If you look closely at your bottle of electronic cigarette liquid, or e-liquid for short, you can see there's a Best Before date printed on its label or leaflet.
As you know, this information tells you up to what date your e-liquid will taste its best, not to be confused with the 'Use-By' date. Indeed, the latter is found on most food products, and vapers sometimes confuse one for the other.
Continue reading if you want to fully understand what this information is all about, and so that you can continue vaping peacefully!
What is a Best-Before date?
You'll find a Best-Before date on every bottle of electronic cigarette e-liquid. As you can imagine, it tells you the date from which your product's quality can begin to deteriorate.
Rest assured, there is no risk for your health after this date has passed. It's only the liquid's ingredients that are likely to be altered. Its colour may change, it may smell less or differently, and its taste may be weaker as well.
However, it's important that you know the difference between Use-By date and Best-Before date. The Use-By date tells you up to which date you can safely consume the product. It mostly concerns food products such as meat or milk.
Therefore, you may be wondering if you can vapourise an e-liquid after its Best-Before date? Before we answer this question, let's take a quick look at what makes up an e-liquid and the shelf life of each of its components.
The shelf life of e-liquid ingredients
Electronic cigarette liquids are all composed of the same ingredients:
- Propylene glycol (PG)
- Vegetable glycerin (VG)
- Food-grade flavourings
- and possibly nicotine
Depending on the manufacturers and recipes, the quantity of each ingredient may vary. But what interests us here is their longevity. They won't age the same, and temperature and air exposure will also play a part in this:
- PG and VG form the basis of any e-liquid. They can be kept for 2 to 3 years.
- Nicotine lasts much longer, up to 5 years. However, know that it can change colour over time and become brown. Keeping your liquids away from sunlight will help you prevent this harmless phenomenon.
- Food flavourings will lose their taste bit by bit after a year, but they won't become dangerous. Thus, you can vape an eliquid for quite a while, and even longer for DIY juices, just remember that the flavours will eventually fade or change.
Can you vapourise an e-liquid after its Best-Before date?
If you're reading this, it's probably because you're asking yourself whether you can vape your e-liquid after its Best-Before date has expired?
The important thing to remember is that the date printed on your bottle's label tells you when your e-liquid's taste will start to deteriorate. Don't worry, the liquid will still be completely safe for consumption, otherwise you would find a Use-By date on the bottle. The flavours may seem weaker or different after the Best-Before date, though.
The base mixture of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin won't be impacted by ageing. Regardless of your PG/VG ratio, your e-liquid will keep the same consistency.
As for the change in colour, it's usually caused by the nicotine's oxidisation. Indeed, nicotine molecules react to UV rays and will tend to turn brown if you leave your liquid in direct sunlight. This chemical process changes the look of your liquid, but not its quality, so you can safely vape it.
However, it's best to follow your eliquid's Best-Before date if you want the best possible flavours. Also, we wouldn't recommend vapourising a liquid that's been forgotten in the back of your cupboard for 4 or 5 years. You can vape a liquid whose Best-Before date is a few months old without any problems, but if you're not feeling it, don't vape an old liquid.
Thus, the easiest way to make sure your e-liquid's quality is always at its best is to not keep too much of it home. You won't have any issues if you regularly vape your products and get more as you go!
The Minimum Durability Date replaces the Best-Before Date
If vapers are most familiar with Best-Before dates, nowadays you can find Minimum Durability dates on your bottles of e-liquids, at least in France.
These tell you up to which date your liquid will conserve its full quality and taste. Note that your country of residence may still use Best-Before dates instead of Minimum Durability dates.
How to store your e-liquids at home
It's important to know how to store your electronic cigarette liquids, if you want their flavours to last for as long as possible.
Protect them from direct sunlight to prevent the nicotine's oxidisation, remember to always screw the cap back on after each use, and your flavours will be as strong as when you bought your liquid.
These few habits will allow you to continue vaping with peace of mind and in the best conditions!
Check out our other guides about e-liquids
- How to change your electronic cigarette's e-liquid.
- Why does an e liquid become brown? Everything you need to know about steeping!
- What is diacetyl and why is it controversial among the vaping community?
- Understanding the role nicotine plays in your e liquids and your withdrawal process.