In this article...
According to recent search engine data1, there are 210 online searches per month asking are vapes vegan? With this number of searches, it's clear that there are plenty of people out there interested to know if vapes are vegan. Unfortunately, the answer isn't as simple as you may think.
With this in mind, we're going to try and make it a whole lot clearer by explaining what's in your vape and vape liquids. We'll also divulge if these ingredients or the finished products are tested on animals. That way, you'll discover what makes a vegan vape and if there are in fact any animal ingredients in vapes.
If you're currently a smoker and class yourself as vegan, you'll also want to take a closer at what animal products may be in cigarettes which would make them unsuitable for vegans.
What is a Vegan?
Veganism is defined by the Vegan Society as,
"...A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude-as far as possible and practicable - all forms of exploitation, and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose..."2
So, from this definition, published by the society that actually created the term "vegan", it's fair to deduce that a vegan would want to avoid any vape or vape product that contained any animal elements or was tested on animals.
Are Vapes Considered Suitable for Vegans?
Our vape liquids don't contain any animal products and we also don't commission any animal testing for our products. However, like many products that vegans may or may not consider to align with their views, there can be historical testing. It's this testing data from which we draw our current data for some individual components in vapes. This means that animal testing may have been conducted as long as 10 years ago and this is where we take data from, rather than commission current and continuous animal testing. Some vegans may not consider this to be within their values, and others might be satisfied that they can vape guilt-free as the testing is historical. As the Vegan Society states, it would perhaps be up to each vegan to establish if these criteria allow them to "exclude-as far as possible and practicable" any exploitation of animals.
Veganism, Vaping and Health
The NHS confirms that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. Totally Wicked works in partnership with the NHS and smoking cessation organisations to help smokers stop their unhealthy habit, and to swap from smoking cigarettes to vaping.
The Vegan Society states:
"We live in a non-vegan world, and you can do more to help change things for the better if you are in good health."3
So, if you’re vegan and a smoker, the Vegan Society's stance on prioritising health (alongside discovering what animal ingredients could be in cigarettes) could help you make the switch to vaping.
What Is In Vape Juice?
There are just four main ingredients in vape juices:
- Propylene Glycol (PG)
- Vegetable Glycerine (VG)
- Nicotine
- Flavouring
If you're a nicotine-free vaper, then your vape has just three main ingredients in it. Some people also enjoy unflavoured vape liquids and so flavouring is an ingredient that wouldn't be included in these vapes.
What is Propylene Glycol and is it Vegan?
Starting at the top of the list with Propylene Glycol (PG)- this is an odourless, yet slightly sweet viscous fluid. PG is used in many food products, including liquid sweeteners and whipped dairy products. It is a vegan ingredient.
Why is PG in vape juice?
PG carries the flavour of your vape. It also assists with throat hit - the higher the PG content, the more pronounced the throat hit.
What is vegetable glycerine and is it vegan?
Vegetable Glycerine (VG) is also a colourless, odourless liquid which is thicker than Propylene Glycol. Like PG, VG has a slightly sweet taste and is also used in food products, such as frozen yoghurt. VG is suitable for vegans.
Why is VG in vape juice?
VG is responsible for the clouds of vapour in a vape as well as the thickness of the liquid. E-liquids that have a higher VG content have less flavour but produce bigger clouds of vapour.
Is Nicotine Vegan?
Nicotine is the addictive component of cigarettes and it's what you find your body craving when you stop smoking. This is why nicotine is added to e-liquids so that your cravings are satiated and to help you stop smoking. For vapes, it is diluted from its raw form and is portioned in limits of up to 1.8%. The greater the nicotine limit, the more nicotine you'll be receiving with each puff of the vape. Vapes are also available with zero nicotine content. This ingredient is considered to be vegan.
Flavourings in vapes
With so many different vape flavours available, as a vegan you may well be wondering which ones are suitable for vegans. Our vape flavours don't contain any animal ingredients.
Are Cigarettes Vegan?
It may surprise you to learn that there are many cigarettes that are not in fact vegan. Cigarettes are created using much more than simply tobacco and there are thousands of components in just one cigarette. According to Cancer Research UK, over 5000 chemicals are released when a cigarette burns, with many of them responsible for causing cancer.4
What's in a cigarette?
Besides the obvious ingredient of nicotine, there are lots of other ingredients in a cigarette that have some unpleasant associations.
Here are just some of the chemicals included in cigarettes:
- Cadmium - an element associated with lung cancer5
- Arsenic - a poison
- Formaldehyde - used in mortuaries and as a preservative
- Benzene - an industrial solvent
- Pesticides - used to kill insects on the tobacco plants
This list certainly doesn't make for a comfortable read, but does containing these ingredients mean cigarettes aren't suitable for vegans? Although using pesticides in plant production may be enough for someone to question if tobacco is vegan, a more probable deterrent is the fact that some cigarettes contain beeswax, castoreum, and pigs' blood.
Beeswax
As the name suggests, beeswax is created by bees and is used to form those hexagonal cells in hives you'll be so familiar with. These cells are used to store honey and to protect any larvae and pupa in the hive.
Castoreum
If you don't already know what castoreum is, and you're a tad squeamish, you might want to look away now. Feeling brave? Read on and prepare to be amazed, if not a tad repulsed: castoreum is a yellow substance taken from the castor sacs of beavers. These castor sacs can be found between the beaver's pelvis and base of the tail. Not only is castoreum used in cigarettes, but some perfumes and foods also contain this questionable substance. In the case of cigarettes, castoreum can be used to add to the flavour and aroma of cigarettes.6
Pig’s blood
A peer review journal, Tobacco Control, published in 2010, revealed that cigarette filters can contain porcine haemoglobin which is basically pig's blood.7 This would mean any cigarette containing this won't be suitable for vegetarians, never mind vegans.
So, is Smoking Vegan?
As beeswax, castoreum, and of course, pig's blood, are obtained from animals, the presence of them in cigarettes would make them unsuitable for vegans. If you're a vegan that's concerned about the environment, you'd also want to consider the fact that according to Keep Britain Tidy research, published on Gov.UK,
"...Smoking related litter is the most prevalent form of litter in England, making up 68% of all littered items and found on around 80% of surveyed sites."
And that despite smoking rates declining, cigarette filters continue to be "the most commonly littered item in England".
Certainly food for thought – whether you're vegan or not...
Vegan Vapes at Totally Wicked
As you can see, knowing whether vapes are vegan or not isn't as cut and dried as you may have first thought. But now you're aware that no animal products are present in our vapes and with clarity on the type of research that's conducted, you can make a more informed choice.
Additionally, if you're a vegan smoker thinking about switching to vaping to help you quit, you could be more inclined to switch, especially now you know what could be in cigarettes.
Sources/References:
[1] Search data collected via Semrush 9th May 2023
[2] https://www.vegansociety.com/
[3] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/whats-in-a-cigarette
[4] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/whats-in-a-cigarette
[5]https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/cadmium
[6]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoreum
[7] https://www.jstor.org/stable/41320214
