Nicotine salts have been around for a while. They are less harsh, but more appealing. Even though vapes are very popular, many people still don't know what they are. So, what are nicotine salt e-liquids? What's the difference between them and freebase nicotine e-liquids? Are nicotine salts safe and worth trying out? Read on to find out more!

What are Freebase Nicotine?

To understand what nicsalt is, let’s compare it to the big brother – Freebase Nicotine.

Freebase nicotine is the purest form of nicotine. For many years, most cigarettes have had a 'freebase' part, thanks to the company Phillip Morris, which makes Marlboro. He found that combining nicotine with ammonia was a great way to get more customers hooked. It is absorbed more quickly by your lungs and brain when it is heated. This is why you will usually see it in a much lower milligram or percentage in e-liquids such as 3mg (or 0.3%).

This nicotine e-liquid is made by mixing it with vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), which are used to carry the nicotine when it is vaporised. Because of this, it creates a strong hit, which can feel a bit too strong for people who use the highest nicotine strengths or for people who are vaping for the first time.

What are Nicotine Salts?

First of all, Nicotine Salt (also known as 'nic salt') is not salt and does not taste salty. Nicotine salt is the purest and simplest form of nicotine found in tobacco leaves. It is a salt-like compound. If you want nicotine salts to be effective, you need to vape them at extremely high temperatures. This is because they are added to the PG/VG mix that makes up e-liquid. To make it most effective for vaping, nicotine salts still need a small amount of chemical adjustment. The key here is benzoic acid.

The breakthrough came when Pax Labs was developing the Juul. Adding benzoic acid meant that the nicotine salts could be vaporised at lower temperatures, and also lowered the pH of the nicotine. Benzoic acid helps nicotine to be absorbed more easily in the lungs and makes the nicotine feel smoother when you smoke. Unlike freebase e-liquid, nic salt vape juice contains extra compounds that make it feel much more like smoking. It also has a more consistent hit of nicotine, which makes it more satisfying and helps to satisfy cravings more quickly than regular vape juice.