Nicotine Levels and Bottle Size

There have been many discussions about the need for packaging and labeling standards for e-liquids. Anyone that knows me, knows that once the topic comes up i'll go on extensively about childproof caps,
glass vs. plastic bottles, handwritten vs. printed labels, label graphics, and the information that should be presented on e-liquid labels... I'm like a never ending fount of opinion on the subject, and I'm ready to share my views at the slightest of provocations. But not today. today I want to suggest something else.

 My all time favorite e-liquid comes in 18ml bottles at 0, 6, 12, or 18mg/ml nicotine levels. But what I really want is 3mg/ml. So what am I to do? I have to buy two bottles at a time. One at 0mg and one at 6mg, then mix them in a larger bottle to end up with 36ml of liquid with a nicotine level of 3mg/ml. And I'm far from the only person to do this. Wouldn't it be better if we had larger bottles available at lower nicotine levels?

 And that's today's topic: nicotine levels and bottle size

 First nicotine levels. The most common nicotine strengths are 0mg, 6mg, 12mg, and 18mg per ml. The upper end of this range works well. Yes, there are some consumers that want higher nicotine levels, but as a community we need to be mindful of the tenancy for the media and politicians to portray even 18mg/ml, a mere 1.8% nicotine by volume, as "concentrated nicotine". E-liquid manufacturers should consider two limits on higher nicotine levels. A relatively low maximum level made available at physical stores, maybe 12mg. And the second higher maximum level available for direct order.

10-15ml bottles. Cute, but small.

 But that's not really what I wanted to talk about, what I'm really interested in today is the lower end of nicotine levels. Consumer preferences and habits are changing. Not only are we seeing increased adoption of vaping, but as time goes on, more of us are long term users... and we're lowering our preferred nicotine levels. We're working our way down from our initial high nicotine levels towards very low, or even, no nicotine. Not only due to a lowered need for nicotine, but also due to increased availability and popularity of mods and atomizers that can produce vapor more efficiently and at higher power levels. What we need than, as consumers, is for e-liquid suppliers to adopt 3mg/ml nicotine levels as a standard option. There is already a demand for low nicotine level e-liquids, now we just need the supply...

 But wait, didn't I mention bottle sizes? Well yes, I did!

*Or maybe sell e-liquid in six-packs!

 10 and 15ml bottles are everywhere. They seem to be the de facto standard, with some liquids available in 30ml bottles, and a rare few landing at volumes somewhere between. Those smaller bottles are fine... that is, if you don't want your e-liquid to last very long, but who really wants to buy 3 or 4 bottles of the same thing just to enjoy a flavor for one or two weeks? We need to encourage our e-liquid vendors to give us 30 and 60 ml bottles!* Maybe even as high as 120 ml for those "must have" flavors. By all means, smaller bottles should continue to be made available, they are great for trying out new flavors, or for carrying
an assortment of flavors for vaping on the go. but larger bottles have many benefits. A larger bottle has a lower packaging cost per ml of e-liquid and, because we would not need to purchase as often, they also have lower purchasing costs. Fewer trips to the store means less spent on gas, or less spent on shipping if you order your e-liquid online.