Every bottle of Elux Legend Nic Salt is built from the same handful of ingredient categories as any UK-regulated nic salt e-liquid, a PG/VG base, nicotine salt, and food-grade flavouring, and the specific 50/50 ratio it's built on isn't arbitrary, it's chosen to match how the pod kits it's designed for actually work.
What's Actually In The Bottle
Every nic salt e-liquid, Elux Legend included, is built on the same base structure. Propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerine (VG) make up the bulk of the liquid, in Elux Legend's case at a 50/50 split.
Nicotine is present as a nicotine salt, nicotine combined with an organic acid, usually benzoic acid, covered in more depth in the nic salt versus freebase piece elsewhere on this site. Food-grade flavouring concentrates provide the taste, and a small amount of water typically rounds out the mix. Exact proprietary flavour recipes aren't published by any brand, Elux included, but the ingredient categories themselves are consistent across the whole nic salt category, not something specific to one brand's formulation.
What PG Actually Does
Propylene glycol is thin and low-viscosity, which makes it good at two things in particular: carrying flavour clearly, and delivering most of what's felt as throat hit. A higher-PG e-liquid tends to taste sharper and more distinct, and feels firmer at the back of the throat, which is part of why PG content, alongside nicotine strength, shapes how intense a vape feels.
What VG Actually Does
Vegetable glycerine is the opposite in texture, thick and higher-viscosity, and it's largely responsible for vapour production and a smoother overall feel. A higher-VG e-liquid produces visibly more vapour and feels gentler on the throat, but that thickness comes with a practical trade-off covered in the next section.
| Property | PG | VG |
|---|---|---|
| Viscosity | Thin | Thick |
| Main role | Carries flavour, throat hit | Vapour production |
| Feel | Sharper, more distinct | Smoother, gentler |
| Wicking in small pod coils | Fast, can flood if too high | Slow, can starve wick if too high |
Why Elux Legend Is Built On 50/50, Not Higher VG
This isn't just a taste preference, it's a device-compatibility decision. Thicker, higher-VG liquid doesn't wick well through the narrow coil ports used in small, low-power pod devices, the kind of format nearly every Elux Legend product in this project is built around. A 50/50 blend is thin enough to keep the wick properly saturated in these devices, while a much higher VG ratio can struggle to soak in fast enough, which is directly connected to the dry hit and burnt taste issues covered in the Elux Legend troubleshooting guide elsewhere on this site. Ratio and hardware aren't separate topics, the same wicking mechanism that makes priming and draw technique matter is also why 50/50 is the ratio built for this format in the first place. Nicotine salts specifically are consistently paired with 50/50 across the category for this exact reason, while freebase e-liquid built for sub-ohm devices more commonly runs a higher VG ratio, a different device category not covered by any product in this project.
It Works The Other Way Too
The wicking issue covered above usually gets discussed in one direction, VG too thick for a small pod coil, but it's worth knowing the reverse exists too. A much higher-PG liquid in a device built for thicker e-liquid can wick too fast, potentially flooding the coil and causing the gurgling or spitback covered in the troubleshooting piece elsewhere on this site. Elux Legend's 50/50 ratio sits at the point where neither problem is likely in the low-power pod format it's designed for, which is really the whole reason the ratio is fixed rather than left as a pure taste choice.
What UK Law Doesn't Allow In The Bottle At All
Every UK-regulated e-liquid, not just Elux Legend, is required to meet the same ingredient restrictions under the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), implemented through the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR). Diacetyl, colourings, caffeine, taurine, vitamins, and any additive that creates an impression of health benefit are all prohibited outright (gov.uk/guidance/e-cigarettes-regulations-for-consumer-products). This sits alongside the nicotine strength and pod capacity limits covered elsewhere in this project, the same regulation governs what can be in the bottle, not just how much of it and in what size container.
Nicotine Strength And Ratio Work Together, Not Separately
The overall intensity of a vape isn't down to PG/VG ratio alone, nicotine strength shapes it just as much, and the two interact rather than acting independently. A 50/50 blend at 20mg/ml nic salt, the UK legal maximum, feels noticeably different to the same 50/50 blend at 10mg/ml or 5mg/ml, even though the ratio hasn't changed at all. This is worth knowing before assuming a harsher or milder feel means the ratio needs adjusting, strength is often the bigger factor of the two, and the Elux Legend range's 5mg/ml, 10mg/ml and 20mg/ml options exist specifically so the ratio can stay fixed while strength varies to suit different users.
Where PG And VG Show Up Outside Vaping
Both PG and VG have a long history of use well beyond e-liquid, in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, which is part of why they're the accepted base for UK-regulated e-liquid rather than something invented specifically for vaping. PG appears in items like food colouring carriers, cosmetics, and some medicines, while VG is a common ingredient in food, personal care products and baked goods, both long-established well outside vaping.
Worth being precise about what that does and doesn't mean, it's a factual point about where these ingredients are commonly found and used, not a claim that vaping itself carries no risk. The two are different statements, and only the first one is being made here.
FAQ
What ingredients are in Elux Legend nic salt?
A PG/VG base at a 50/50 ratio, nicotine as a nicotine salt, food-grade flavouring, and typically a small amount of water. This structure is the same across UK-regulated nic salt e-liquid generally, not unique to Elux.
Why is Elux Legend a 50/50 VG/PG ratio rather than higher VG?
Because 50/50 is thin enough to wick properly through the narrow coil ports used in the small pod devices Elux Legend is built for. Higher-VG liquid is thicker and doesn't wick as reliably in that format, which can lead to dry hits or burnt taste.
What does PG do compared to VG?
PG is thinner, carries flavour clearly, and delivers most of the throat hit. VG is thicker, produces more vapour, and feels smoother. Most e-liquid, Elux Legend included, blends both rather than using either alone.
Is anything banned from UK e-liquid ingredients?
Yes. Diacetyl, colourings, caffeine, taurine, vitamins, and any ingredient implying a health benefit are all prohibited under UK TPD regulation, across every brand, not specific to Elux.
Are PG and VG only used in e-liquid?
No. Both have a long-established history of use in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, which is part of why they're the accepted base ingredients for UK-regulated e-liquid.
Does nicotine strength change the ratio?
No, strength and ratio are separate. Elux Legend keeps its 50/50 ratio fixed across its 5mg/ml, 10mg/ml and 20mg/ml options, so strength changes intensity without changing how the liquid wicks or vapourises.
Can too much PG cause problems the same way too much VG can?
Yes, in the opposite direction. A liquid too thin for a device built for thicker e-liquid can wick too fast and flood the coil, causing gurgling or spitback rather than a dry hit. Elux Legend's 50/50 ratio is built to sit clear of both problems in the pod format it's designed for.
This guide is intended for adults aged 18 and over and is provided for general information only. Current TPD details can be confirmed at gov.uk.
