Without vape juice, high-tech vaping devices would be pointless. Understanding the different kinds of vape juice and its ingredients will help you find the perfect vape juices and enjoy the best vaping experience.
After finding an vape juice that suits your tastes, knowing its shelf life will help you get the best performance. Let’s take a closer look at how long vape juice lasts and what affects its expiration date.
Does vape juice expire?
Vape juice does expire. There are no industry requirements for distributors to advertise or display expiration dates. This can sometimes make it difficult for inexperienced vapers to know the shelf life of different vape juices.
So, how long does vape juice last? The simple answer is that most vape juice expiration dates are around two years from the manufacturing date.
Do Vegetable Glycerin (VG) and Propylene Glycol (PG) go out of date?
vape juices contain two preservatives: VG (Vegetable Glycerine) and PG (Propylene Glycol). The shelf life of PG is two years, so this is the maximum an e-liquid will typically last.
Other ingredients may not have as long a shelf life as VG and PG. PG can help to stop the degradation of these other ingredients.
The quality of ingredients used will impact the expiry date of vape juice. How they are stored and whether they are opened will also make a big difference.
That is why it is so important to buy your vape juice from reputable sellers like Vaping 101. Stocking only the highest quality vape juice and storing them in optimal conditions, we ensure that you can get the longest life from your vape juice.
Do different ratios expire at different rates?
Vape juice with a higher PG ratio will typically last a little longer. This is because it will degrade at a slower rate. High PG vape juice such as nic salts are popularly used in pod kits and low-powered vapes, providing fuller flavours and discreet vapour.
Vape juice with a higher VG ratio may last a little less time. These vape juices are often used in sub-ohm vape kits and provide bigger vapour clouds.
How to tell if your e-liquid has expired
Knowing when your vape juice has expired will play an important role in your vaping experience. Thankfully, there are some tell-tale signs that help to determine when the vape juice has gone bad.
Colour
The colour of your vape juice will typically darken over time. This is due to exposure to oxygen. When the vape juice gets significantly darker than it should be, it may be beyond the expiration date.
You should also regularly check the appearance of the vape juice. The elements that make it up can separate over time. Shaking the vape juice will typically mix them together again. If the vape juice fails to mix together, your vape juice may have passed its expiration date.
Smell
Smell is a huge part of taste. Tasty vape juice will smell great. Anyone that has walked through a vape cloud will know the joy of being enveloped in the wonderful scent.
When you first get your vape juice, you will learn the smell. Over time this can change. If the smell of your vape juice has deteriorated, it's time to invest in some new vape juice.
Taste
If you notice the taste of the vape juice change over time, it may have started to go bad. In some cases, it will lose its taste as well as scent.
Is it safe to vape out-of-date e-liquid?
Any vape juice expiration dates provided are just estimates. There is no guarantee that an vape juice will last as long. In some cases, it may exceed the estimation.
Judging the vape juice by its colour, scent, taste, and appearance will help you determine if it is out-of-date.
If your vape juice goes bad, there's no need to worry. There is no evidence that expired vape juice poses a danger. We would always advise changing your vape juice if you notice any of the issues previously advised though.
This is because your vaping experience will be significantly poorer if you continue to vape expired vape juice. Why settle for a sub-par vaping experience when you could be enjoying a tasty brand new e-liquid?
Is there a different expiration for unopened vs. opened vape juice?
The expiry date of opened vape juice can be shorter than unopened vape juice. This will depend on how well it is sealed after use and if it is stored correctly.
How should I store my vape juice?
To make your vape juice last, you must ensure it is stored correctly. Poor storage can directly impact the e-liquid’s shelf life.
Vape juice manufacturers base estimated vape expiration dates on them being stored correctly.
You must keep your vape juice out of direct sunlight. Finding a dark place to keep it stored is advisable. You should also avoid temperature extremes. Therefore, a cool dark cupboard can be the ideal place to store vape juices when not in use.
The bottle should also be sealed tightly. In some cases, refrigerators can be a good place to store vape juice. This will ensure there's no exposure to excessive heat.
Storing your vape juice will be up to you. However, the expiration date could be compromised by poor storage before you even purchase it.
As a trusted seller, we ensure all of our vape juice is properly stored. This helps to ensure the vape juice lasts until the estimated expiry date.
Can I steep my vape juice at home?
Steeping your vape juice is like ageing a bottle of wine. It allows the ingredients to blend for a better flavour.
Pre-prepared vape juice are typically steeped by the manufacturer. This means that you won't usually have to think about steeping your vape juice and can enjoy them straight away. However, it can still be beneficial in some cases.
Steeping vape juice is relatively straightforward and can be done at home. You just need to leave the bottle in a dark place with a consistent temperature.
You can speed up the process by agitating the contents occasionally. You can also “breathe” the liquid. By leaving the cap off the bottle for short periods, you can achieve smoother vape juice.
The process of "Streathing" vape juice combines steeping and breathing. You can also run the bottle under hot water to thin out higher VG ratio liquids.
How long should I steep my vape juice for?
Understanding how long you should steep your vape juice will come with experience. One to two days will typically be long enough for fruity flavours.
Sweet or tobacco flavours will need longer. Sometimes as much as two weeks is needed for stronger flavours.
Conclusion
Answering the question, "how long does vape juice last?" can be challenging. There are so many factors to consider it is almost impossible to give an accurate expiry date.
The expiration date provided for most vape juice will typically be around 2 years. However, the storage and ingredients will influence this.
Storing the vape juice in a room-temperature cupboard away from direct light will help vape juice last longer. Keeping the bottle sealed to avoid exposing it to too much oxygen will also help.
Overall, the only sure-fire way of ensuring your vape juice doesn’t expire is by vaping it all! So, why not browse our selection of top quality e-liquids to find your new favourite today? With favourites like Just Jam, Bar Juice, and Vampire Vape, there’s an vape juice for everyone here at Vaping 101.
