Does Vape Juice Expire?

It happens sometimes that we purchase more e-juice flavors than we need to and then we are left with unopened products that have been sitting on the shelf for a while. It is normal to wonder if it’s safe to use those old products, especially when we begin to notice slight changes in the color, texture, and smell.

The short answer to whether e-juices expire is yes. But how?

As detailed in our article about e-juice ingredients, vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol make up the bulk of ingredients in e-juices and those chemicals typically expire within two years. That does not necessarily mean that your e-juice cannot expire before two years, or will indeed expire after this duration, as storage play the most significant role in preserving your e-liquid. As your e-juice begins to age, the following processes take place:

• Color changes

Overtime, your e-juice will begin to become darker because nicotine oxidates over time. The newly formed oxygen in the e-juice product chemically interacts with other ingredients and causes the liquid to become darker. If you notice considerable darkening of your liquid, it’s best to throw the bottle away. 

• Ingredient separation

Due to various consistencies and thickness of the ingredients that make up the liquid in the e-juice bottle, it is normal for them to separate overtime which is why shaking the bottle before use is essential for best results. However, as your e-juice ages, separation of ingredients becomes much more pronounced and shaking the bottle would not have an impact due to crystalized flavoring concentrates or debris that’s difficult to dissolve. If you notice that the ingredients would not mix easily after you shake the bottle, do not risk it and stop using the product. 

• Scent and flavor

Overtime, the scent and flavor of your e-juice will begin to weaken. The smell won’t be as good and the flavor won’t taste as fresh. If your e-juice tastes very different from how you remember it should or develops an unsavory scent, it is likely that it has gone bad and is no longer good to use. 

• Consistency

It is normal for vegetable glycerin-based e-juices to be on the thicker side and propylene glycol products to be runnier and more syrup-like. However, if either products become much thicker or much runnier than you are used to, then you must throw them away immediately because the change in consistency can damage your coils or cause the liquid to leak out of your tank and onto the device or the tip of your lips which we all know feels extremely unpleasant. 

• Nicotine content 

It is normal for nicotine content to become weaker overtime, which put simply means that the e-juice won’t quite give you the hit you are looking for or satisfy your nicotine cravings. At the stage in which this occurs, it is also likely that the e-juice won’t taste as good as it should be and therefore it’s best to replace it with a brand new one. 

That said, there are certain factor that could influence how fast your e-juice or e-liquid would go bad. For example, opting for a nicotine salt could help you maintain the product for longer compared to opting for a freebase nicotine due to the chemical nature of those two products. Other than nicotine type, the flavor type could also impact the longevity of your e-juice. This is because floral and fruity flavors, which tend to be sweeter, lose flavor and potency faster than more complex flavors such as tobacco. 

• How to preserve E-Liquids

The best way to preserve your e-juices regardless of their nicotine and flavor contents is to control their storage conditions. Please ensure following these steps to significantly lower the risk of expiry for your e-juices:

• Store e-juices in a cool, dark place
• Don’t expose your e-juices to the sun
• Keep the bottle closed if not in use to prevent oxidization.

In Vape Club, we make sure all products are stored in the most optimal conditions possible to ensure delivering the best quality of products to our customers. Please contact our team anytime for a free consultation on which products would best work for you.