Are Nicotine Free Vapes Safe?

Nicotine-free vapes are just one of many different smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes available in the UK. It’s widely agreed that vapes are less harmful than smoking, and expose you to fewer toxins.1 & 2 While some vape juices include nicotine, nicotine-free vapes don’t, removing this addictive element from your vaping experience.

Whether you’re already a vaper looking to learn more about nicotine-free vaping, or have just begun your smoke-free journey and want to explore different nicotine strengths, this article is for you. Here, we’ll take you through exactly what nicotine-free vapes are, their potential benefits, and whether this type of vaping is potentially safer than continuing to smoke.

What Is a Nicotine-Free Vape?

Put simply, a nicotine-free vape is a vape that includes flavoured e-liquid without nicotine. There is a range of different e-liquids available on the market, and with this, a range of nicotine strengths. Nicotine strengths vary from 0mg to 20mg.3 This range helps users control how much nicotine they need while vaping.2 

We offer a range of 0mg nicotine e-liquids, with all sorts of different flavours to suit every taste. For those who like their vapes fruity, vaping.com offer brands with 0mg juices like Watermelon Berry and Grape Apple, while sweeter, dessert-like options include Cookie Dough and Smores Mocha Breeze. 

There are also nicotine-free disposable vape options available. These can come in the form of a disposable vape pre-filled with 0mg e-liquid, or disposable cartridges that you slot into your device.

The Benefits of Nicotine-Free Vaping

Vaping nicotine-free e-liquid can offer a variety of benefits. There’s a lot of misinformation around vaping in general, and the benefits it can offer. We don’t know the long-term effects of vaping, as it hasn’t been around long enough.2 That said, it’s known that vaping is at least 95% less harmful than cigarettes, and because of this, it can provide benefits over continuing to smoke.2 & 4

Some of the main benefits of nicotine-free vaping in particular include: 

  • It doesn’t contain nicotine: while nicotine isn’t the most harmful component of smoking cigarettes, it’s still addictive.1 Nicotine-free vapes, therefore, remove this addictive substance from your vaping experience.
  • It can offer a similar experience to smoking: some people find that the experience of vaping is similar to that of smoking.2 Particularly if vaping mouth-to-lung style. As you can use a nicotine-free vape in the same way as any other vaping device, those who use nicotine-free vapes might experience this benefit too, and could even use it to quit vaping.
  • There’s a range of flavours to choose from: as explored above, there’s a variety of different nicotine-free e-liquid flavours available in the UK. This can mean vapers don’t have to sacrifice their flavour preferences to vape nicotine free.
  • They can help you stop vaping: reducing the strength of nicotine in the e-liquid you vape can help you stop vaping altogether.2 

Nicotine-Free Vapes vs Smoking: Which is Safer?

Vaping in general is considered less harmful than smoking.2 Some of the most harmful components of smoking are tar and carbon monoxide, which aren’t produced when vaping.1 Let’s look at the harmful aspect of tar and carbon monoxide in more detail.

Tar contains carcinogens and damages the lungs.5 It can also lead to teeth staining.5 Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, and causes your heart to overwork as a result.5 & 6 These substances are both found in tobacco smoke - along with nicotine.5 While the NHS website states ‘Nicotine itself is not very harmful ’, it is still addictive.5 By using a nicotine-free vape, you remove this addictive substance from your vaping experience.

All e-liquids in the UK, of all nicotine strengths, must follow the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR). Part of these regulations include ensuring safety and quality standards across all e-cigarette devices and e-liquids.7 

With the UK’s regulations around this product’s safety and quality standards - as well as the knowledge that vaping is less harmful than smoking - you can rest easy knowing that nicotine-free vapes can be used as an effective smoke-free alternative to cigarettes.2 & 7

Sources:

  1. NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/ 
  2. NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/ 
  3. North Northamptonshire Council: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/stop-smoking-drug-and-alcohol-support/stop-smoking 
  4. VApril: https://vapril.org/top-10/ 
  5. NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/reasons-to-stop/tobacco 
  6. British Heart Foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/smoking 
  7. Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-cigarettes-regulations-for-consumer-products