PG vs. VG: What It Is and Why It's Important
The average e-cig user may not be having the perfect vaping experience. Sometimes vapers complain that their e-cigs give them dry throats or that the throat hit isn't strong enough. The solution may be as simple as changing from PG to VG, or vice versa.
Propylene glycol (PG), which is harmless and found in common foods like cake batter, is an organic compound that shows no evidence of being carcinogenic in any way, unlike tobacco cigarettes. Besides being a liquid that is colorless, clear, mostly odorless, and slightly sweet in taste, PG is used as a food and tobacco preservative, as well as an ingredient in topical gels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers PG to be "generally recognized as safe" for use as an additive to food.
Since the acute oral toxicity of PG is extremely low, only large quantities of the naturally-occurring compound in a short amount of time are capable of causing maladies in humans. Scientists believe the threat of PG poisoning is so low that they consider it nearly impossible to reach toxic levels.
In rare cases, some people can be allergic to PG, causing a minor inflammation of allergic contact dermatitis. In eczema patients this reaction has been found to be possibly greater than 2%, still a small number. Patients with vulvodynia and interstitial cystitis, as well as women with yeast infections, have also experienced irritation when topical treatments with PG are applied, but since the PG in e-cigs is vaporized, this condition does not pose a threat to vapers.
PG is the standard of most e-cigs—it's what typically comes in starter kits—and a majority of vapers never have a need to change it. PG, which has been known to cause minor dryness of the throat, is responsible for the throat hit when inhaled, and is hotter and thinner than its counterpart VG.
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is a cooler, sweeter, and thicker substance that can be found in e-cigs in substitute of PG, or oftentimes mixed in with it. VG is responsible for making the visual smoke—which is actually water vapor—when vaping.
Used in both sweeteners and cosmetics such as lipstick, lotions, and eye gloss, VG is a carbohydrate created from plant oil, like its name suggests. Oftentimes, moisturizing lotions and soaps use VG to protect the skin from dryness, and VG is also mixed in with paint additive to keep it from drying out.
Certain vapers who have an extreme sensitivity to PG, or find that the throat hit from their e-cig is too strong should consider switching to an e-juice made primarily with VG. Inversely, vapers who find their e-cig too sweet and want a stronger throat hit can switch to an exclusively PG e-cig for a better vaping experience.
Vapers can also purchase a mixture of PG and VG to get the perfect vape. Many retailers offer both PG and PG/VG combinations of e-juice to suit every e-cig user.
Some people find that even with VG e-juice their e-cig dries out their throat more than usual. This may be a result of excess usage time in comparison to tobacco cigarettes, and vapers are encouraged to drink fluids or suck on sweets to counteract this.
The best way to enhance your vaping experience is to experiment with different mixtures of PG and VG to see what type suits you best.
Propylene glycol (PG), which is harmless and found in common foods like cake batter, is an organic compound that shows no evidence of being carcinogenic in any way, unlike tobacco cigarettes. Besides being a liquid that is colorless, clear, mostly odorless, and slightly sweet in taste, PG is used as a food and tobacco preservative, as well as an ingredient in topical gels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers PG to be "generally recognized as safe" for use as an additive to food.
Since the acute oral toxicity of PG is extremely low, only large quantities of the naturally-occurring compound in a short amount of time are capable of causing maladies in humans. Scientists believe the threat of PG poisoning is so low that they consider it nearly impossible to reach toxic levels.
In rare cases, some people can be allergic to PG, causing a minor inflammation of allergic contact dermatitis. In eczema patients this reaction has been found to be possibly greater than 2%, still a small number. Patients with vulvodynia and interstitial cystitis, as well as women with yeast infections, have also experienced irritation when topical treatments with PG are applied, but since the PG in e-cigs is vaporized, this condition does not pose a threat to vapers.
PG is the standard of most e-cigs—it's what typically comes in starter kits—and a majority of vapers never have a need to change it. PG, which has been known to cause minor dryness of the throat, is responsible for the throat hit when inhaled, and is hotter and thinner than its counterpart VG.
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is a cooler, sweeter, and thicker substance that can be found in e-cigs in substitute of PG, or oftentimes mixed in with it. VG is responsible for making the visual smoke—which is actually water vapor—when vaping.
Used in both sweeteners and cosmetics such as lipstick, lotions, and eye gloss, VG is a carbohydrate created from plant oil, like its name suggests. Oftentimes, moisturizing lotions and soaps use VG to protect the skin from dryness, and VG is also mixed in with paint additive to keep it from drying out.
Certain vapers who have an extreme sensitivity to PG, or find that the throat hit from their e-cig is too strong should consider switching to an e-juice made primarily with VG. Inversely, vapers who find their e-cig too sweet and want a stronger throat hit can switch to an exclusively PG e-cig for a better vaping experience.
Vapers can also purchase a mixture of PG and VG to get the perfect vape. Many retailers offer both PG and PG/VG combinations of e-juice to suit every e-cig user.
Some people find that even with VG e-juice their e-cig dries out their throat more than usual. This may be a result of excess usage time in comparison to tobacco cigarettes, and vapers are encouraged to drink fluids or suck on sweets to counteract this.
The best way to enhance your vaping experience is to experiment with different mixtures of PG and VG to see what type suits you best.