What is a nicotine base? And how to use it?

Nicotine bases, sometimes known as unflavored e-liquids are a simple mixture of Propylene Glycol or Vegetable Glycerin and pure nicotine. Nicotine diluted with Propylene Glycol (PG for short) is known as PG nicotine base while the Vegetable Glycerin (VG) nicotine solution is known as VG nicotine base. VG and PG are two main types of nicotine bases, third is a mixture of PG and VG in various ratios known as VPG nicotine bases.

People prefer different nicotine bases for various reasons, both PG and VG have their own characteristics that people choose over the others.

What is the difference between VG and PG in a nicotine base?

PG or Propylene Glycol is a great flavor carrier, much better than Glycerin. On the other hand it is much less viscous than vegetable glycerin and as a result produces much less smoke and is harsher on users throat giving a sensation known as “throat hit” – a feeling desired by some users and very similar to the feeling people get smoking a cigarette. Some vapers may be allergic to PG, so please be careful. Allergen free alternative to Propylene Glycol – Propanediol is used by Chemnovatic in Bio Nicotine Bases as a nicotine carrier fluid.

Diols containt 2 OH groups.

C3H8O3 – glycerine molecular formula.

Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is much thicker which results in much denser, bigger clouds of smoke. It is also slightly sweet and doesn’t carry flavor as good as PG. Vegetable Glycerin is much smoother on user’s throat. Due to its high viscosity it is much harder to transport onto the coil, hence you will see pure VG nicotine bases very rarely, mostly used by drippers (dense vapor, remember?).

Additionally, do not hesitate to read more about the differences between glycol and glycerine, as well as their similarities.

What makes nicotine base a “good nicotine base”?

First of all, everybody is looking for the purest, highest quality nicotine. Pure nicotine should be as neutral in flavor and color as possible, just like the Chemnovatic PureNic 99+, not to influence the flavor of e-liquids but the PG or VG base is crucial.

What if the two nicotine bases you are comparing look identically on paper? Choose the one that tastes better or has a more neutral smell if there is no noticeable difference go for the cheaper one, or the one that will get to you faster.

The second group (high nicotine content bases) incorporates bases with nicotine contents above 36mg/ml- 72ml/mg nicotine bases, 100mg/ml or even stronger bases are popular among users in this category. These high nicotine content bases are aimed at the more advanced DIYers, those who know how to handle nicotine solutions- perfect for further dilution with either VG or PG before adding the flavorings.

DIY bases are usually available in 100ml bottles for ease of use and storage, for wholesalers and manufacturers who do not want to work with pure nicotine (it is a lethal poison for those unaware, read here) we have prepared bulk nicotine bases in 1L or 5L packaging.