How Long Does Vape Juice Stay Good?
Vape juice is meant to be enjoyed, and with so many flavours, you will never run out of ones to try. Most people take the time to sample lots of vape juices and build up a small supply for themselves. While this is great for having a variety or a bulk amount of your favourites, they don’t last forever.
There is a definite shelf life to e juice, so you need to know what that is so you don’t buy a supply that must be thrown out.
How long does vape juice stay good? Read on, my friends.
Expiry Dates
Everything that is considered consumable, stuff that contains food-based ingredients, has an expiry date and how long things last depends on the method of preservation and the type of product it is.
Most vape juices expire 1-2 years from the manufacturing date. This doesn’t mean from when you bought it because who knows how long it’s been sitting on the shelf at your local vape shop. You should always check the expiry on the bottle to see how long you have.
Vape juice contains propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG), and this is there to extend the shelf life of the product. The flavourings, however, can go rancid and taste unpleasant because nicotine oxidization and flavouring deterioration happen, and it’s different from one e-liquid to the next.
Does Juice Go Bad Before The Expiry Date?
The expiry dates are there to estimate how long it will last, and like with other consumables, it should last at least that long and beyond. This is under perfect conditions, though, and it all depends on how and where you store opened bottles. Air and sunlight can affect the longevity of your vape juice, and you don’t want to waste money if you don’t have to.
You may also have an old tank with juice left in it. This can go bad, especially if you aren’t sure how long it’s been there.
How to Tell Vape Juice Is Expired
Besides looking at the expiry dates, there are other ways to tell if your juice is no good. These include:
Colour Change
Atoms inside nicotine molecules start to oxidize with the oxygen in the air, which is completely normal. You will start to notice your vape juice changing colour as a natural progression. When there is a drastic change, the juice is no good.
Thickness Change
Another change you may see is the thickness of the juice. Higher PG gives you a thinner liquid for more of a throat hit, while VG is a much thicker liquid to provide those big clouds for doing tricks. Residue build will happen in the bottle over time, and you can shake it up to reconstitute it, but if it doesn’t break up, the juice is going bad.
When refilling your tank, the juice should come out as a drip rather than more liquified or stream. This also means the juice is no good.
Taste and Smell Change
If you notice that the food and drink you consume smells and tastes bad, it’s time to throw it away. The same can be said for vape juice. Juices have distinct flavours and aromas, so it is pretty easy to notice a change. If that smell changes, throw it away. Sometimes it may smell fine, but the taste is off. Take the loss and chuck it out, and while you are at it, clean out your device so it is ready for some new juice.
What Can You Do?
The first thing you can do to ensure your vape juice is good is buy in smaller quantities and use up your supply. When you buy a new juice, read the expiry to ensure you get the longest term possible and make sure you use up your juices within a few months of purchasing them so you never have to worry. This means not hoarding a bunch of flavours in different stash areas that can be easily forgotten about.
If you haven’t opened a bottle, do a smell test to ensure it isn’t funky from improper storage. Speaking of storage, keep your supply high and dry and get through it before you buy more. Colour and consistency can change, so test it to see if it has changed.
There is never a need to consume bad vape juice. It is relatively cheap, and there is a huge supply out there, so use this as a guide to know how long your vape juice stays good. Enjoy it until it’s used up or gone bad, and then buy a new bottle and enjoy your vaping.
