What does PG/VG mean in e-liquid?

What does PG VG mean?

PG: Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is a colourless, odourless and viscous liquid. It is widely used as an additive in food, medicines and cosmetics. PG is also used in many industrial processes to prevent moisture damage, such as in the manufacture of plastics and textiles. It is present in many products, including:

• Food products: fizzy drinks, cake mixes, salad dressings and ice creams.
• Pharmaceutical products: eye drops, toothpaste and mouthwash.
• Cosmetic products: moisturising creams, make-up removers and hair care products.

VG: Vegetable Glycerin

VG is a polyol, which means it is a compound that can be used to make sweeteners.

Vegetable glycerin is a transparent, viscous and odourless liquid with a slightly sweet taste. It is mainly used in various industries such as medicine, cosmetics and food.

What exactly is it?

The ratio between PG and VG is one of the most important factors in achieving a good taste.

The higher the propylene glycol (PG) concentration, the stronger the throat contraction and the more intense the sensation sought by former smokers. The higher the vegetable glycerin (VG) concentration, the greater the vapour produced and the slightly sweeter the flavour.

Vapers who are not looking for much "hit" prefer an e-liquid with a blend of 70% vegetable glycerin and 30% propylene glycol, which gives them just enough vapour to avoid dryness without making their vape too intense.

What are the differences?

PG and VG are two of the most common ingredients in e-juices, but they are also two of the most confusing.

You might think they are opposites and they are, in a way. But they can also be used together to create a balanced blend of flavour and vapour production.

• PG enhances flavours and throat hit, but it produces less vapour than VG. Due to its high fluidity, it is more likely to cause leakage issues than VG. It can also be poorly tolerated by some vapers (sore throat, stomach aches, allergies). In that case, a vegetable e-liquid with Vegetol or vegetable propylene glycol is recommended.
• VG produces large clouds of vapour, but it reduces your perception of flavours and throat hit. It is also more likely to cause dry hits than PG.

How to choose your ratio?

The ratio between PG and VG in your e-juice can have a significant impact on the way you vape.

If you want to vape a mixture with a high vegetable glycerin (VG) content, it is best to make sure your clearomizer can handle it in significant proportions.

VG has a more viscous nature, which means it tends to clog coils and wicks more quickly.

If your wicks are not properly built, or if they are too small, the flow of liquid will be difficult, and you risk getting a dry hit, meaning your wicks heat up but there is no e-liquid inside them.

Conversely, if you want to vape a mixture where the propylene glycol (PG) content is high, it is better to check that your equipment is well suited to this type of fluidity. It will tend to leak at the level of your tank due to its very fluid nature.

Pay particular attention to airflow!

Which ratio to choose for which e-cigarette?

It is important to choose the right ratio for your e-cigarette. Generally, ready-to-vape e-liquids are dosed at 50/50 PG/VG but you can also find them in our category of best 50PG/50VG e-liquids. 

But there are also other compositions such as 80/20 and 70/30, which are more common for 50 ml formats.

The dosage is always expressed as PG/VG, so the PG content comes first and the VG content comes second.

This allows you to have enough vapour and to transmit flavours and the Hit well.