Testing Standards for E-Cigarette E-Liquid: A Beginner’s Guide

Before understanding e-liquid testing for e-cigarettes, let’s first talk about e-liquid itself, an important component of e-cigarettes. In fact, e-cigarette testing mainly involves testing certain active ingredients in e-liquid to determine whether those components comply with relevant standards.
 
In recent years, with the rise of the e-cigarette industry, Shenzhen alone has been home to hundreds of e-cigarette manufacturers exporting products around the world. However, each country and region has different testing standards for e-cigarette e-liquid.

For example, the European Union: CE, ROHS;

United States: FCC;

Japan: PSE;

Australia: C-tick;

South Korea: KC;

Canada: IC.

In fact, e-cigarette e-liquid, also known as vape juice, mainly consists of propylene glycol, glycerin, and flavorings. Of course, it may also contain nicotine, but when purchasing e-liquid, consumers can choose nicotine-free options or e-liquid with different nicotine strengths. After being vaporized by the atomizer, the e-liquid forms an aerosol that can be inhaled. Because nicotine is not burned, it does not produce the carbon monoxide, tar, and other harmful substances generated by combustible cigarettes, nor does it create the same secondhand smoke hazards for the user and people nearby.

As the core of e-cigarettes, e-liquid directly determines much of the user experience for many vapers. However, many people still question whether e-cigarettes are harmful to health, so testing e-cigarette e-liquid is very necessary. So, when it comes to e-liquid testing, what exactly is being tested, and what standards are used as the basis?

At present, e-cigarette e-liquid testing mainly includes: 1) nicotine testing according to California Proposition 65 requirements; 2) determination of four specific nitrosamine compounds according to FDA technical documents; 3) testing for harmful substances in e-liquid such as propylene glycol and diethylene glycol; 4) testing for heavy metals in e-liquid with reference to the heavy metal testing method for nicotine in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP); 5) testing microbial content and preservative efficacy of e-cigarettes in accordance with USP requirements; 6) TRA toxicological analysis for the EU and the United States; 7) e-cigarette MSDS safety data sheet services—issuing safety data sheets according to international standards including EU 2001/58/EC, 1999/45/EC, 67/548/EEC, Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006; U.S. 29 CFR 1910.1200(g); and ISO 11014-1.