Do Zero Nicotine Vapes Help You Quit Smoking or Vaping?
The TLDR
Zero-nicotine vapes are not FDA-approved and no study to date directly supports them as a successful cessation product. While they remove the addictive chemical, they reinforce the behavioral habit of vaping and still expose your lungs to chemicals like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and unregulated flavorings.
• Zero-nic vapes are not FDA-approved and some products labeled nicotine-free have been found to contain nicotine
• Continuing to vape without nicotine reinforces the hand-to-mouth habit you are trying to break
• Inhaling any vapor, even without nicotine, carries cardiovascular and lung health risks
• Zero-nic vapes cost significantly more per month than FDA-approved NRT options like Jones Nicotine Mints
• NRT addresses nicotine dependence directly with controlled doses that taper over time
Jones Nicotine Mints are an FDA-approved NRT in 4 mg and 2 mg doses that address nicotine cravings without reinforcing the vaping habit or exposing your lungs to inhaled chemicals.
Take the Jones Dependency Quiz for your personalized quit plan and start quitting today.
What is Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)?
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is an FDA-approved treatment that delivers controlled doses of nicotine to reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings without exposing users to the harmful chemicals in cigarettes or vapes. The five FDA-approved NRT formats are patches, lozenges/mints, gum, inhalers, and nasal spray. Using NRT can double the success rate of quitting and is recommended by the CDC, the FDA, and addiction medicine specialists as a first-line treatment for nicotine dependence. Try Jones nicotine mints in 2 mg and 4 mg strengths.
So, do Zero Nicotine Vapes Help You Quit?
You’re trying to quit vaping, desperately. So when you come across a nicotine-free or zero nic vape marketed to help you quit, you think that this is the solution to all of your problems.
While zero nic vapes camouflage as a golden ticket to quit vaping, that may not be the case. Nicotine-free vapes are not as harmless as they seem. Zero nic vapes camouflage as a golden ticket to quit vaping - before adding one to your quitting regimen there are a few things you should be aware of.
Are Zero Nic Vapes FDA Approved?
Nicotine-free vapes are relatively new to the market and are not FDA-approved. There is no way to confirm that what vape companies claim about their products is actually true. False advertising among some of these products has been reported. For example, it was discovered that 6 different “nicotine-free vapes” sold in the UK actually do contain nicotine.
Why the FDA Hasn't Approved Zero Nic Vapes
No study to date directly supports zero nic vapes as a successful cessation product.
Because vapes are relatively new to the market and the FDA takes its time reviewing cessation products, all nicotine replacement products are FDA-approved for smoking cessation only, but technically, not vaping. Some early studies have shown that nicotine replacement products can help people quit vaping.
However, it is generally safe to assume many of these smoking cessation therapies translate to quitting vaping nicotine as they focus on the nicotine addiction aspect of smoking. Many doctors recommend nicotine replacement therapy for quitting vaping, including our Chief Medical Advisor Dr. David Kan, an addiction psychiatrist at UCSF.
On the other hand, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is clinically proven to aid with smoking cessation with a particular focus on nicotine addiction.
Do Zero Nic Vapes Help Break the Habit of Vaping?
Switching to zero-nicotine vapes might seem like a step in the right direction, but they don’t always help you break the habit completely. While they remove the addictive element, the behavioral patterns and cravings tied to vaping can still stick around.
Is vaping addiction behavioral, chemical, or both?
We know how important the oral fixation aspect of vaping is. Many vapers and smokers accredit this hand-to-mouth action as the main addiction, not the nicotine itself. For this reason, nicotine-free vapes may seem like the perfect solution as you still repeat that action, bringing a vape to your mouth, just this time without nicotine.
But that’s actually the issue, here. You repeat this action you’ve so desperately been meaning to quit. By continuing to vape, despite there not being nicotine, you are reinforcing the habit you’re aiming to break and not satisfying your nicotine cravings. Our medical advisor Dr. Kan recommends to seek other, safer, methods of fulfilling that need for oral fixation. Chewing gum, sipping on a water bottle, or even using our Jones lozenges are all methods that keep your mouth busy without reinforcing the habit of vaping.
If you use zero nic vapes, you’re not quitting vaping, you’re just quitting vaping nicotine. The inhalation of any vapor or chemical that is not oxygen is damaging to your body - even if there’s no nicotine.
Are Nicotine-Free Vapes Safer Than Regular Vapes?
