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How Long time Does VG E-liquid Last?

Distributors or e-liquid manufacturers have no specific legal requirements to follow regarding the length of expiration dates, displaying or advertising them.

Shelf life is not explicitly covered under TRPR (Tobacco and Related Products Regulations) governing the rules and regulations. 

There are non-legally binding e-liquid standards that exist regarding shelf life. This is a guideline for responsible manufacturers to conduct product stability studies to fully support the shelf life of their products.

However, this date is a considerably long time as e-liquid is considered “shelf-stable” After an e-liquid has been manufactured, its shelf life is around two years. 

This date could be shorter if the bottle of e-liquid is opened, not stored correctly, or depending on the type of vape juice.

The type of ingredients in an e-liquid can have an impact on the expiry date. We need to look at two common ingredients: PG and VG used as an e-liquid diluent.

How Long Does PG E-liquid Last?

PG (propylene glycol) helps to prevent degradation over time. This means that vape juices that have a higher PG content can last longer. 

Although this is again down to correct handling and storage of the e-liquid.

How Long Does VG E-liquid Last?

VG (vegetable glycerine) vape juice does not stop degradation over time in the same way as PG does. This doesn’t mean its expiration date is reached any earlier. 

This is because if both e-liquids contain nicotine, they would both get to that expiration point at the same time.

How Long Does Vape Juice Last? In the Fridge

How to Correctly Store Vape Juice

Correctly storing your vape juice is one of the best ways to ensure that it stays as fresh as possible throughout its lifespan.

Direct sunlight, temperature extremes, or exposure to too much oxygen is not suitable for your e-liquid. The best possible place for your vape juice is a lovely dark, room-temperature cupboard.

Some vapers prefer keeping their e-liquid in the fridge and if you have a hot summer. It’s a dark, cool place, so this makes perfect sense, and we would advise this as a good storage place.

The best advice is that as long as your vape juice bottles are sealed well when not in use and not sitting on a window sill or by the oven or a radiator, it will be ok. 

Vape Juice Consumption

The time that vape juice lasts through consumption really comes down to how much you vape. It is also very much dependent on the temperature and therefore the wattage you vape.

If you vape at high temperatures, you could quickly go through 60 mL a week. Vaping between 50 to 100 W with an average amount of vaping could consume 30 mL of juice every week.

Less wattage equals less consumption.

DTL vs. MTL Juice Consumption

Direct to lung (DTL) vapers typically consume more e-liquid per day than Mouth to lung (MTL) vapers, especially at higher power.

MTL is very juice efficient compared to DTL as the tanks/atomizers usually operate with 1.0 to 1.2ohm resistance or a higher rating with thinner wire.

 This accounts for MTL devices needing less wattage, generally in the 8 to 18 watts range and 18 to 20 watts at the high end for most MTL.

MTL is also traditionally done on a single coil at lower wattage, while DTL is usually done using more than one coil at higher wattages.

 Using more coils, you increase the surface area, use higher wattages, increase temperature, and increase draw time. This all contributes to consuming more vape juice!

How Long Should You Leave Juice in Your Vaporizer Tank?

How long can your e-juice last in a pod, cartridge, or tank? This again depends on the type of juice, the tank, and its use and storage. 

You should realistically not leave the juice for more than 5 days. At this point, it will usually have been too long and start to taste awful. 

If you leave a tank un-vaped for too long, the coil floods and starts to leak. By how much and how soon depends on the tank/coil. Some juices can also crack the plastic, and some even some glass tanks.

One helpful tip is to make sure you go through juice regularly to switch up juice flavors as often as possible.

What happens when e-liquid goes bad?

If your e-liquid has passed its expiration date, there are a few tell-tale signs that will guide you. The first thing you will notice is that your juice taste will be different from usual or just lacking in flavor. 

This would also affect the smell of your vape juice in the bottle.

Another indication is a change in the color of your juice. As it is exposed to oxygen, the color of your juice will naturally darken over time.

 If it gets to the point that it is much darker than you have seen before, it is probably past its expiration date.

Is it safe to consume e-liquid after the expiration date? It is important to note here that those for e-liquid are a guide like many expiration dates. 

On the expiration date, your vape juice doesn’t automatically turn bad and become dangerous to vape.

Conclusion

Vape juice degrades over time, and the worst thing that will happen is it won’t taste the same or won’t taste of anything at all. You might not smell it, and you won’t be getting the same hit or nicotine level.

While we don’t advise that you vape e-liquid past its expiration date, there is currently no evidence that shows it’s dangerous to do so.