingdom, regulations limit all vape juice to a maximum strength of 20 mg/ml. Most of the e-liquid that’s available in that strength contains nicotine salt.
• You should also consider using nicotine salt e-liquid if you have tried high-strength freebase nicotine e-liquid and experienced throat irritation.
• If you use a small pre-filled device such as a disposable vape, you’re probably using nicotine salt e-liquid already. Manufacturers of pre-filled vapes choose nicotine salt or freebase nicotine based on what they think will offer the best performance in their products.

Debunking False Claims About Nic Salts

Now that you understand what nicotine salt is, it’s time to debunk a few myths. When nic salts were first introduced in the mid-2010s, it was a pretty big deal for the vaping industry. Some companies got a bit too excited and made claims about nic salts that were either exaggerated or untrue. People often repeat what they’ve read elsewhere, so a few of those claims have persisted to this day.

• Nicotine salt isn’t more satisfying than freebase nicotine, and it doesn’t provide a quicker nicotine hit. In fact, freebase nicotine actually offers quicker absorption because it’s more volatile than nicotine salt. That’s why cigarette companies began processing tobacco with ammonia several decades ago. You will only find nicotine salt more satisfying than freebase nicotine if it has a higher nicotine strength.
• Nicotine salt isn’t purer, more natural or more like a cigarette. Some companies have made those claims because nicotine is a salt before it’s extracted from tobacco. However, nicotine salt e-liquid is made from nicotine that has already been converted to the freebase form in the extraction process. Also, most cigarette tobacco is processed with ammonia and actually contains freebase nicotine.
• Nicotine salt doesn’t deliver a stronger throat hit. In fact, if the nicotine strength is the same, nicotine salt is actually smoother than freebase nicotine. If you want a stronger throat hit, you should use freebase e-liquid.

Where Can You Buy Nic Salt E-Liquid?

You can find nic salt e-liquid in almost any vape shop – and as we mentioned above, many pre-filled vaping devices and vape pods use nicotine salt e-liquid as well. You can find several of those in our yearly roundup of the best vapes in the UK. We also recently reviewed Pod Salt, a unique nic salt e-liquid that’s made right here in the United Kingdom.