If you are someone who goes through the equivalent of several 10-ml bottles of e-liquids each week, then you know it’s logical to sometimes purchase your e-liquid supplies in bulk. 

And not just because bulk e-liquid orders are usually offered in deals you otherwise might not have access to, although that is there.  

By purchasing in bulk, you are able to avoid the headache of ordering every couple of days. Plus, small orders are costlier when you factor in the shipping cost since most suppliers impose a fee on orders below a certain amount. 

Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to have a trusted brick-and-mortar in your neighbourhood that carries products you swear by as a vaper. 

But even then, you might need to stock up so you can let some juices steep for a week or two (or more) with the intention of improving their flavour and nicotine hit. 

The point is, batching in bulk makes more sense than not. Not to mention, it never hurts to have some extra juice on hand, heavy vaper or not! 

But this raises the question of storage since vape juice is prone to go bad if not stored properly, or when it exceeds its ‘sell by’ date. 

‘Store in a Cool, Dark Place’ 

The proper way to store e-liquids is to keep it in tightly sealed containers (ideally glass) and away from any light and heat sources. The universal ‘store in a cool, dark place’ rule very much applies in the case of vape juice. 

Some vapers will also tell you that refrigerating your juice is another way you can keep your e-liquids from going bad. However, unless you intend to vape that particular juice within a period not exceeding 2 weeks, we don’t advise on it. 

And here is why. 

1. Oxidation 

Nicotine, one of the components that make up e-liquid (with the exception of nicotine-free e-juice), is sensitive to light and heat. Exposure to these two causes the vape juice to oxidise, which might explain the reason you see the juice darkening. 

E-liquid does not do well in light, and while the refrigerator is closed for the most part, the constant opening and closing introduces enough light to disturb the molecular integrity of the juice. 

As far as temperature goes, the most ideal conditions for nicotine is storage at standard room temperature, or anything close to it. 

Therefore, when you keep the vape juice for an extended period in the fridge, the light and drop in temperature work against the juice, resulting in a downgrade in its quality. 

It is also worth noting that the different components that make up e-liquid respond to temperature in a different way. When refrigerated, the state and weight of these elements – notably PG and VG – change, causing the juice to separate into layers. 

Not that the separation is a bad thing per se, but some e-liquids respond to refrigeration well more than others. So if you can avoid it, then all the better. 

In short, refrigeration affects the general stability of e-liquid, so it is best to just keep it at room temperature. A cool, dark place like the back of a cupboard, insider a drawer, or a box will work just fine. 

After all, e-liquid has a pretty long shelf life (2 years on average), and storing it in the fridge will only serve to accelerate its degradation rather than prolong its lifespan. 

2. Flavour Change 

The other reason why you should not store your juices in the fridge, especially given concentrated flavours are prone to alter under certain circumstances, particularly temperature changes. 

As you will have already gathered by now, too much temperature (aka heat) is not good for vape juice. Neither is too little of it (refrigeration). 

E-juice has a good amount of sugar, especially VG which is naturally very sweet. The flavouring ingredients themselves also tend to be sweet. So, when you refrigerate vape juice, what happens is that the sugar molecules in it are likely to form crystals the longer the juice sits in the fridge. 

As a result, the sugar separates from the rest of the molecules, culminating in a flavour that is oddly lacking in sweetness. 

Overall, refrigeration has a negative effect on e-liquids flavour, which is the element most influenced by heat (or lack of it). When the e-juice drops in quality, the flavour loses its potency and may taste vapid. 

3. Condensation 

The environment inside your refrigerator causes condensation inside the walls of the bottle in the headspace just above the e-liquid. 

If there are any microbes in the air circulating in the refrigerator, as there are most likely to be, the bacteria will be introduced in the e-liquid, which will slowly by slowly compromise the flavour and overall quality of the juice. 

This mostly applies to bottles that have been opened or those lacking a tight seal, not to mention shortfills which have a space allowance that may encourage condensation due to a change in temperature. 

4. Leads to Shorter Battery Life 

When you pour vape juice from the fridge straight to your vape tank, your vape battery has to work overtime to get the juice to the proper temperature. 

Batteries are one of the sensitive components of a vape device, and overworking them cannot be good for their health. So when you make it a habit of regularly using cold e-liquid in your vape device, over time, the device’s function will be compromised.