Ever wondered how to store your e-liquid? If you've been thinking about buying vape juice in bulk—perhaps because your favorite store is running a great sale—it's time to think about it. Vape juice doesn't spoil like food, but that doesn't mean it lasts forever. E-liquid ingredients are volatile and change slowly over time when exposed to the environment. So, does vape juice expire? While there may not be a set date when an e-liquid bottle is no longer safe to use, you will definitely notice that the experience of using an old vape juice bottle is significantly different from the experience of using a new one.

How long does vape juice last?

 In general, you can expect a bottle of e-liquid to give you a great vaping experience for up to one year from the date of manufacture. But just because vape juice degrades over time doesn't necessarily mean it tastes bad or isn't safe to use after a year of storage. It just means that the e-liquid is significantly different than when it was new. We'll talk more about the differences shortly. It is common for e-liquid manufacturers to put a "best before" date on their products. If you happen to buy a bottle of e-liquid without a date, it is worth writing the date of purchase on the bottle when you receive it. Writing the date on the bottle will help you remember it throughout the year. However, there are two types of e-liquids whose shelf life may not be exactly the same as that produced under factory conditions. Small batch e-liquid made to order at your local vape shop may not have the same level of hygiene as a product made in a factory with true hands-free automation.

Most e-liquids are made in factory conditions and mostly use concentrated natural and artificial flavors instead of herbal extracts. Therefore, vape juice usually does not fall into any of the above categories and has a long shelf life.

Why is it important to know how long vape juice lasts?

 It is important to understand when your vape juice expires because eventually you may find yourself in a situation where it makes sense to buy e-liquid in bulk. For example, let's say your favorite vape store is having a big sale on a certain brand of e-liquid because that brand is being discontinued. A large sale of e-liquid can also occur when a manufacturer decides to change the packaging or ingredients of the product, in which case the old stock must be emptied as soon as possible.

Does Vape Juice Go Bad? 

Vape juice will eventually go bad. However, as mentioned above, the bottle is not automatically destroyed after one year from the date of manufacture. The process by which a bottle of vape juice ages and breaks down is actually more gradual. If you are very familiar with the taste of a certain e-liquid, you may notice a difference in the e-liquid after a few months of storage. The reason why the manufacturer usually gives the vape juice a duration of one year is that after that the product no longer meets the quality requirements of the manufacturer. By this point, the e-liquid has deteriorated to the point that it is no longer as pleasant to use as it was when it was fresh.

What happens when vape juice ages?

 During storage, e-liquid begins to degrade as its chemical compounds interact with light and air. Nicotine begins to oxidize and turn yellow. Aroma compounds interact with each other. If the e-liquid is stored in a plastic bottle, the ingredients can also interact with the plastic. If your vape juice bottle is very old, you will notice three main changes. The taste of the e-liquid changes as the flavor compounds mix and interact. Some people really enjoy their vape juice for a while before using. However, after long storage, you will probably find that the taste of the e-liquid has deteriorated to the point where it no longer tastes like anything. Some non-specific sweetness or fruitiness is still discernible, but individual flavor notes are mostly gone.

How to properly store vape juice?

The main factors that cause e-liquid to go bad are heat, light and air. Air causes e-liquid ingredients to oxidize, and heat and light make things worse by making these interactions happen faster. So keeping your e-liquid bottle in top condition for as long as possible means you need to minimize its exposure to these three things. You can do this by following two very simple steps. Keep the e-liquid bottle tightly closed until you are ready to use it. As long as the bottle is sealed, the rate of oxidation is minimal because the only oxygen in the bottle is what was there when the bottle was first sealed. Store the bottle in an airtight cabinet in an air-conditioned environment to minimize exposure to heat and light. Choose a tall cabinet to keep children and pets out of reach of your e-liquid, but don't choose a cabinet above a heat source such as a stove. As mentioned above, some people prefer to store commercial vape juices or DIY e-liquids in the refrigerator or freezer. Keeping your e-liquid very cold slows down the degradation process and allows you to store your vape juice for a long time without noticeable quality changes. However, you should only consider storing your vapor juice in the refrigerator or freezer if there are no children in your house.