Vapouround magazine Issue 14 | Page 96

FEATURE Salt of the Earth Dr Salt give us an education on the rise of salt-based nicotine at the Vaper Expo When it comes to the purpose, mission, growth, sustainability and benefi ts of vaping, nicotine remains the name of the game, the key to driving its role as not just any smoking cessation tool, but the tool. With regulation and new fi ndings about nicotine making the headlines lately, vape company Dr Salt has successfully spearheaded the sudden emergence of the salt-based phenomenon, and are helping smokers discover a product with appropriate nicotine levels with none of the harshness. It’s impossible to trawl the gigantic fl oor of the Vaper Expo without fi nding something new and promising for the vape market, and this October show was no different. 94 | VM14 Darren Burns of Dr Salt offered us a crash course on salt-based nicotine and what it means for the market consisting of current smokers and new vapers. “We realised that the mass market now has gone toward short fi lls and sub-ohm juices, and we wanted to produce a product that would cater to the average smoker that comes into the shop and wants to make the switch to vaping,” Darren says. “The major complaint about freebase nicotine is that in high amounts it can be harsh on the back of the throat, and we wanted to fi nd a way to produce a liquid with high nicotine content and a smoother throat hit. And through research and development, Ben – the owner of the company, sourced the product and started producing a salt-based nic. We had in- depth testing done to make sure the PH levels were in line with freebase nicotine, so everything was within the limits of safety. The tests returned with no issues and we’re confi dent in the product going forwards. “After trials and testing were complete, we found that even at a 20-milligram strength, it was extremely smooth, it gave good fl avour and a stronger, longer-lasting nicotine rush.” Amazingly, this breakthrough in nicotine delivery is less than a year old for