New vapers are often curious as to what the difference is between a 100% VG e-liquid and a PG/VG e-liquid mix. They have questions about which option to chose and why.
VG is a base made of vegetable glycerin. Many people feel it is a better option because it is generally plant-derived (Virgin Vapor’s VG is ALWAYS plant derived). In addition, only a very small minority of vapers have allergic reactions or experience irritation from VG. The vast majority of allergic reactions and irritation come from the use of PG or propylene glycol based e-liquids.
PG is a petroleum derivative and is often incorrectly said to be anti-freeze. While PG is used as an ingredient in antifreeze, it is also approved by the FDA for use in a wide range of processed foods such as ice cream and, in fact, is used in anti-freeze to replace ethylene glycol in order to create a product that can be labelled as “non-toxic.” PG does cause allergic reactions in a fair number of people and, for this reason, is best avoided if you experience any irritation from vaping PG-based e-liquids. Reactions generally appear in the form of headaches, rashes, nausea or throat, sinus or mouth irritation but they can vary widely.
PG produces a much stronger “throat hit,” or that sensation of inhaling smoke or vapor. VG, on the other hand, is known for producing a gentler vape and those wonderful clouds of vapor. With a PG/VG mix you will get both a good, strong throat hit and lots of vapor.
PG is also a better flavor carrier than VG. At Virgin Vapor, we mix our flavors nice and strong but if you have a hard time tasting flavors or find that your taste buds are a bit messed up from smoking cigarettes, PG may be able to give that extra flavor boost you are looking for. This difference seems to vary from person to person with some people finding the flavor not much different in either base and others finding a huge difference so it’s always best to experiment and find out for yourself.
The other primary difference between VG and PG is viscosity. VG is significantly thicker than PG. If too thick, it can clog atomizers, reducing the life of your electronic cigarette hardware. At Virgin Vapor, I thin my VG-based e-liquids with distilled water so that many customers tell me they can’t even tell the difference between the two. With proper mixing, the greater viscosity of VG can be overcome so there’s no reason you can’t enjoy 100% VG e-liquids if preferred.
Virgin Vapor offers both 100% VG and a 50/50 PG VG mix for all of our e-liquids. As always, feel free to contact Kitty in customer service (customerservice@virginvapor.com) if you’d like further guidance in making your choice.
