What Is Nic Salt? Nicotine Salts Explained

Nic salt is e-liquid made with nicotine salt: nicotine that has been combined with an acid instead of being left in its freebase form. The acid makes the vapour feel less harsh at a given strength, which is why nic salts are usually sold at 10mg and 20mg and used in low-power mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits.

What is nic salt?

Nic salt, salt nic and nicotine salt are three names for the same thing: an e-liquid in which the nicotine is in salt form. Brands and shops word their labels differently, but they all mean this. What sets a nic salt apart from other e-liquids is the form its nicotine takes, not the flavour or the bottle.

What are nicotine salts made of?

A nic salt e-liquid starts with the same basic ingredients as other e-liquids: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), flavourings and nicotine. The difference is that an acid, commonly benzoic acid, is added to the nicotine. In chemistry, a salt is what forms when an acid reacts with a base, and nicotine is a base, so the result is a nicotine salt. It has nothing to do with the salt you cook with.

Nicotine that has not been combined with an acid is called freebase nicotine. It is the traditional form of nicotine in e-liquid, and the form in what is often called regular vape juice. Our guide to nic salts vs freebase compares the two in detail.

Why do nic salts feel smoother than freebase?

Freebase nicotine feels harsher on the throat as its strength goes up. In a nic salt, the added acid changes the form the nicotine is in, and that form is gentler to inhale. That is what lets nic salts be sold at 10mg and 20mg and still feel smooth in a small pod kit, where a freebase liquid at the same strength would feel noticeably harsher.

pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a liquid is. Nicotine is alkaline, so freebase nicotine pushes the pH of an e-liquid up, and the acid in a nic salt brings it back down. At that lower pH, more of the nicotine is held in salt form rather than as freebase.

Smoother does not mean weaker. The strength on the label is the amount of nicotine per millilitre in both forms, so a 20mg nic salt contains as much nicotine per millilitre as a 20mg freebase liquid. The salt form changes how the vapour feels, not how much nicotine the bottle holds.

What kind of vape are nic salts for?

Nic salts are made for low-power mouth-to-lung (MTL) kits: refillable pod kits and vape pens with higher-resistance coils and a tighter draw, where vapour is drawn into the mouth before it is inhaled. These kits vaporise only a small amount of liquid with each puff, which suits the higher strengths nic salts come in.

They are not made for sub-ohm tanks. Those kits run at higher power, turn far more liquid into vapour with every puff and are designed around high-VG liquids at low strengths. Our guide on how to use nic salts covers coil resistance, wattage and filling a pod.

Why are nic salts usually 50/50?

Many nic salts, including every Elux nic salt, are mixed at 50/50 VG/PG. VG is the thicker base and produces more vapour, while PG is thinner and adds more throat hit. Half and half gives a runny liquid that suits the small coils in a pod kit. Liquids for sub-ohm tanks lean much further towards VG, often 70/30 or 80/20, to go with their lower-resistance coils and higher power.

What strength nic salt should you use: 5mg, 10mg or 20mg?

Nic salt strength is the amount of nicotine in each millilitre of liquid. A 10ml bottle of 20mg nic salt holds 200mg of nicotine, a 10mg bottle holds 100mg and a 5mg bottle holds 50mg. 20mg, also written as 2%, is the highest strength UK law allows in a nicotine e-liquid, and a refill bottle of nicotine e-liquid can hold no more than 10ml, as the MHRA’s guidance on UK vaping product rules sets out.

Choosing by what you use now

The simplest way to choose is to start from the strength you are used to. Strength and flavour are separate choices, but not every flavour is sold in every strength, so it helps to settle on a strength first.

• You already vape a nic salt, or you are used to 20mg from a disposable: start with the same strength you use now.
• You vape freebase in a mouth-to-lung kit: the milligram number means the same thing in both forms, so compare like with like, and expect a nic salt to feel smoother than freebase at the same strength.
• You would like a lower strength than you use now: each step down halves the nicotine, because 10mg has half the nicotine per millilitre of 20mg, and 5mg has half that of 10mg.

Is 5% nic salt legal in the UK?

No. A percentage is another way of writing the same measure: 2% is 20mg per millilitre, so 5% is 50mg, two and a half times the UK limit. Stronger nic salts are sold in some other countries, which is why strengths like 5% turn up online, but they cannot legally be sold in the UK.

Elux nic salt strengths

Every Elux nic salt comes in 10mg and 20mg. 20 Elux Legend flavours, including Elux Mr Blue and Elux Menthol, are also sold in 5mg, and they are all listed on the Elux 5mg nic salts page. Elux Firerose 5000 flavours come in 10mg and 20mg only.

Does salt nic give you a buzz?

It can, as any nicotine e-liquid can. The buzz or head rush that some vapers describe is an effect of nicotine, whichever form the nicotine is in, and it tends to be most noticeable at a strength higher than the one you are used to.

Nic salts can make a strong liquid easy to underestimate. A 20mg nic salt does not come with the harsh throat hit that a 20mg freebase liquid would have, so when you change strength, or move from freebase to nic salts, go by the number on the label rather than by how smooth the vapour feels. The kit matters too: a nic salt used in a high-power sub-ohm tank delivers far more nicotine with each puff than it would in the pod kit it is made for.

If a strength feels like more than you want, the practical answer is a lower strength of the same flavour. Every Elux flavour is sold in 10mg as well as 20mg.

Are Elux liquids nic salts?

Yes. Every Elux liquid we sell is a nicotine salt e-liquid in a 10ml bottle, mixed at 50/50 VG/PG for mouth-to-lung pod and pen kits. There are two ranges: Elux Legend nic salts, with 56 flavours, and Elux Firerose 5000 nic salts, with 28. Every bottle is child-resistant and tamper-evident, as UK law requires for nicotine refill bottles.

You can browse all Elux nic salts on one page, grouped by flavour type with the strengths each is sold in. If you are deciding between the two ranges, Elux Legend vs Firerose 5000 compares them side by side.

18+ only. Contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance.

Nic salts: common questions

Is salt nic the same as nic salt?

Yes. Nic salt, nic salts, salt nic, salt nicotine and nicotine salt all describe the same kind of e-liquid, one where the nicotine has been combined with an acid. The wording depends on the brand or the shop. Whichever name is on the bottle, the strength works the same way, in milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of liquid.

Do nic salts contain actual salt?

Not the kind you cook with. The word comes from chemistry, where a salt is what forms when an acid reacts with a base. Nicotine is a base, so adding an acid to it creates a nicotine salt. The rest of the liquid is made from the usual e-liquid ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine and flavourings.

What does 20mg mean on a nic salt bottle?

It means 20 milligrams of nicotine in every millilitre of liquid, so a full 10ml bottle contains 200mg of nicotine. It is also written as 2%, and it is the highest strength allowed in the UK. A 10mg nic salt has half as much nicotine per millilitre, and a 5mg nic salt a quarter as much.

What are nic salts used for?

Nic salts are refill liquid for low-power mouth-to-lung vapes: refillable pod kits and vape pens with higher-resistance coils. You fill the pod from the bottle's nozzle, and the smoother salt form suits the 10mg and 20mg strengths nic salts are usually sold in. They are not made for sub-ohm tanks, which turn far more liquid into vapour with each puff.

How can I tell if an e-liquid is a nic salt?

Look at the label. Nic salt liquids are normally marked with wording such as nic salt, salt nic or nicotine salt next to the strength. The strength and the VG/PG ratio alone will not tell you, because freebase liquids can also be 50/50 and sold at similar strengths. Every Elux liquid we sell is a nic salt.