Does Vape Juice Expire?
If you're new to vaping, or even if you've been vaping a while, there may be some things relating to e-liquid that you're still unsure of.
One of the most commonly asked questions is 'does vape juice expire and is it safe to vape e-liquid that has passed it's expiry date?'
That's why in this blog we explore the subject of e-liquid expiry dates and explain everything you need to know!
Table of Contents
Does Vape Juice Expire? - What Ingredients Are In Vape Juices?
- How Long Does Vape Juice Last?
- Do Disposable Vapes Have An Expiry Date?
- Can You Vape Expired Vape Juice?
- Why Does Vape Juice Turn Brown In The Bottle?
- Why Does Vape Juice Turn Brown In A Tank or Pod?
- How To Store Your Vape Juice Correctly
Does Vape Juice Expire?
To directly answer this question, technically yes vape juice can expire. The expiration process however, is not like that of food which goes rotten or "off". In actuality, e-liquid is microbiologically stable for as long as 10 years. While that means it is not likely to go mouldy, e-liquid will change over time.
A number of things relating to your e-liquid can be begin to occur, such as: your e-liquid consistency changing, the flavour becoming more muted or chaging in profile, the nicotine becoming harsher, and general changes colour from what the e-iquid previously looked like when you first bought it.
The above changes can occur over a long period of time, and while they may result in an e-liquid not performing as well as it would when freshly made, they do not pose any known health risks to the user. It is for this reason that many vaping mnaufacturers like ourselves have opted for a produced on date, instead of an expiry or best before date. This more accurately represents the lifespan of the product and serves as a way for customers to know how long their e-liquid has been haging around.
What Ingredients Are In Vape Juice?
We're going to have a brief glance into and explain the primary ingredients which are used in nearly every bottle of vape juice that's on the market, and these are all what we use here at LiQuid when making the vape juices that you love.
Propylene Glycol (PG)
This is the clear, and thinner, liquid that's used to help blend and bind all other ingredients used together. It's also what aids to the throat hit effect you feel when you inhale on your vape.
Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
This is also a clear liquid, but it's the thicker of the two and it has a slightly sweet undertone to it. This is the ingredient that aids in producing the clouds of vapour when you exhale. It can also enhance the flavour of the concentrates used in the vape juice.
Nicotine
Now whilst this may not be in every bottle of vape juice, such as shortfills, this is still classed as a primary ingredient. This is the chemical which also constitutes to the throat hit effect as well as curbing those pesky cravings for nicotine that you may get.
Flavour Concentrates
These are what are added to the PG/VG base to create those delicious flavours you know and love to vape.
Did you know? One of our best selling vape juices online is Flavourless, which is just the three ingredients above with no added flavour concentrates!
How Long Does Vape Juice Last?
There is not a specific set time frame for how long vape juice lasts. It comes down to several factors which can either decrease or increase the longevity of an e-liquid's shelf-life.
Storing your vape juice correctly is something very important which can help preserve e-liquids for longer, and we explain more about this further in the blog.
The general consensus amongst retailers however is that vape juice should last around 2 years before the signs of detoriation begin showing. This is not a blanket rule however, and there are plenty of examples of vape juice lasting longer than this while still being in a good enough condition to vape.
On all of our bottles, we print a "Produced On" date, and we would recommend using your vape juice within 5 years of this date. Our decision to increase the two year window to 5 years is a more recent one made only this year (2024) based on years of evidence supporting the quality and safety of our e-liquids beyond 2 years.
The vaping industry has captured a lot of negative press for environmental issues over the years, so we have decided to reduce our contribution to this as much as possible by increasing the useability window to minimise stock waste, while still ensuring the safety of our consumers.
Do Disposable Vapes Have An Expiry Date?
It's no secret that disposable vapes have boomed in popularity over the last few years, and you may be a disposable vape user yourself despite pondering the question above.
From what we have found, there is normally an expiration date printed on the outer carton packaging of a disposable vape and this is normally around 1-2 years from the date you bought it. We'd recommend using it within this time as unlike our own e-liquids we cannot attest to the longevity of the Chinese ingredients used in disposables like Elf bars.
Did you know? Nearly all disposable vapes are manufactured in China, including the vape juice that's put inside the disposable vapes. China do not have any regulations for vape juice like those in place here in the UK, so the quality of ingredients used in the vape juices is unknown. This could result in the quality of the vape juice deteriorating before it reaches the expiration date that's printed on the packaging due to poor quality ingredients being used.
Here at LiQuid, we are proud to sell
You can read more in our feature blog about the processes we have in place for making our vape juices, as well as the rigourous testing of all raw materials prior to them being used in our vape juices.
Can You Vape Expired Vape Juice?
Whilst there are guidelines and advisories to use your vape juice within the recommended time period and/or before the expiry date, there isn't anything to say that it's not ok to vape expired vape juice.
When the expiry date or use by period has passed, you may find that your vape juice will change as we mentioned above and they could be any combination of the below;
Nicotine Becomes Harsher - The nicotine in your vape juice is the primary ingredient that can spoil and degrade over time. If this happens, you may find that your vape juice is a lot harsher on your throat than it previously was. The nicotine distribution within the e-liquid can also change, with e-liquid at the top of a bottle carrying less, while that at the bottom contains more. This means that one tank-load may not satisfy cravings, while the next is far too strong. Nicotine also reacts to light, turning the e-liquid darker over time especially when in direct sunlight.
