Exploring the Rise of Nicotine Salts

Learn how nicotine salts are changing the vaping experience and why they’ve become so popular in the industry. Discover their advantages and drawbacks.

Nicotine salts have become popular in recent years as an alternative to what is known as freebase nicotine. Freebase nicotine is considered the purest type of nicotine. It is the original way in which we extract nicotine directly from the leaves of the tobacco plant. Nicotine salts use an acid to extract the nicotine from the leaves.

Nicotine salts unique extraction method allows for higher nicotine levels from less material. As well as increasing the availability of nicotine, the salts have a longer shelf life, give an excellent throat hit to MTL vape users, and deliver nicotine rapidly into the system.

This article explores what nicotine salts are and how you could use them to better your vaping experience. Are salts better than freebase? Let’s find out.

What are Nicotine Salts?

Nicotine salts are extracted from the tobacco plant using an acid. Several different types of acid might be used. The acid gives a different chemical structure to freebase nicotine, allowing more nicotine to be extracted from less plant. Typically, scientists will use one of three acids in the production of the nic salts, although more than one acid might be used at a time. The acids used to make common market nicotine salts include Benzoic acid, Lactic acid, and Levulinic acid.

Using an acid during extraction binds the nicotine molecules to different chemical compounds in its basic form. These make it go farther as an e-liquid. Nicotine salts are different from freebase nicotine on this chemical level. It is this difference and binding them with a different molecule depending upon which acid you use, which speeds up their absorption into the body. This same reaction makes for a potent hit by comparison.

It is thought that the reason for the amplification of the absorption rate of the nicotine in nic salts have a higher PH than ordinary freebase nicotine. This makes more absorption feel smoother instead of harsher. You can learn more about nicotine salts here.

Why are Nicotine Salts Gaining Popularity?

There are many benefits to using nicotine salts and not just for the vape juice manufacturers. Sure, they are making smaller crops of tobacco leaf go farther, but the end user gets some of the benefit of nic salts, too.

Nicotine Salts offer a smoother hit, perfect for MTL vaping and avoiding the dreaded coughing fit. That lack of the harshness in the throat appeals to ex-smokers and new vape users alike. It allows you to have a more satisfying vaping experience with a nicotine strength which you might otherwise increase due to the lack of power in each draw.

Nicotine salts function well enough to replace the sensation of smoking a cigarette. While other freebase nicotine vape juices can give you that same sensation, they require much more expensive products to do so. When you use nic salts, you get more bang for your buck. That is what makes them so popular today.

The Health Aspect of Nicotine Salts

It is due to this “more nicotine for your money” approach that nicotine salts can be so beneficial to both your wallet and your health. If you use less nicotine for more of a serotonin reward, then you do less damage to your health through ingesting what is essentially a toxin.

Nicotine salts are obviously not harm free, but they do offer more for less in terms of an enjoyable vaping experience. They are perfect for those trying to quit smoking due to the way the compounds mimic the sensation of smoking a cigarette. Vaping is about harm reduction, after all, and nicotine salts in place of cigarettes are a far safer option.

As to the long term effects of using nicotine salts there is not much to tell. As with every reasonably new product on the vaping market, it takes a few years for the necessary research to be conducted. Some studies suggest that the quicker absorption rate might increase the chances of arrythmia.

Although nicotine is a harmful toxin when you remove it from the cigarette, you remove a few thousand chemicals from what you are inhaling. By comparison, quality vape juices have a handful of ingredients and none of them are radioactive.

Nicotine Salts vs. Freebase Nicotine: A Comparison

There are three main areas where you experience a big difference between freebase nicotine and nic salts. Nic salts vs regular e-liquids have a cleaner throat hit which goes down smoother. This changes the flavour of the vape juice from bitter to silky smooth. With more nicotine absorbed the vape user gets a better hit for less product. Everyone wins.

On the other hand, a freebase nicotine containing vape juice will take longer to elevate your nicotine levels to the same strength. It will hit the throat harder and could cause you to cough. Freebase nicotine is more likely to imitate the feeling of a throat burn than nic salts are – but they are not without their merits.

It is not all so black and white, however. There are some vape users who swear by the harshness of that MTL throat hit freebase nicotine gives. There are also those new to vaping who avoid stronger nicotine levels wherever possible as they do not want to become addicted. Picking the right type of nicotine for you ultimately comes down to personal preference. Decide what you like best by sampling both.

Drawing Conclusions

At the end of the day, freebase nicotine vape juices will suit some people and not others. It is the same as how some vape device users prefer a pod system while others enjoy the freedom of the refillable vape kit with an open tank system. Personal preference is what vaping is all about. Until we are all at the level of expertise where we are designing our own vape mod systems, we shouldn’t judge others for their taste in treats.