Do E-liquids Contain Sugar?

Sugar, it feels like it's in everything, but does this include your favourite e-liquid? The short answer is no, e-liquids rely on sweeteners to deliver vapers with the sweet flavours they know and love. Read on for more information on the ingredients in your favourite e-liquids, as well as some great recommendations for your next sweet e-liquid flavour.

E-liquids are sweet in general, due to the naturally sweet taste produced by one of its base ingredients- vegetable glycerine (vg). Vegetable glycerine is sweet because it is a sugar alcohol, meaning it has a chemical structure that is very similar to sugar. VG is made from plant oils and is around 70% as sweet as sugar, without the associated raise in blood sugar levels, calorie content, and damage to teeth associated with proper sugar. This is exactly why e-liquids are generally always sweet flavours, not savoury - imagine adding a savoury flavour like cheese or pasta to this sweet base ingredient!

Instead of sugar, e-liquids use artificial sweeteners and flavourings, such as ethyl maltol and sucralose. As well as being sugar-free the calories found in sweeteners and flavourings in a vape is considered negligible, otherwise called calorie neutral. This is because when inhaled these ingredients are not ingested as food, so although technically they do contain calories they are not absorbed into the body. The main types of sweeteners used in e-liquids are:

• Erythritol: This sweetener is very similar to vegetable glycerine in that it is a sugar alcohol derived from plant matter- in this case maise. Erythritol is good in e-liquids because it doesn`t tend to harden on the coil, keeping your vape running smoothly.

• Sucralose: Sucralose is one of the sweetest sweeteners, even sweeter tasting than sugar itself! Sucralose is initially derived from real sugar, but is treated with chlorine atoms, turning it into a zero calorie shelf stable sweetener. However some vapers find this sweetener a bit too sickly. Additionally, sucralose is prone to building up on vape coils, requiring more frequent cleaning than other types of sweetener.

• Stevia: Stevia is a common sweetener, used in a variety of different products, from coffee to sugar free sweets. This sweetener is made from the stevia plant, making it a great natural sweetener option. Unfortunately, like sucralose stevia can also easily cause e-liquid build up on coils.

• Ethyl Maltol: This sweetener produces a caramelly flavour, and is synthetically extracted from maltol. Ethyl maltol does not tend to cause e-liquid build up issues.

If you find you have a preference for a certain sweetener simply check your e-liquids label for it`s ingredients list, which will include any and all sweeteners used. Some people may find they have a sensitivity towards certain sweeteners (causing minor issues like headaches) so it is important to test which works best for you.

In short, e-liquids do not contain sugar because if they did the sugar would completely mess up your vape device! This is because:

•  In order to vape e-liquid must be vapourised, requiring your coil to reach a high enough temperature to turn e-liquid into vapour. 

• When exposed to high temperatures like the heat needed to vapourise e-liquid, sugar degrades and burns.

• The burnt sugar would then get stuck in your coil, stopping it from working properly and causing it to degrade a lot faster. The stuck bits of sugar could also cause the coil to become burnt as well.

• Additionally, because the sugar in the e-liquid would be burnt, it wouldn't taste very sweet anymore.

This can very much depend on the individual but yes, sometimes vaping with a dessert flavoured e-liquid can reduce your cravings for sweet foods and desserts. The sweet flavours in your e-liquid can help satisfy your sweet tooth in a calorie free way. 

On the other hand though, other vapers find that vaping with sweet, desserty flavours can actually have the opposite effect and make them crave the flavours they've been vaping with.Because of this and the fact that vaping is not risk free, we do not recommend taking up vaping to help curb sugar cravings or for weight loss purposes. 

E-liquids do not contain sugar as if they did it would stop your vape from working properly. Instead, E-liquids contain sweeteners and vegetable glycerine to give them their sweet taste.