What Makes A Good Nicotine Base?

What is nicotine base and why top-quality ingredients are crucial for the best nicotine base?

Nicotine base – also known as unflavored e-liquid – is a simple mixture of pure nicotine and Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG).  Depending on whether nicotine is mixed with glycol or glycerine, there are two main types of nicotine bases on the market:

• PG nicotine base
• VG nicotine base

They differ somewhat in their properties and also in their strength. You will find plenty of configurations of ready-made nicotine bases in our shop.

But…

What happens if you use high quality nicotine (such as PureNic 99+) and mix it with cheap, low quality PG or VG?

Let’s have a look at the ingredients of nicotine base.

Nicotine – high quality is crucial. Nicotine starts oxidizing when in contact with oxygen – this process turns flavorless, crystal clear substance into a peppery, brownish liquid. Oxidized nicotine is unpleasant to vape and is something you should avoid.

Vegetable Glycerin or VG – used in pharmaceuticals, hand creams etc. with various degrees of purity – the higher the purity, the less water added and the thicker the VG. Always use pharmaceutical quality or similar grade when choosing your diluent.

High purity VG is very thick, lower purity VG usually contains water. Using it is not a good idea as the oxygen from water will start the nicotine oxidation process as soon as it comes in contact with nicotine. It means that nicotine bases manufactured from low purity VG oxidize even during transport or on warehouse shelves, you don’t even have to open the bottles!

Propylene Glycol or PG – available in various purity levels, always go for the highest purity available. Usually 99,9% is easily accessible for most people.

Remember to always check certificates and any other documentation available with your nicotine, VG and PG.

See also:

• The Differences Between Glycol And Glycerine: When To Use Which?
• PG/VG Ratio: How To Find The Best For E-Liquids
• Pharmaceutical Quality Of E-Liquids: What You Should Know?
• Additives For E-Liquids: What Do You Need To Know About Them?
• E-Liquid Flavors To Make Your Recipes Stand Out
• OEM Services: Why Should You Choose Chemnovatic As Your Business Partner? 9 Reasons

As you can see, there is nothing really complicated when it comes to nicotine base ingredients. Mix high quality nicotine with high quality diluents and the resulting nicotine base must be of high quality right? Not entirely true…

What about manufacturing and storage conditions?

Our PureNic 99+ nicotine has no contact with oxygen during the manufacturing process, the same goes for our nicotine bases that are manufactured under nitrogen to minimize oxygen exposure, then sealed in a bottle or canister until a customer opens his batch.

Storage conditions play an important role in nicotine base quality – if stored improperly the nicotine base may deteriorate quickly and become unusable.

Remember to follow the manufacturers’ storage conditions as closely as possible – a general rule of thumb is to keep your nicotine bases in a cold, dry and dark place.

As you can see there is many factors that may influence the final quality of nicotine base, it is much more than just a sum of its ingredients. If all the ingredients used are of top quality, the most important thing on the manufacturer’s side is the manufacturing process – this is where you may lose the advantage of high-quality ingredients. It is also very important to store your nicotine bases as the manufacturer suggests.

Learn more:

• E-Liquid Manufacturing Standards: Tips For Producers And Brand Owners
• Packaging, Storing And Transport: Why Are They Important For Product’s Quality?
• E-Liquid Manufacturers: Best Practices
• Storing And Handling Pure Nicotine And Nicotine Salts
• Safe Usage Of Chemicals [Guide]