Why Is Vape Juice So Expensive?
Published 10 August 2022, Updated 9 April 2024
Why Is Vape Juice So Expensive?
There are many reasons why some vape juice manufacturers price their products more expensively than others. For example, the quality of ingredients, packaging, marketing strategies, research, development and lastly, manufacture can all impact the price of a bottle of vape juice.
The quality of the core ingredients (VG and PG) won't differ that much from manufacturer to manufacturer; what may vary is the quality of nicotine provided and the concentrates used to create the different flavours. Some manufacturers prefer to use Malaysian concentrates, known throughout the industry as more flavoursome.
Some manufacturers of liquids prefer to use a particular brand of nicotine over another, which may differ in price. This will all add cost to the bottom line of a brand's pricing.
Some vape juice manufacturers have spent a lot of money on the design and packaging of their products. In the industry's early days, glass bottles were used to distinguish between premium and average brands. Nowadays, glass bottles are rarely used due to their inconvenience and breakability. However, there are different e-liquid bottle manufacturers, the most expensive being Chubby Gorilla.
These prices, of course, will be passed on to the consumer. For some brands, having their e-liquid in a bottle within a CDU is not enough to distinguish them from the next brand, so they have designed a box for it to go in. Again, such costs will be passed on to the consumer.
Brands' marketing strategies will differ from brand to brand and manufacturer to manufacturer. Some manufacturers/brands will spend much time and money marketing themselves and their products as premium e-liquid with a positive image.
Marketing strategies and the illusion this product is of a higher quality than the next takes years to develop, and as such, one brand can charge more than the next, even though both e-liquids may taste identical. You must decide for yourself whether or not you are willing to pay a higher price.
Research and development of e-juice can take months to develop. Those e-liquid brands that pour their heart and passion into their product, carefully crafting each e-liquid and not being afraid to scrap a product when it isn't working, have the right to charge as much as they would like for that product.
Many brands do not have this approach to e-liquid manufacturing. Many vape juice manufacturers supply new brands with a catalogue of recipes, and the brand will just order that e-liquid.
Does Quality Of Vape Juice Matter?
All e-liquid sold throughout the EU and UK is tested and given an ECID number for health and safety reasons. It will not be on the market unless it has been tried and tested; therefore, you can rest assured that all e-liquid sold in the UK is safe for consumption.
However, for some vapers, the quality of vape juice does matter. Some vapers will only vape top-shelf e-liquid and are unwilling to compromise on their choice of vape juice brands. Other vapers have no issue with the quality and are looking for the best bang for their buck and are willing to vape cheaper juice.
Some vapers may have found that certain e-liquid brands or flavourings burn through their coils much faster than other brands, and as such, they choose to stick with the brands they know will not destroy their coils as quickly as possible. If you're looking for an e-liquid brand that's affordable and uses the highest quality ingredients, then check out Doozy Vape Co Shortfills.
Are Cheap E-liquids Any Good?
Cheaper e-liquids will differ slightly but not too much in quality compared to expensive vape juices because all liquids must be tested prior to legal sale in the UK, irrespective of the retail price. As such, there will be little differences in the ingredients used to manufacture the juice; some e-liquids will go to preferred suppliers for their raw ingredients (VG, PG, nicotine and flavourings), which are probably based on cost but could also use better concentrates which are supplied from numerous flavour houses.
All e-liquids sold on the UK market legally need to have an ECID number which is only given when they are tested for safety in a laboratory; therefore, you can rest assured that the e-liquid you are vaping is safe for consumption.
Whether they are any good is based on your personal preference, as you may find subtle differences in flavour profiles or coil duration when using one brand compared to the next for example, when vaping two strawberries and creams from 2 different brands, one may emphasize the strawberry more than the other, and that is what you like.
Check out all our best deals and get cheap e-juice at IndeJuice.
Learn more with our guide what vape juice lasts the longest?