Flavour Becomes Muted or Changes - This is something which frequently happens after a few years; The flavour of your vape juice isn't as strong as it was previously, and becomes muted meaning little to no flavour. Equally the flavourings inside may over-steep, menaing they evolve into something quite different from the intended profile, often being strange and unpleasant to vape. This is because the flavour concentrates have started to become over exposed to oxygen, degrade, and dilute further into the base mix.
Vicosity Changes - You will likely find that the vicosity of your vape juice will change over a long period of time. What we mean by this is that your vape juice may become thinner/runnier, which is particularly bad if using a High VG vape juice which may then leak from your tank/pod. If you're using a standard 50/50 vape juice, it might be even more runny, making it impractical and prone to flooding your vape coils.
Why Does Vape Juice Turn Brown In The Bottle?
Another tell-tale sign of your vape juice no longer being of a good standard is that the colour of it may change to a brown or darker colour compared to what it was when you first bought it.
The reason behind this colour change is primarily the nicotine content of the e-liquid. Nicotine is photosensitive, which means it reacts to light, and in the case of the nicotine in PG solution used in most e-liquids, this results in it turning darker over time.
Menthol vape juices, for example, are often very simple with fewer compounds in the flavouring beyond menthol crystals, which are clear to begin with. In this case, it is likely the colour change over time will be minimal unless high-strength. Dessert flavour vape juices may contain naturally darker flavourings - liquorice extracts in particular are very dark even when completely fresh - meaning they will inevitably become very dark, especially when mixed with lots of nicotine like 12mg or 18mg.
Why Does Vape Juice Turn Brown In A Tank or Pod?
If your vape juice starts discolouring when it's in your tank or pod, even if it's before it's reached the expiry date, it's likely not an issue with your vape juice and instead, it could be one of, or a combination of the following that's causing this.
Oxidisation can occur a lot quicker once your vape juice is put into a tank or a pod. And this is something which can affect the colour of your vape juice.
Another reason could be the condition of your coil making your vape juice go brown or darker than normal. Inside the atomiser housing is a small wire coil that has a cotton wick threaded through, and this is what your vape juice aborsbs into.
The coil is what is heated up by your vape kit to turn your vape juice into vapour which you inhale and exhale and when this occurs, the cotton is also heated up and gradually overtime will become burnt and this is what then causes your vape juice to turn to a darker colour from the residue of the burnt cotton.
If you see this happening, it's time to change your coil for a fresh new one and your e-liquid colour will remain the same as normal!
How To Store Your Vape Juice Correctly
As we have mentioned, storing your vape juice correctly can help extend it's longevity and keeping it in a vapable condition. It doesn't matter whether you are using freebase or nicotine salts, storage best practice applies in all cases.
It's always recommended that you keep your vape juice away from direct or harsh sunlight, so don't keep your vape juices on a window sill or a desk/top of drawers in direct sunlight.
Instead, keep your vape juices somewhere dark, like a drawer or a cupboard that's away from any heat or sunlight, and this should help your vape juice stay in good condition and you'll be able to use it right up to the 2 year recommended window and sometimes beyond.
Try to avoid extreme temperatures too, as once your vape juice is opened and even when it's not, exposure to heat can make your vape juice discolour and become thinner in consistency, while also impacting flavour steeping. Exposure to cold temperatures can make your vape juice become thicker and potentially even cause the primary ingredients to seperate which would not make for a pleasureable vape juice to use!
If you do have a drawer or cupboard for your vape juice, keep the bottles that are older in purchase date towards the front so that older bottles get used first, and not shoved to the back of the drawer that gets discovered many months later, as chances are you won't want to use it!
Why Buy your E-Liquids Online From LiQuid?
Quality, Safety, Price - these are the three best reasons to choose the LiQuid brand as our trusted vape supplier, whether you are looking for vape juice or indeed any vaping product. Our e-liquids can last well beyond 2 years if stored correctly thanks tothe carefully selected, premium ingredients and manufacturing processes we use.
We have been proudly serving hundreds of thousands of customers every month for ten years, selling millions of bottles of e-liquid and constantly evolving our ranges through extensive testing, R&D and customer feedback. When you buy a bottle of e-liquid from LiQuid, you get the benefit of a decade of industry expertise, dedication to quality, and a commitment to low prices. You simply won't find a higher quality e-liquid for less in the UK.
We have developed an end-to-end manufacturing process that gives us unmatched control over the quality of our raw ingredients and e-liquid blending. This is combined with our full scope of laboratory testing that allows us to ensure the strictest standards are upheld at every stage of production to guarantee your satisfaction.
Beyond our promise of quality and value, becoming a member of the LiQuid community gives you acces to unique benefits as a vaper, including our subscription service and LiQuid loyalty point scheme to help you get even more from your vaping journey.
Written By James Drake
James discovered the world of vaping 7 years ago as an alternative to smoking. Since then, he's become a dedicated enthusiast, experimenting with various e-cigarettes, flavours, and nicotine strengths.
James is committed to sharing his in-depth knowledge to help both new and experienced users make informed decisions about their nicotine alternatives and his blogs are a platform for honest reviews, helpful tips, and discussions.
