Are Nicotine Salts Safe?
One of the vaping tips for beginners to keep in mind is that nicotine salts are not for everyone. This doesn’t mean, however, that they can’t be suitable to some vape users. When vaping with nicotine salts, you can get higher nicotine content than with regular eliquid, which means that salts are more cost-efficient since you will consume less juice.
Those who are just starting to vape may be confused about nicotine salts since there is a lot of misinformation going around. This article aims to provide with helpful insights about nicotine salts so that you can make a well-informed choice on your vaping options.
Nicotine Salts eLiquid? What is that?
Despite its name, nicotine salts are not salty eliquids. They are also not the ones you add to your food. They are essentially a naturally occurring form of nicotine found in the leaves of tobacco. The nicotine in tobacco leaves bonds with certain acids in the plant, like benzoic acid, in order to create a more stable molecule, which results to nicotine salt. When extracted from the leaves, the nicotine salts contain natural elements and other organic compounds from the plant.
On the other hand, manufacturers of regular nicotine e-liquids mix the so-called “freebase” nicotine in their products. This type of nicotine is made by extracting nicotine in its purest form from the tobacco leaves.
In essence, nicotine salts provides vapers with a richer, more natural experience because they contain other organic compounds from the plant. It will feel like as if you’re actually consuming tobacco. The benzoic acid is also the reason that prevents harshness when vapers use nicotine salts despite the high nicotine concentration.
How Safe are Nicotine Salts?
To answer the main question of this article, it’s important to note that benzoic acid is the only component that differentiates nic salts from standard eliquid. So the salts are essentially no more or less safer than the freebase nicotine ones.
Nicotine salts, however, are still safe for vapers to use. Just bear in mind that the World Health Organization has established that the acceptable maximum daily intake of benzoic acid is at 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Calculating for the 86kg weight of an average Australian man, the maximum amount would be 430 mg of benzoic acid, which is an amount that’s impossible to vape with in a day.
Nicotine salts are ideal for use when you’re a mouth-to-lung (MTL) vaper who uses portable, small devices with pod system. They’re also ideal for any vape user who wants to convert to stronger eliquids.
What Other Concerns are there about Nic Salts?
There are other factors to consider when it comes to using nicotine salts. Below are just some of them.
- Nic salts may be more addictive than regular eliquids considering the higher concentration of nicotine.
- Because of their strong nicotine content, nic salts are ideally used for small vape devices with pod systems.
- In Australia, it is illegal to buy nicotine-loaded eliquids. There are some medical-related exceptions, though.
- It is also illegal to use eliquids with nicotine in these Australian states: Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland.
- On the other hand, it is legal to use eliquids with nicotine in these Australian states: New South Wales, South Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia.
For more vaping tips for beginners or for more information on your e-cigarette and eliquid options, explore our blog and ecommerce sections here at Vape HQ today.
