Effects of Nicotine Concentration, PG/VG Ratio, and Nicotine Form on Sensory Perceptions and Subjective Effects Among Adults Who Vape.

Authors

Richard J O'Connor, Kristie M June, Liane Schneller-Najm, David Chalupa, Gregory Van Dongen, Madeline Forster, Luke Peppone, Scott McIntosh, Daniel P Croft, Dongmei Li, Deborah J Ossip

Published in

Substance use & misuse. Pages 1-15. Jul 29, 2026. Epub Jul 29, 2026.

Abstract

Significance: Sensory and subjective effects contribute to consumer response toward electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Evaluating the relative contributions of nicotine concentration, form (salt vs freebase), and carrier concentration (PG/VG ratio) is important to understanding why formulations may be more attractive. Methods: Participants were 78 adults (age ≥21) with no sensory deficits who used ENDS daily, randomized to one of two sub-studies. In Study A, 38 participants sampled tobacco-flavored e-liquids varying in PG/VG ratio (30/70, 60/40, 100/0) and nicotine concentration (0, 18, 36 mg/mL freebase). In Study B, 40 participants sampled e-liquids varying in nicotine form (salt, freebase) and concentration (0, 18, 36 mg/mL). Questionnaires assessed sensory and subjective effects. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models examined the effects of experimental factors on these ratings. Results: Nicotine concentration was strongly related to a wide array of sensory and subjective effects measures, generally following a dose-response pattern. PG/VG showed relationships with a subset of hedonic effects independent of nicotine. There were no significant differences observed for sensory or subjective measures between salt versus freebase nicotine. Conclusions: Nicotine concentration showed consistent associations with sensory response to e-liquids when delivered in the same device. Sensory and behavioral responses to different e-liquid compositions may help contextualize ENDS usage patterns, risk perceptions, and behaviors.

PMID:
42525793
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.