Still new to vaping? If you are, buying your first set of vape juice or e-liquid can seem daunting and confusing. There are a lot of brands and different product details to consider.
One of the first things sellers ask is about your preferred VG vs PG ratio. Do you want vape juice with more VG or do you want the opposite?
What does VG/PG refer to anyway?
Don't fret, we're here to clear it out for you. Keep on reading and we'll give you a rundown of each and help you discover what ratio might work best for your needs:
What is VG and PG?
VG and PG are two of the main ingredients in vape juice. The other crucial ingredients are nicotine and flavoring.
VG refers to vegetable glycerin. It's a thick liquid extracted from vegetable oils. This liquid is naturally sweet and when heated it creates a lot of vapor, making it an ideal addition to vape juice.
PG, on the other hand, refers to propylene glycol. This is a petroleum by-product and you'll find it in a lot of household items such as toothpaste and oral medication. In terms of vape juice, PG is a thinner liquid so it can't create tons of vapor but it provides a stronger throat hit.
Are these safe?
The FDA labels both as non-toxic and safe for human use. If they weren't safe for use, you wouldn't find them in kitchen products and toothpaste, after all.
Now that you understand the basics of VG vs PG, let's get down to understand how they differ and when to prioritize one over the other.
When to Prioritize VG?
If you're looking for a sweet flavor, you should look for vape juice with a higher VG concentration. VG is naturally sweet and this leads to most manufacturers focusing on fruity flavors or candy flavors. You won't get much of a throat hit and you won't get much nicotine out of VG mixtures, however.
A sweet punch isn't the only great aspect of VG.
It's quite thick so you can use it to create large clouds of vapor. This is ideal for people who vape as a hobby and want to do amazing vapor tricks. People refer to these tricks as cloud chasing.
When you put this together, VG becomes the ideal choice for people who want to vape and aren't looking to simulate the feeling of traditional smoking. Focus on VG if you want sweet, fruity flavors and want to perform cloud chasing maneuvers.
Given how sweet VG is, what kind of flavors should you expect to find? Some of the most common include banana, bubblegum, and vanilla. You may find a few exotic flavors too, like ice cream sundae flavors or four seasons juice flavors.
When to Prioritize PG?
What if you want to get the same feeling of smoking a cigarette? If you're on the hunt for a stronger nicotine punch then you should get e-liquid with a higher PG ratio.
The nature of PG also means it's doesn't have a strong, sweet flavor. This allows juice manufacturers to come up with stronger flavors, some emulating the taste of tobacco cigarettes. Go for a higher PG ratio if you want a bitter or deeper flavor compared to the sweetness of VG mixes.
PG also provides a strong throat hit.
This refers to the warm, burning feeling in the throat when someone smokes a traditional, tobacco cigarette. People using vape to quit smoking might benefit from more PG in their e-liquid. It lets them get that same feeling but without as much addicting nicotine in the mix.
PG is great if you want to experiment with flavors. You don't have tight restrictions since PG isn't sweet. This means you can try out tobacco flavors, espresso flavors, mint, and cucumber too.
Striking the Right Ratio
Now, which ratio should you go for?
Why not try a 50/50 VG/PG ratio first? This lets you taste both at a balanced rate. You can then gauge whether you want a stronger throat hit or if you prefer something sweeter and with more clouds.
If you prefer more clouds, why not shift to a 60/40 or 70/30 VG/PG ratio? 70/30 is one of the most preferred ratios since people get a nice fruit flavor, more clouds, and still retain some punch with the remaining PG content.
You might want to avoid 90/10 ratios since the sweet flavor might get too overwhelming. Only turn to this type of ratio if you intend to perform in a cloud-chasing competition.
Do you prefer more nicotine content and a stronger throat hit? Shift to a 40/60 VG/PG mix. For most people, they stop here and then focus on stronger tobacco flavoring.
However, you can still go one step further and look for vape juice with a 30/70 mix. Keep in mind this won't help you do any tricks — a strong PG mix is solely for people who vape as an alternative to tobacco smoking.
Again, if you're not sure, stick with 50/50. This lets you determine which ingredient you want to lean towards more. Some people stick to the 50/50 ratio because it offers enough sweetness, punch, and clouds to simulate traditional smoking.
VG vs PG: Verdict
When it comes to VG vs PG, the decision boils down to preference. If you want a stronger throat hit or more nicotine flavors, go for more PG. If you don't mind sweet flavors and you aim to perform vape tricks, buy juice with more VG.
The next step is to know which brands and specific vape juice products satisfy your needs. You need to narrow down which products match the VG/PG ratio you want while also offering unique flavors.
Fortunately, you can find all of that right here. Get in touch now and we'll help find exactly what you need. Why wait when you can start today?