How many cigarettes is one e-cigarette equivalent to? A surprising comparison.

How Many Cigarettes in a Vape?

The amount of nicotine in a vape depends on the strength of the e-liquid chosen. The maximum legal strength available in the UK is a 2.0% solution, which is 20mg per ml of e-liquid, equating to roughly 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine per ml absorbable. There are also lower nicotine strengths available, right down to zero nicotine. Shortfill e-liquids are e-liquids to which no nicotine has deliberately been added, allowing vapers to add nicotine shots to create an e-liquid with a customised nicotine strength. Using shortfills and nicotine shots also allows vapers to create e-liquids that are higher than the UK's legal maximum strength of 2.0%.

1 Puff of Vape Equals How Many Cigarettes?

When it comes to the question of “how many cigarettes in a vape” the simplest comparison is probably the easiest. A regular heavy smoker will need to start on a 2% or 20mg/ml e-liquid to effectively suppress their cravings, and while the exact amount of nicotine in a puff of vape will vary depending on the size of the inhale, it could be imagined that roughly 7 puffs on a lower powered vape with a 2% nicotine strength is equivalent to the amount of nicotine in roughly 1 cigarette.

What is Vape Juice Made Of?

Vape juice, also known as e-liquid or e-juice, is primarily composed of four main ingredients: propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), nicotine (the addictive substance found in cigarettes), and flavourings. Propylene glycol is a synthetic liquid used to create a smoother throat hit and carry flavours more effectively, while vegetable glycerin is a thicker, natural substance derived from plant oils that produces vapour when heated, resulting in larger clouds.

Nicotine, if included, varies in concentration, ranging from nicotine-free options to high-strength formulations, depending on user preference. Added flavourings, often food-grade, create a wide array of tastes, from fruity and dessert-inspired to tobacco and menthol. Some vape juices may also contain additives like sweeteners or coolants to "enhance" the vaping experience. All these ingredients are combined in varying ratios to produce the desired throat hit, flavour intensity, and vapour production, all while avoiding the harmful substances found in regular cigarettes.

Tackling Nicotine Cravings

In the past, suppressing the craving for nicotine was done via a method called 'Nicotine Replacement Therapy' - these are the typical nicotine replacement products that smokers have long used to help them quit! With the advent of vaping, studies have shown that e-cigarettes are far more effective at helping people quit smoking than these products (nicotine chewing gum, nicotine lozenges, and nicotine patches etc.). While these products deliver nicotine, vaping delivers not only nicotine to the body, but also allows smokers to keep the 'hand to mouth' habit.

For many of us, one of the most important questions when we start vaping is what nicotine strength you want to get. If you are looking into vaping, it can be confusing trying to work out how much nicotine is in your e-liquid, as all the numbers are either in percentages, mg, or mg/ml. Once you know what these terms mean, you can choose the most appropriate strength for you and make the switch from traditional cigarettes with confidence.

What Does ml/mg Mean on My E-cig?

Vapes and e-liquids will almost always show the nicotine strength in milligrams (weight) per millilitre (volume); it's represented as mg/ml. This is essentially how much of the pure nicotine liquid is mixed into the total e-liquid. For example, if you are using 2mg/ml, it means that there are 2 milligrams of nicotine in 1 millilitre of e-liquid.

Many labels, and indeed blogs about vaping, will omit the "per millilitre" (/mL) figure to save the authors the bother - the amount of nicotine is the crucial information, but you'll often see "2mg strength" instead of "2mg/mL".

The amount of nicotine in an e-cigarette can vary wildly, but the upper limit in the UK and EU is 20mg (2% nicotine e-liquid), which is strong enough for almost all smokers. At SMOKO, our VAPE POD refills and cigalike refills come in a range of strengths including 20mg, 18mg, 15mg, 11mg, and even a zero mg option. This offers a wide range of choice so you can find the perfect strength and flavour for you!

Understanding what nicotine strength means for you can be the difference between a positive experience where you relieve withdrawal symptoms and a negative one where you leave yourself craving.

What’s the Difference Between % and mg/ml Nicotine Strengths?

There's no real difference in these two ways of expressing nicotine strength; the percentage refers to the total amount of nicotine in the e-liquid, and the milligrams per millilitre refers to how much nicotine is in each ml of e-liquid. They both attempt to tell you how strong an e-liquid or vape refill is.

Different vape brands will use different ways of telling you, but as the conversion between the two styles is pretty easy, it shouldn't be an issue.

