As people become more health conscious, they are more aware of the substances they’re putting into their body.
This includes the safe PG and VG in their vape liquids. While both are recognised as safe for human use, there’s a demand for even simpler e-liquid solutions that are even more easily absorbed by the body.
Water-based vaping uses e-liquid that combines water with the standard PG/VG formulation, which means that a user inhales less PG/VG than traditional e-liquids. At present, most water e-liquid solutions include 20-30% water.
Why choose water-based vaping?
Water-based vaping offers a very smooth, cool vapour. It creates very little throat irritation and is inhaled without much difficulty. It also offers faster satisfaction than vaping traditional e-liquids. This is because water is more bioavailable than VG/PG, meaning the body is able to absorb the nicotine in liquid more quickly.
Vape users will be all too familiar with “dry mouth”. PG/VG are known to draw water out of a person's mouth and throat. While you can drink more water to compensate, ideally you shouldn’t be losing this water in the first place. With water-based vaping less moisture is lost, with the water content of the e-liquid compensating greatly.
Flavour is also different with water vapes. While PG/VG have “little” flavour, there are still underlying tones of sweetness, which experienced vapers will recognise. With water-based e-liquids, this “PG/VG flavour” is reduced even more, giving more space for flavourings to be experienced by the user.
E-liquids with water also vaporise at lower temperatures than those with more traditional PG/VG. Vaping at these cooler temps can increase a device’s lifespan and battery life, making water-based vaping very convenient.
How does water-based vaping work?
Veteran vapers will know that most vape tanks don’t like water! The coils, atomisers and tanks are not designed to be used with water and are subject to rust, flooding and all sorts of damage. Devices designed for water-based vaping are slightly different, and have parts that are designed to resist damage and handle the increased water content. This means that you can’t just build your own water-vape right now, instead consumers can choose prebuilt pod and disposable devices like the Innobar C1 or Aquios Bar.
Is water vaping safe?
We know that vaping in general is up to 95% safer than smoking cigarettes, but how does water-based vaping stack up?
Well, most water-based vapes on the market still contain significant PG, VG and nicotine. While water is better-tolerated by the body than PG/VG, it is only 30% of the e-liquid’s content, meaning the majority of the liquid is identical to regular vape juice.
With this being said, any reduction of PG/VG, with replacement from a highly inert substance like water is bound to be positive. While PG/VG are generally thought to be safe, there is little more safe than water, making it a smart inclusion.
What does water-based vaping feel like?
Water-vapour is slightly cooler than e-liquid, resulting in a vaping experience that is smooth and minimally irritating to the throat. The tail-end of a hit may feel intense, with much of the nicotine being made available to the body very quickly, due to water’s high bioavailability.
Does water vaping work with all devices?
No! Water-based e-liquids require specialist devices which are designed to work with them. There’s a serious risk you could damage your vape tank, atomiser or even mod if you try to use water-liquids with standard vapes which are meant for PG/VG. At best, using the wrong e-liquid will result in damaged coils and you’ll need to replace them.
