If you are one of the many vapers that stock up on vape juices, you might be wondering, “How long does vape juice last?” The short answer is that sealed (unopened) e-liquid with nicotine can last up to 1 year, while nicotine salt vape juice lasts 6 months to 1 year. Nicotine-free e-liquids (like shortfills), on the other hand, can last between 1 to 2 years.
But what if you already have an opened e-liquid? How long does vape juice last once opened? Opened e-liquids (nic salts and freebase with nicotine) will last between 3-6 months, whereas nicotine-free vape juices last 6-12 months.
Keep in mind that you have to properly store your e-liquid to ensure that it won’t immediately degrade.
How long does vape juice last?
- Does vape juice expire?
- How long does an e-liquid last?
- How to tell if your vape juice is expired?
- How to avoid shortening the shelf-life of your vape juice?
Does Vape Juice Expire?
Yes, vape juice does have an expiry date.
Vape juice is a consumable product, and all consumable products contain ingredients that have a shelf-life. If e-liquid didn’t consist of food-based ingredients, it wouldn’t be safe to put into your body.
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It’s important to realise that, like other perishables, vape expiration dates are only a rough approximation of when the contents are likely to “go bad.” Though these estimations may be kept on the conservative side for insurance purposes (we’ve all braved that milk that was past its sell-by-date!) they are, on the whole, fairly accurate.
How Long Does An E-Liquid Last?
Most vape juice has a shelf-life of between six months and two years from the date it was produced. This is due to its components—most notably, PG (propylene glycol), VG (Vegetable Glycerine), and nicotine.
But, as we’ve mentioned earlier, the shelf life can vary depending on the type of the e-liquid, if there is nicotine, and whether or not the vape juice is sealed or not. You can refer to the table below:
| E-liquid Type | Sealed | Opened |
| Nicotine-free vape juice | 1 year | 3-6 months |
| Nicotine salts | 6 months to 1 year | 3-6 months |
| Freebase vape juice with nicotine | 1-2 years | 6-12 months |
How To Tell if Your Vape Juice Is Expired?
Remember, expiration dates are only an estimation, it’s down to you to sniff out when your e-liquid has gone bad. Could it be time to buy new vape juice? Luckily, determining when your vape juice has expired is often fairly obvious. There are usually clear-cut signs that it may be beyond repair, and it’s time to ship out for a new batch.
The Components Stay Separated
When you’ve left e-liquid idle for a while, it’s a natural occurrence for the heavier elements to descend to the bottom of the bottle. Most of the time, a good shake will mix everything up again. However, when the ingredients fail to properly mix even after a few shakes, it’s a good indication your vape juice is no longer fit for purpose.
It Smells ‘Off’
This is fairly obvious. We’re all accustomed to our favourite flavours, so when your tried and tested vape juice smells unquestionably funky, it’s probably time to buy new liquid!
It Was Incorrectly Stored
We’ve already outlined what would constitute the wrong kind of storage (too much heat, sunlight or air). Often the signs of bad storage are less flavour, vapour and nicotine, as well as discolouration.
So what is an optimal way to store your e-liquid?
How To Avoid Shortening the Shelf-Life of Your Vape Juice?
Keep It Out of Heat and Direct Sunlight
Who doesn’t love letting their hair down in the sunshine? But be careful, because those UV rays you relish won’t exactly make your e-liquid beach-ready!
Quite the opposite—if you leave your bottle of vape juice exposed to the sun for too long it will degrade its ingredients and cause it to go bad.
When VG is exposed to temperatures above 250 fahrenheit, the components within the liquid will separate and fail to recombine even at lower temperatures. And when PG is under the same conditions, it can also become unstable and lose its flavour.
This also applies to heat in general, so don’t leave that bottle of e-juice next to the stove or on top of the car dashboard!
Don’t Expose It to Too Much Air
We all know about air-flow and how essential it is to get a good vape. But forgetting to screw the lid back on your bottle of vape juice can have less than pleasant consequences.
Though air is actually made up of a plethora of different chemicals, it’s the oxygen that can cause problems for the longevity of your e-liquid.
When oxygen reacts with nicotine it produces cotinine. This is called an “oxidation” process which essentially means the loss of two hydrogen atoms and the gain of one oxygen atom. Put simply, too much exposure to oxygen will impair the flavour, and reduce the nicotine content of your vape juice.
Of course, this isn’t entirely avoidable, but the effects are only really noticeable after long periods of exposure. So stay vigilant!
Store in a Cool, Dark, Place
We’ve already discussed how heat, sunlight, and air are kryptonite to a good vape, so beyond that, just ensure you keep your e-liquid stored in a cool, dark place—like a bag of potatoes!
Tip: Let’s bust the myth that prolonged storage causes e-liquid to go bad. In actual fact, storing your vape juice in the right conditions can, similar to wine, enhance its flavour. This is called steeping.
Need More Help?
Looking for more vaping beginner tips and tricks? Take a read of some related articles below:
- How to fix a crackling/spitting vape
- How to prevent a sore/burning throat from vaping
- Top 10 best vape pens
- What are vape coils and how long do they last?
- What is a dry hit? How to prevent dry hits when vaping
- Can you take a vape on a plane? A guide to travelling with your vape
- How Much Does Vaping Cost
- How To Vape: Ultimate Guide To Vaping Properly
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