A straight answer, without the scare tactics.
"What's actually in a vape?" is one of the most-searched questions about vaping in the UK, and most of the answers online are either marketing or moral panic. Here's the plain version — what's in the liquid, what happens when it's heated, and what an air inhaler contains instead.
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What's in vape liquid
Most e-liquid sold in the UK is built from four things:
- Propylene glycol (PG) — a thin, colourless liquid that carries flavour and produces the "throat hit".
- Vegetable glycerine (VG) — thicker and sweeter, responsible for most of the visible vapour.
- Flavourings — food-grade flavour compounds. Worth knowing: "food-grade" means tested as safe to eat, which is not the same as tested for inhalation.
- Nicotine — optional, and the part most people are trying to leave behind. UK regulations cap nicotine-containing e-liquid at 20mg/ml.
UK e-liquids are regulated under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, which set limits on nicotine strength, tank size and ingredients, and require notification before sale. Products bought outside those channels aren't necessarily covered.
What changes when it's heated
This is the part the ingredient list doesn't tell you. A vape doesn't deliver the liquid as it comes in the bottle — it heats it with a coil until it becomes an aerosol. Heating changes compounds, and what you inhale isn't identical to what went in.
The NHS position is that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking and is a useful tool for people quitting cigarettes — but also that it isn't risk-free, and that people who don't smoke shouldn't take it up. Both halves of that matter.
What's in a Flair, by contrast
Flair isn't a vape and isn't a cessation product — it's an aromatherapy inhaler. The difference in contents is largely a difference in what isn't there:
| Vape | Flair | |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine | Optional, up to 20mg/ml in the UK | None |
| Propylene glycol | Typically present | None |
| Vegetable glycerine | Typically present | None |
| Heating element | Coil, powered by a battery | None — nothing is heated |
| What you inhale | Heated aerosol | Ordinary air, carrying aroma from a plant-based core |
| Visible output | Vapour | Nothing |
Because nothing is heated, there's no combustion and no aerosol — air passes through a flavour core and picks up aroma on the way to you. That's the entire mechanism.
So which should you use?
Straight answer: if you currently smoke, the NHS view is that switching to vaping is a substantial step forward, and you should talk to a stop-smoking service rather than take advice from a product website. We're not a cessation aid and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
Where Flair fits is narrower and later in the journey — people who've dealt with the nicotine and are left holding the habit. The hand going to the mouth, the draw, the five minutes outside. That's what an air inhaler replaces.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main ingredients in a vape?
Propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine, flavourings and — optionally — nicotine. The proportions vary by product and affect throat hit and vapour volume.
Does Flair contain propylene glycol?
No. Flair contains no propylene glycol, no vegetable glycerine, no nicotine and no tobacco.
Is there any vapour with Flair?
No. Nothing is heated, so there's no aerosol and nothing visible when you exhale.
Can Flair help me stop vaping?
Flair is not a medical device or a cessation aid. It addresses the hand-to-mouth ritual, not nicotine dependence. For help stopping, speak to your GP or your local NHS stop-smoking service.
What's actually in a Flair refill?
A plant-based core carrying food-grade flavour compounds. No nicotine, no tobacco, no propylene glycol. A single refill typically lasts 2–3 days of regular use.
Nothing to inhale but air.
The Flair Starter Set: the inhaler, five refill packs, a cleaning kit and a habit tracker. Free UK delivery, 30-day returns, lifetime warranty on the device.
Shop the Starter Set → · Browse refill bundles
A note on this page: This article describes product contents and is not medical or health advice. Flair products are aromatherapy inhalers — they are not medical devices, smoking or vaping cessation aids, or substitutes for clinical treatment, and no health benefit is claimed. For support quitting smoking or vaping, speak to your GP or your local NHS stop-smoking service. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a respiratory condition or take medication, speak to your GP before use.
