What is nic salt? And should you buy 10mg or 20mg?

Nic salt is on the label of almost every pod and most 10ml bottles now, usually with no explanation. Here is the short version, and then the only decision that actually matters: 10mg or 20mg.

The short answer

Nic salt is the same nicotine found in a tobacco leaf, with an acid added so it stays stable at higher strengths without tasting harsh. Ordinary e-liquid nicotine — “freebase” — gets scratchy at the back of the throat as strength rises. Nic salt does not, which is why pods and small refillable devices almost all use it.

Two practical consequences:

• It is smoother at the same strength. 20mg nic salt is far more comfortable than 20mg freebase would be.
• It absorbs faster. The hit arrives sooner, which is why it suits people moving over from cigarettes.

10mg or 20mg?

This is the whole decision, and it is easier than it looks.

• 20mg — if you smoked a pack a day, or you have tried a lower strength and found yourself vaping constantly to compensate.
• 10mg — if you were a light or social smoker, if you have been vaping a while and are stepping down, or if 20mg feels harsh in the throat.

What about device type?

Nic salt suits MTL (mouth-to-lung) devices — pod kits and anything that draws like a cigarette. It is not designed for big sub-ohm devices that produce a lot of vapour: those move so much liquid that 20mg would be unpleasant and wasteful. If your device is a pod system, nic salt is the right choice.

The legal bit, briefly

In the UK, nicotine-containing e-liquid is capped at 20mg/ml and bottles at 10ml. Anything advertised above 20mg is not UK-compliant. That cap is why 20mg is the strongest you will see anywhere legitimate, and why every brand’s “strongest” is the same number.

Trying it

Our IVG Pro Salts are 10ml bottles at 50/50 VG/PG, in both 10mg and 20mg, across 22 flavours — the same flavours as the Pro pod range, in bottle form for refillable kits. They run 5 for £10, which is the sensible way to find out which strength suits you without committing to one.