How to Convert Vape Nicotine Content Percentages to mg/mL

SMOKO and other e-cigarette companies will use both % and mg/ml, depending on the context and how the designer likes the look of it. The good news is that it's super easy to tell the difference between the two.

Mg/ml refers to how many milligrams (mg) of nicotine there are per millilitre (ml) of liquid, and the percentage figure refers to what percentage of the total is nicotine.

The metric system is a wonderful thing, so converting one way of measuring nicotine strength to another is as simple as moving the decimal point to the left.

For example:

• 20mg/ml nicotine strength e-liquid is the same as 2% - a vape has 20mg of nicotine per ml of liquid. This means that 2% of the liquid is nicotine.
• 15mg e-liquid or vape is the same as 1.5%
• 3mg e-liquid or vape is the same as 0.3%

This applies to any e-cigarette or e-liquid you might purchase.

Nicotine Levels When Vaping Versus Smoking

If you are comparing vape refills to find the best e-cig for you then numbers like 20mg or 2% are good to go by, but if you are new to vaping you may want to compare these nicotine strengths based on the type and amount of tobacco you smoke. This sounds simple, but unfortunately, it is not.

Figuring out the amount of nicotine in a cigarette is harder than you might think, as every brand of cigarette is different. An average cigarette contains about 1 gram of tobacco, and according to the CDC, the average amount of nicotine across all brands of cigarettes they tested was 19.2mg per gram of tobacco. (1) This means that a pack of 20 cigarettes contains 384mg of nicotine.

So on average, 1 cigarette has almost exactly the same amount of nicotine as 1ml of 20mg e-liquid. However, a regular cigarette does not deliver all of its nicotine to the smoker when smoked, in fact, only about 1.1 to 1.8mg of nicotine is delivered per cigarette! (2)

To make things even more confusing, the amount of nicotine absorbed from vaping is even lower, and because e-cigarettes produce vapour rather than smoke, the nicotine takes longer to get into your system (3). While newer vape devices offer similar nicotine delivery, first-generation e-cigarettes delivered much less. This means that most people generally need a higher nicotine content in their vape to counteract the slower absorption, even if they are using a newer vape.

Long story short: you can compare the nicotine in cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but there is limited use. We at SMOKO suggest that if you are just making the switch, start at a higher strength, and once you get used to vaping, you can gradually reduce your nicotine levels. That's why all of our vape starter kits come with 20mg refills, as it's better to start vaping with a nicotine strength that is slightly higher than starting with a weaker nicotine strength and ending up going back to cigarettes because your vape isn't delivering the nicotine you need!

How High are Nicotine Levels in E-juice?

Generally, nicotine levels in e-liquid come in a wide variety, and what strength will suit you depends on what you are using and how much you smoke.

If you are using a SMOKO cigalike, you will find the nicotine levels will be higher, ranging from 1.1% to 2%. This is because cigalikes are designed to look and feel like a cigarette, so produce just enough vapour to replicate a cigarette-like smoke volume on the exhale. This is to make it easier for you to switch from smoking, and the nicotine level is balanced to allow you the same experience you would get from a cigarette.

You can also get lower nicotine products, such as 0.3% to 0.6%, which are designed for more powerful vaporizers that produce more vapour. These machines will not make you feel like a cigarette, but will give you lots of vapour to balance out the low nicotine levels. With traditional freebase nicotine, lots of vapour would create too much of a throat hit, which is why they favour low nicotine liquids.

How Do Nic Salt Vape Liquids Compare with Freebase Nicotine E-juice?

Nic salt vape liquids and freebase nicotine e-liquids present significant differences in their composition, absorption rates, and overall vaping experience. Nic salt liquids contain nicotine in its natural salt form, combined with benzoic acid, which results in a smoother throat hit even at higher nicotine concentrations. This makes them ideal for those seeking a quicker and more satisfying nicotine hit, similar to the sensation of smoking traditional cigarettes. Freebase nicotine e-liquids, on the other hand, offer a harsher throat hit and are typically found in lower nicotine concentrations, which makes them better suited for sub-ohm vaping and cloud chasing. Freebase nicotine is also thought to enter the bloodstream at a slower rate, however, freebase nicotine particles are smaller than nic salt particles, which should allow it to enter the bloodstream more easily. All in all, nic salts are great for those who prefer a more intense and smoother vape, while freebase nicotine e-liquids are favoured by vapers who enjoy a stronger throat hit.