What is PG & VG? A full guide to e-liquid ratios

If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of e-liquid and squinted at “50/50” or “70/30” on the label wondering what on earth it means, you’re not alone. It trips up almost everyone when they start out. The short version: PG and VG are the two base liquids in every e-liquid, and the ratio between them changes how your vape feels, tastes, and clouds up.

PG gives you the throat hit and carries the flavour. VG gives you the thick clouds and a smoother, sweeter draw. Most e-liquids are a mix of the two, and which mix suits you depends on your kit and what you actually want out of a vape. That’s the whole thing in a nutshell. Now let’s get into why it actually matters.

What is PG?

PG stands for propylene glycol. It’s a thin, clear, pretty much odourless liquid that’s been used in food, medicine and cosmetics for decades, not just vaping. In your e-liquid, it’s doing two main jobs.

First, it carries the flavour. Because it’s so thin, flavourings dissolve into it easily and come through cleaner and sharper than they would in something thicker. If you’ve ever had a vape that tasted really true to the fruit or dessert it was meant to be, chances are that liquid was leaning PG-heavy.

Second, PG is what gives you that “throat hit”, the slight catch at the back of your throat when you inhale. A lot of vapers, especially people who’ve come over from smoking, actually want that sensation. It’s part of what makes vaping feel like smoking rather than just… breathing flavoured air.

What is VG?

VG is vegetable glycerine, usually made from palm, soy or coconut oil. It’s thicker than PG, a bit syrupy, and it’s naturally slightly sweet on its own.

VG’s job is vapour. It’s the ingredient responsible for those big, dense clouds you see people blowing out on YouTube or in your local vape shop. It also makes for a much smoother inhale, with barely any throat hit at all, which is why high VG liquids tend to be popular with people who found PG a bit harsh.

PG vs VG at a glance

Neither one is “better”, they just do different jobs. Most e-liquids blend the two so you get a bit of both, and the ratio just shifts how much of each effect you notice.

Wait, isn’t PG in antifreeze?

This one comes up a lot, so let’s just deal with it. Propylene glycol and ethylene glycol are related, but they are not the same thing, and ethylene glycol (the actual toxic stuff in antifreeze) is not what’s in your e-liquid.

The PG used in vaping is pharmaceutical grade, the same type used in asthma inhalers, food flavourings, and plenty of things you’ve probably already ingested without a second thought. It’s a genuinely different compound with a genuinely different safety profile. The name similarity is just an unfortunate coincidence of chemistry naming, nothing more sinister than that.

Can PG irritate your throat?

For some people, yes. PG is a humectant, which means it draws in moisture, and that can leave your mouth or throat feeling a bit dry, especially in your first few weeks of vaping. Usually this settles down once your body adjusts, and drinking a bit more water tends to help.

If it doesn’t settle, or if you’re coughing more than seems normal, you might just have a mild sensitivity to PG. It’s not dangerous, it’s just not for you in high amounts. The fix is simple: switch to a lower PG, higher VG liquid, something like a 70/30, and see if that clears it up. Most vapers who struggle with PG find a high VG shortfill sorts them out completely.

How your ratio affects your kit

This is where a lot of people go wrong without realising it, they buy a liquid that doesn’t match their device.

Small pod kits and mouth-to-lung vapes are built for thinner liquid. A 50/50 ratio flows well through the coil, doesn’t gunk things up, and gives you that familiar throat hit if you’re coming from smoking. Try to run a thick 70/30 through a tiny pod coil and you’ll likely end up with poor wicking, a burnt taste, or a leaky tank, because the coil just can’t soak up the liquid fast enough.

Sub-ohm tanks and bigger kits are the opposite. They’re built with larger wicking ports and lower resistance coils specifically to handle thicker liquid, so a 70/30 or higher VG mix runs beautifully through them and gives you the big clouds they’re designed for. Put a thin 50/50 through a sub-ohm tank and you probably won’t notice much wrong, but you’re missing out on the cloud production that kit is capable of.

Basically: match the thickness of your liquid to what your device expects, and most performance problems sort themselves out.

Nic salts, freebase, and where ratio fits in

Ratio isn’t the only thing on the label, nicotine type matters too, and the two are closely linked.

Nic salt e-liquids are almost always 50/50. That’s not really an accident, it’s because nic salts already deliver a smoother throat feel than freebase nicotine, so the PG in a 50/50 mix balances things out nicely without making higher strengths feel harsh. That’s why you’ll see 50/50 across the board on nic salt ranges, ours included.

Freebase e-liquid gives manufacturers more room to play with ratio, which is why you’ll see freebase liquids at 50/50, 70/30, and beyond depending on what they’re designed for.

As a rough rule, higher nicotine freebase liquids tend to pair with higher PG and mouth-to-lung kits, since PG’s throat hit helps balance out a stronger nicotine strength. Lower or zero nicotine liquids get paired with high VG more often, since without much nicotine hit to soften, a sub-ohm setup with big clouds feels more enjoyable than harsh.

So which one should you actually go for?

If you’re newer to vaping, or you came from cigarettes and want something that feels familiar, start with a 50/50. It’s the closest match to that in-and-out throat hit smokers are used to, and it works in almost every basic pod kit on the market.

If you’ve got a sub-ohm tank, or you’re chasing bigger clouds and a smoother draw, go higher VG, 70/30 or above. Just make sure your device is actually built for it first.

If you’re getting a dry throat or coughing more than feels right on a high PG liquid, don’t push through it, just shift up the VG side and see how you get on.

There’s no wrong answer here, honestly. Vaping is meant to be enjoyable, not a chemistry exam, and most people land on their preferred ratio through a bit of trial and error rather than getting it right first time.

Quick questions people ask us

Can I mix a 50/50 and a 70/30 together? Yes, you can blend liquids to land somewhere in between, though it’s easier and more consistent to just buy the ratio you want ready-made.

Is high VG healthier than high PG? Not really, there’s no solid evidence either is “healthier” than the other in typical vaping amounts. It’s a comfort and performance choice, not a safety one, PG sensitivity aside.

Why does my throat hurt after switching liquids? Usually it’s a higher PG content than you’re used to. Try a higher VG liquid and give it a few days.

Does ratio affect nicotine strength? No, nicotine strength is separate from PG/VG ratio. A 3mg liquid is 3mg whether it’s 50/50 or 70/30, the ratio just changes how that nicotine feels going down.

Will a thick VG liquid damage my pod kit? It won’t damage it exactly, but it can cause poor wicking, leaking or a burnt taste if the coil isn’t built for it. Best to check what ratio your kit is designed for before going high VG.

Final Word

At the end of the day, PG and VG are just tools for shaping your vape, throat hit versus clouds, flavour versus smoothness. Once you know what each one’s doing, picking the right bottle stops being guesswork. Our range covers pretty much every ratio going, so whichever way you land, there’s something made for it.