What are nicotine salt e-liquids?

What are nicotine salt e-liquids?

Nicotine salt is a fantastic alternative to regular e-liquids that offers its own wide range of benefits.

15 Aug | Daniel Hollyman


Maybe you’d like to switch to something new from regular strength vaping, or you’re interested in starting and you don’t know what nicotine salt is.

Whatever reason you have for needing a little more advice, this guide will explain to you what nicotine salt e-liquids are and how they’re formulated.


Specially-formulated — Freebase and salt?

If you’ve never vaped before, or never used nicotine salt e-liquids before, you might be unaware of what the differences actually are. What does freebase mean, and what is a “salt” anyway?


Well, to better explain what nicotine salt is, we should compare it with regular e-liquid, known as freebase e-liquids.


Freebase nicotine is, essentially, pure nicotine. This freebase nicotine is then mixed with propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine and flavourings to create a nicotine e-liquid.

When you look into the product details of e-liquids, you’ll commonly see a ratio that describes the balance between propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine, often noted as the “PG:VG ratio.”


Nicotine salt, on the other hand is formulated differently. Newcomers to nicotine salt might be a bit thrown off by the name. It’s not a solid salt powder that’s then mixed into a liquid.

Instead, it’s a chemical salt. However, nicotine salts are also made from the purest form of the tobacco leaf, meaning neither freebase nicotine nor nicotine salts sacrifice on the high quality you’d expect.


In chemistry, a salt is a combination of an alkali and an acid. Essentially, the alkali – nicotine – is mixed with an acid to take off some of the harshness, especially at higher strengths. This, in turn, means that nicotine salts provide a smoother vape experience.

Some brands will use benzoic acid, while we at Pod Salt use salicylic acid.

Stronger alternative

The way that nicotine salts are formulated means that you can vape much higher strengths without feeling any irritation or taking in far more nicotine than you intended.

These higher strengths mean nicotine salts are faster-acting and provide longer-lasting satisfaction, so you won’t need to vape as much throughout the day.

If you compare freebase e-liquid with nicotine salt e-liquids, you’ll notice that freebase is most commonly offered in strengths of 3-6mg, while nicotine salt e-liquids often range anywhere from 3-20mg.

Pod Salts formula is unique in that we provide a maximum nicotine salt strength of 36mg, which contains 20mg of freebase nicotine.


It should be noted that the higher strength of nicotine salt means that it’s less suited to high-power vape tanks, as the combination would create a nicotine hit that’s may, in some cases, be overpowering.

A simple comparison might be that freebase liquids are for casual vapers who want impressive clouds, and don’t need anything with a stronger kick.

Nicotine salt liquids, on the other hand are perfect for smokers who need something with a bit more power, in a simple, lower-power vape pen.


Vaping with Pod Salt’s nicotine salt e-liquids.

All in all, nicotine salts aren’t especially complex at their core. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a fantastic vape option for many people.

For a high-quality, smooth and refreshing vape experience at even the highest strengths, Pod Salt’s expert nicotine salt e-liquids might be the perfect option for you.

This is especially the case if you’re used to smoking cigarettes, as our range mimics the effects of cigarettes much more closely compared to traditional nicotine e-liquids.

Because of this, Pod Salt’s nicotine salt e-liquids are also a fantastic quitting aid, especially if you’ve tried to quit in the past.


Our Pod Salt collection is a specially-developed range of nicotine salt e-liquids that:


  • Come in a wide range of flavours —

From cool Mango Ice, to sweet Strawberry, or familiar Cigarette and Havana Gold, Pod Salt are sure to have a flavour that’s perfect for you


  • Come in a choice of strengths —

For the perfect customisable vaping experience, you can vape our nicotine salt e-liquids in either 20mg or 36mg strengths, perfect for a vape closer to regular cigarettes through being faster-acting and longer-lasting than traditional e-liquids


  • Offers a great vape experience every time —

Formulated with salicylic acid to temper the harsher alkali of high-strength nicotine salts, all of Pod Salt’s range is smooth and refreshing to vape every time


If you’d like to find out more about the Pod Salt range of nicotine salts, take a look at our Products page.

Alternatively, you could get in touch with a member of our team by heading to our Contact Us page.