The debate over the difference between menthol and ice vape flavours causes a lot of confusion amongst vapers of all experience levels.
While the two flavour types offer very similar experiences, there are core differences between them, and it is important to understand what each offers so you can manage your expectations when trying different vape flavours.
The key difference, in simple terms, is that menthol offers cooling with a minty taste, while Ice offers pure cooling with no minty element. While simple in essence, this has a big impact on how these flavourings are used in different products to achieve different vaping experiences.
Let's explore in more detail:
Menthol & Ice Vape Flavour Similarities:
- Both deliver a cooling sensation when vaped
- Both can help to make vapes taste smoother
- Both are considered good flavour options for refreshing "all-day" vapes
Menthol & Ice Vape Flavour Differences:
- Menthol is derived from menthol crystals when used as a flavouring, whereas Ice comes from a food-grade cooling agent, often called "WS-23".
- Menthol delivers cooling alongside varying degrees of mintiness, whereas Ice offers a pure cooling effect with no minty flavour notes at all.
- Menthol appears as a flavour by itself, whereas ice is only ever used alongside other flavour elements as an enhancer.
- Ice is used to enhance vape flavours like cola, making them taste 'chilled'. This would not work for menthol as it would add an unwanted minty element.
- While both menthol and ice flavours appear in freebase and nic salt e-liquid types, Ice is more commonly associated with nic salts and disposable vape style flavours, as almost all disposables used nic salt e-liquid with subtle or prominent ice elements to enhance their smoothness and flavour depth.
Should You Use Ice Or Menthol E-Liquid Flavours?
This decision ultimately comes down to your personal preference. It is likely, however, that if you enjoy cooling vapes, you will enjoy examples of both ice and menthol vape flavours.
With that said:
- If you want a more natural menthol vaping experience with a hint of mint flavour in the mix - choose flavours with menthol in their name.
- If you want a cooling effect that supports other flavour elements and doesn't add any mintiness - choose flavours with ice in their name.