Vape juice has a shelf life between one and two years, though individual e-liquid ingredients and brands will have different sell-by dates. You can learn how long your e-liquid lasts by looking at the expiration or manufacture date on the bottom of the vape juice bottle.
Even if you take a hit of your vape a day after its e-juice expires, you are likely not going to taste a difference. In fact, no studies have shown that vaping with expired e-juice is dangerous. In a worst-case scenario, the e-liquid will likely have a different color, flavor, and aroma, which inspires most vapers to throw out the juice.
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How Long Does Vape Juice Last?
Vape juice uses either propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG). Of these two e-liquid types, PG lasts the longest. Most likely, vape juice that uses PG will last up to two years unopened. Conversely, vape juice made from VG often lasts between one and two years.
For most vape tanks, the liquid stored there should last a few weeks, but chain vapers may need to top off more regularly.
Why Does Vape Juice Have an Expiration Date?
Vape juice has a sell-by date because it contains nicotine and the food-based ingredients, PG and VG. As oxygen comes into contact with nicotine, the chemical undergoes oxidation, which degrades the liquid’s flavor, aroma, and color. This degradation isn’t dangerous, but it makes the vaping experience less enjoyable.
Since oxygen causes this degradation of flavor and nicotine content, unopened bottles of e-liquid will have a longer shelf-life than opened ones because less oxygen gets in them. Even an unopened bottle of vape juice will eventually get oxygen in them and expire.
What Happens When Vape Juice Goes Bad?
Through the oxidation process, the e-liquid’s flavor, aroma, and color begin to change because of chemical processes happening on the molecular level.
Although chemical changes may sound scary, oxidation usually only leads to flavor, smell, and color changes. So, the easiest way to determine if e-liquid is still good is simply by tasting it. If it tastes the same, it likely is still good.
Even though we recommend only using non-expired e-liquid, there have been no studies to suggest expired juice is more dangerous than regular vape juice. It seems that the only difference will be in the taste and appearance of the hit.
How Do I Find Out How Long My Vape Juice Lasts?
Finding out how long your vape juice lasts is pretty straightforward. The expiration date should be printed somewhere on the bottle of e-liquid, just as food packaging contains sell-by dates on all consumable products.
If you’ve had the juice bottle for a long time, the print may have worn off. In this case, it may be challenging to find out exactly when your bottle expires. Luckily, you should be able to try the juice without any additional danger.
Laws Concerning Vape Juice Shelf Life
Interestingly, there are no legal requirements for e-liquid manufacturers and distributors to offer sell-by dates or advertise them. The lack of legislation comes from the fact that the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations do not have shelf life laws.
Despite not having outright laws to force manufacturers to print sell-by dates, most do. These sell-by dates give you an idea of the shelf life of the juice.
Tips for Preserving Your Vape Juice
How long vape juice lasts depends primarily on whether you’ve properly stored it. When you store vape juice correctly, you minimize oxidation, which extends the lifespan of the fluid.
Keep Juice Bottles Away From Direct Sunlight
One of the worst things you can do for your e-liquids is putting them in sunlight for long periods. Direct exposure to sunlight increases their temperature and makes the liquid solution less stable, which leaves you with expired vape juice. Instead, put the juice bottle in a dark place, such as in a drawer or cabinet.
Keep Juice Bottles Away From Temperature Extremes
Part of the reason you cannot put juice bottles in sunlight is that sunlight supplies the liquid with too much heat. Extreme heat and extreme cold are both bad for the stability of most vape juice liquids. For best results, try to keep the bottle in a cool and stable environment.
Once again, for prolonged storage, keeping the bottle inside a drawer will be best because a drawer is typically a cool, dark place. For best results, make sure that the drawer is away from an oven, radiator, or other sources of high heat.
Keep Bottles Sealed
As soon as you unseal your bottle, oxidation begins. Try to keep your bottle sealed for as long as possible to maximize its lifespan. Only unseal the bottle once you are ready to start vaping. After you unseal the container, following the two tips above is imperative to slow the oxidation process.
Also, if you plan on storing your liquids for more than a few months, you should move them to an air-tight, tinted glass bottle to ensure proper storage. The plastic bottles that they come in allow too much oxygen to reach the juice inside.
FAQs About Vape Juice Expiration
How Long Can Vape Juice Last Unopened?
Since vape juices are shelf-stable, unopened vape juice often lasts two years if unopened and stored correctly in a cool and dark place. Improper storage can shorten the lifespan of your juice.
How Long Can Vape Juice Last After the Expiry Date?
E-liquid expiration dates are not an exact science. Instead, vape expiration dates are only an estimation.
You may be able to use the juices a couple of days after their expiry dates without noticing any difference. We recommend getting new vape juice when you see a difference in color, flavor, and aroma.
How Long Does Vape Juice Last in a Tank?
You should not leave vape juice inside your vape tanks for more than five days. An un-vaped tank can get coil floods, leakage, cracked plastic, and awful flavors. To prevent this, we recommend switching up juice flavors frequently.
Is Vaping Safe?
Vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes, but e-liquid usage can still result in heart disease, high blood pressure, and birth defects. Do not consume e-liquid if you are pregnant or have a pre-existing condition.
Also, remember that e-liquid is not a consumable product and should not be orally ingested. Furthermore, you must be of legal age to use these products.