Vaping is relatively new and because of this there is a lot of research still being done. Research from the Cardiac and Lung E-Cig Smoking (CLUES) study, published by the American Heart Association found that people who vape had worrisome changes in cardiovascular function. More emerging data links vaping to chronic lung disease and asthma.
What are the health risks of zero-nicotine vapes?
Inhaling anything other than oxygen isn’t ideal for your lungs. Vaping nicotine-free vapes will not necessarily lower your risk of developing heart disease or lung disease. On the other hand, NRT is proven to be safe. Studies have indicated no increase in cardiovascular events in those who use NRT compared to those who smoke. When it comes to lung heath, nicotine itself is not a harmful substance.
If your main concern with vaping is your cardiovascular and lung health, it may be best to explore quitting methods that do not involve inhalation.
What’s Inside a Zero-Nicotine Vape?
Just because a vape is nicotine-free doesn’t mean it’s chemical-free. Zero-nicotine vapes can still contain chemicals, flavorings, and other additives that may irritate your body—especially when inhaled regularly. Let’s look at the ingredients in both a nicotine vape and a “zero-nic” vape.
What chemicals are in a regular nicotine vape?
Vapes are known to contain many different chemicals that aren’t recommended for inhalation. Because the FDA has not reviewed vapes or issued any standards on what they must contain, the ingredients in vapes and their compositions vary. However, these are a few ingredients that researchers have found in e-cigarette vapes:
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Acrolein: an herbicide that is used to kill weeds and can cause irreversible lung damage.
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Diacetyl: a chemical linked to the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, or, popcorn lung.
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Cadmium: a toxic chemical also found in cigarettes that causes breathing problems and disease.
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Propylene glycol: a common food additive that is safe to consume, but not to inhale. Also found in fog machines and antifreeze.
What chemicals are in a zero-nicotine vape?
If you want to quit vaping because of the harmful substances inside vapes, quitting with a nicotine-free vape, again, may not be the best solution for you. Much like with nicotine vapes, nicotine-free vapes face minimal regulation (if any at all) and their ingredients and compositions vary. Let’s examine the listed ingredients of one of the most popular nicotine-free vapes on the market.
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Natural Bacopa Extract: Little to none existing research on the safety of inhaling Bacopa.
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Natural Flavorings: The term natural flavors may seem trustworthy, but actually, this can mean a myriad of different artificial and synthetic chemicals. We have no way of knowing what natural flavors encompass in this case.
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Vegetable Glycerine: Inhaling vegetable glycerine has been shown to have a pro-inflammatory effect on acute lung illness. Vegetable Glycerin is safe to eat and drink, but it has not been thoroughly assessed for inhalation toxicity.
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Propylene Glycol: As stated above propylene glycol is found in antifreeze and fog machines. No health authority has marked propylene glycol safe for inhalation.
Basically, if you’re looking to inhale fewer foreign chemicals and substances by quitting vaping nicotine, using a nicotine-free vape may not be your best option.
How much do zero-nicotine vapes cost compared to NRT?
Let’s do a quick math exercise. Say I am a vaper and I typically go through one vape a week. On average, a disposable vape with 5000 puffs costs about $20.
$20 a week x 4.2 weeks = $84 per month = 21,000 puffs per month.
On average, the most popular disposable nicotine-free vape is $18 for 1000 puffs. To get the 21,000 puffs you would normally inhale with a nicotine vape, you’d have to purchase 20 nicotine-free vapes per month ($360) to match your normal puff count.
So, $360 per month for 21,000 puffs of a nicotine-free vape and $84 per month for 21,000 puffs of a nicotine vape.
The nicotine-free vape definitely isn’t the cheaper option.
If you’re looking to save money, NRT is around $62 a month and by month three or four, it may drop down to $0 a month when you quit for good.
What should I use instead of a zero-nic vape to quit?
Zero-nicotine vapes might feel like a safer or smarter alternative, but they don’t always solve the root of the problem. While they remove the addictive chemical, they can still reinforce the habit loop—making it harder to truly let go of vaping. If your goal is to quit for good, the most effective path is one that supports both the physical and behavioral sides of addiction.
Find out the best way for you to quit with our free dependency quiz. Our digital support tools, the Jones App and Text With Jones, offer 24/7 quitting support. Text With Jones offers 30 days of free motivational and habit building texts to guide you through the first weeks of your quitting journey. You can sign up by texting “quitter” to +1 (385) 526-4708.
Quitting is a major lifestyle change–slip ups are a natural part of the journey. But we’re here for you every step of the way.
