Synthetic Nicotine in Vapes

Even though the vaping industry has been constantly changing and evolving over the last 15+ years, the majority of vape liquid available today still contains plant-derived nicotine. So why, if it can be made without having to harvest millions of plants, isn’t it used more often? The answer is almost certainly based on a single factor: cost.

Due to the more involved manufacturing process and smaller production capacity, Synthetic Nicotine is several times more expensive to make than plant-derived nicotine. That means that, up until recently, there has been no financial incentive for e-liquid producers to switch from using tobacco-derived nicotine.

However, as interest in this alternative nicotine production method has increased, production prices have begun to come down. Nearly 9000 successful applications were made to the FDA for approval to market Synthetic Nicotine products in 2022, mostly from the e-cigarette and vape industry. It should be noted that nearly a million similar applications were rejected in the same year.

Exactly how many of those products have hit the market is hard to gauge, and it is still quite hard to find vape liquids that are clearly labeled as using tobacco-free nicotine. But although seeing Synthetic Nicotine used in your vape juice is more likely than ever, it is still a fraction of the thousands of e-liquids available.

The nicotine we find in our vapes may be beginning to change, but it is unlikely that we will see Synthetic Nicotine become the standard in e-liquids until it is as cheap and easy to produce as nicotine from tobacco plants.