We all like getting stocked up and keeping more than we need a lot of the time, whether that goes for food, toilet-paper or your favourite tasty e-liquid. E-liquid, much like food, comes with an expiration date. Now we can all more often than not tell when our food has past its hay-day but when it comes to vape-juice we’re a little in the dark as to what happens and whether they’re safe. However, there is information out there. Here, we will be taking a look at how safe vaping expired liquids is and what signs to look for to know when your juice is expired.
In short: Yes, e-liquid does expire, however liquid that has expired is still safe to vape. None of the ingredients in e-liquid will suddenly turn toxic over time. However, there are a few changes that may happen to e-liquid slowly over time, it’s mainly the degradation of the nicotine and flavourings that have an impact.
What Happens After A Vape Liquids Expiration Date?
Flavour – As the flavours break down, your e-liquid may begin to taste different from how it’s supposed to, or of nothing at all.
Smell - Similarly to flavour, the smell of your vape juice may change or disappear altogether.
Colour - Due to oxidation, the e-liquid is likely to become darker in colour.
Strength - Oxidation will also cause the nicotine to become weaker, especially if it’s freebase nicotine.
Thickness - The vape liquid may become thicker or thinner, depending on the formulation used.
Separation - Lastly, the ingredients in the e-juice may begin to separate. You might be able to see the thicker, heavier ingredients settling at the bottom of the bottle - and, unfortunately, a shake of the bottle won’t solve this.
How To Make Your Vape Liquid Last Longer
One way to offset these effects of ageing is to make sure to keep your e-liquid in a dark, room-temperature place. The liquid that you aren’t using every day should be regularly shaken. These simple steps can really help your e-liquid last much longer. It might even delay the expiration, which should be the goal of every vaper. Many e-liquids can cost a pretty penny as well so making them last longer can bring continual savings
Our Recommendation
As explained above, when e-liquids start degrading over time, they will likely begin to change in flavour, scent, colour, thickness, etc. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean the vape juice has become unsafe to use. we here at Rolling Refills offer our customers the chance to purchase vape liquid that is close to or past expiry at a hugely discounted price if they so choose. - browse our selection of OOD e-liquid here.
Despite this, we would still recommend that you avoid using your e-liquid if you are starting to see the changes listed above. Not only will it be fairly unpleasant to use an e-liquid when the flavour, thickness, and strength has changed, but there is also a lack of research into the effects of continuously using very expired e-liquid.
If your e-juice has passed the best before date on the label, but you can’t see any of these signs of degradation, then it will be safe to use. No one wants their stock of e-liquid to expire, but if it does, don't worry about it. Simply vape the e-liquid or throw it away. Following simple steps such as shaking the bottle and storing it in a cool, room temperature place will surely make the smell and taste last longer. When it comes to money being spent on e-liquid, make sure that you are aware of these things, too.
