How ever you get your news – whether that is with a smartphone, browsing on social media, or watching television, vaping always makes the headlines. Seen as a way for smokers to quit and swap for a nicotine alternative, it gets both positive and negative press.
The latest phenomenon to cause a stir in the English media is ‘vape tongue’. This guide aims to explain all you need to know about the term, the ingredients and chemicals found in vape juice, whether this can impact or endanger your oral health and any fixes should it be an issue.
What is Vapers Tongue?
‘Vape tongue’ can occur when you repeatedly vape the same flavour. Some vapers have noted that they can lose the taste sensation when they continue to vape their favourite blue raspberry or menthol e-liquid flavour.
To kick off 2025, there are the usual calls from the UK government and National Health Service (NHS) to quit smoking, and rightly so. It decreases life expectancy, damage your lungs and breathing, creates passive smoke which is a risk to others and the costs are increasing year by year.
But should you be worried about vape tongue? Is it another myth that needs to be debunked or can it impact oral hygiene?
Vaping has helped millions quit, but it is terms like ‘popcorn lung’ and ‘vape tongue’ which can worry those switching from cigarettes to vapes. While the myth of ‘popcorn lung’ was quickly dispelled by medical experts, vape tongue has seen an increase in concern following a viral post by a dentist in the UK, shared by various media outlets.
To understand whether this is sensationalism or a cause for concern, it is important to understand what ingredients are added to make e-liquids, and whether they are safe to inhale once heated.
Is Vape Juice Safe?
We need to stress that inhaling any substance into the lungs is not good for you. And we do this on a daily basis with pollutants we are unaware of or fail to address, such as pollen, dust particles and even exposure to lead.
Vape juice is one chemical product, which although sold throughout the UK online and in shops, should only be purchased by an adult smoker looking to quit. It is by no means safe, but deemed a safer alternative compared to cigarettes, which has thousands of dangerous unknown toxins.
Naturally, viral videos and news headlines about vapes achieve millions of reads and watches because it creates discussion, scaremongers the public and generate money for newspapers and online news websites.
Like popcorn lung, which was originally claimed as a disease of the lungs caused by e-cigarettes but turned out to be an illegal chemical (diacetyl) produced in one USA factory and consequently banned, but not later reported as a mistake by the media, the news spread and the assumption stuck that popcorn lung is a thing.
The same applies with vape juice, which is inhaled through the mouth and puffed back out as vapour. It can cause vape tongue, if you repeatedly inhale the same flavour, but these types of ‘taste disorders’ are mild and often pass.
Does This Sensation Only Occur With Vapes?
If vape tongue does occur following the use of an e-cigarette, and for the record it does not happen to all vapers, the sensation of losing one of your key five senses is not uncommon, even outside of vaping. Reasons for a loss in taste includes:
- Illnesses, such as phantom taste perception
- Poor oral hygiene
- Covid-19
- Treatment following cancer
- Medications, such as antibiotics
As you can see from the list above, there are several potential causes of a loss in taste, that may be unrelated to vaping. But for a personal with good general health who has started vaping to quit smoking, the most common cause is repetitions of the same flavour.
The sensation occurs temporarily when vaping , and has been linked to dehydration, but may also be due to the ingredients found in vape e-liquids. However, there is no concrete medical evidence to suggest that this is the case.
Chemicals and Ingredients Found in Vape Juice
In vape juice, the most common ingredients used are propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerine (VG), nicotine and sweeteners or flavourings. A combination of these ingredients are mixed with smaller or larger amounts of each depending on the desired result.
For example, the highest legal strength of nicotine permitted in Europe due to Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) regulations passed by EU law is 20mg. You can find 100% VG e-liquids for those with an intolerance to PG or a more mixed ratio of 50-50 for a balanced e-liquid. More VG at the base generates larger clouds while more PG creates a stronger throat hit like the sensation of smoking.
What does a vapers tongue look like?
Vapers tongue will look similar to someone suffering from dry mouth, (scientifically recognised as xerostomia, which is due to a lack of saliva production. The tongue may have a white coating, which occurs when consistently vaping.
As we know from previous medical studies that has looked deeply into the effects of smoking, cigarettes can cause many oral problems and damage the taste buds, reducing blood flow through the vessels in the mouth, damaging the olfactory system and nerves linked to our sense of smell.
How to prevent Vape Tongue
While it is not proven yet that vaping damages the sense like smoking does, many vapers still report issues with the sense of taste on occasion when vaping, particularly when using the same e-liquid flavour. The good news is there are a few remedies for this occurrence, which can have a positive effect and allow a vaper to regain the senses needed to enjoy the various vape juice flavours available. Simple solutions includes:
- Changing to another flavour, even if only for a short while before returning to your favourite e-liquid.
- Trying a flavourless vape juice to see if that helps.
- To keep hydrated by regularly drinking in between vape hits.
- Try to vape less frequently to reduce dry mouth.
- Maintain good oral hygiene, regularly brushing your teeth in the morning, evening and after meals, as well as regular flossing or using an oral irrigation system.
- Invest in a tongue scraper.
- Use a palette cleanser such as sucking on a lemon or smelling coffee beans (often practiced by wine tasters).
How Long Until Vapers Tongue Goes Away?
Within one to three days, a lack of taste caused by vape tongue should clear up naturally. However, if it takes longer than that or you have concerns about it, consult your GP. Providing you stay hydrated, change vape juice flavours on a regular basis and keep up with good oral hygiene, you should be able to avoid the sensation, which is mainly reported as mild and temporary.
Best Vape Juice to Avoid Vape Tongue 2025
Should you need to vape, which is recommended for adults looking to quit smoking who have struggled in the past with other smoking cessation aids such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches or sprays, there are different vape juices available in 2025 which can keep your taste buds in good working order.
Vsavi Platinum E-Liquid
This best-selling vape juice with a mild aftertaste is available in a range of nicotine strengths and flavours for those looking to quit smoking with a reliable option. With 14 flavours to choose from, including classic tobacco flavours such as Congress, Sahara and Red, in addition to menthol and fruit options, there is something for everyone.
Nicotine strengths include 1.8%, 1.2%, 0.6% and nicotine-free to drop down the levels as needed. Because Vsavi Platinum is not overpowering in flavour, it is just the right balance to achieve a satisfactory vape.
Nyx Flavourless E-Liquid
A popular choice with our customers is Nyx Flavourless which helps vapers maintain the hand-to-mouth action of smoking, without inhaling combustible tobacco. This allows a smoker to regain their taste buds damaged by cigarettes. In addition, it gives an option to those who may have tried flavoured e-liquids but found them too sweet, as many contain flavourings and sweeteners.
Elf Bar Elfliq
Many smokers who have quit over the past few years have turned to the popular single-use disposable vapes as a simple transitional device which already contains the e-liquid prefilled and a vape coil installed to heat the liquid turning into vapour. The sheer number of flavours available and high nicotine strength nic salt e-liquids have sweet intense profile for those looking to regain the taste of fruit following giving up smoking.
Following the disposable vape ban which will be enforced in the UK from 1 June 2025, and already national law in many countries around the world due to environmental concerns, Elf Bar has released the popular Elfliq range of 10ml refillable e-liquids. This collection acts as a fantastic way to try a variety of fruit flavours, which you can mix and match to keep vape tongue at bay.
Wave Goodbye to Vape Tongue
We hope this guide has been useful in explaining why vape tongue can occur for some people who choose to vape to quit smoking, and how the temporary odd sensation can be fixed. By alternating between flavours, vape tongue should be avoidable, and if you have been unfortunate to experience vape tongue, our quick cures will help to clear it up within a few short days. Remember to keep hydrated and only vape when needed to satisfy nicotine cravings and stay away from cigarettes.