What's in a cigarette
Cancer Research UK puts the number at around 7,000 chemicals released when a cigarette burns, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer.1
What's in an e-liquid
- PG (propylene glycol) and/or VG (vegetable glycerine) — the base that carries flavour and produces vapour
- Nicotine — optional; UK e-liquid is legally capped at 20mg/ml
- Flavourings — genuine flavour compounds, many familiar from food and drink: things like vanilla extract, linalool (found naturally in lavender and coriander), and ethyl maltol (a sweet, sugary note used in food flavouring)
That's the entire list — no combustion, so none of the by-products a burning cigarette produces.
Why the list is so much shorter
Cigarettes burn; vapes heat. Combustion is what generates the overwhelming majority of that 7,000-chemical figure — vaping was never going to come close, simply because nothing's being set on fire. (For more on how vaping and smoking actually differ, see What Happens When You Quit Smoking and Start Vaping.)
FAQs
Is nicotine itself one of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke?
No — nicotine is what makes cigarettes addictive, but the bulk of smoking's health damage comes from tar and the products of combustion, not nicotine itself.
Does "low tar" or "light" make a cigarette safer?
No. It's actually illegal in the UK to market cigarettes as "light," "mild," or "low-tar," because they aren't meaningfully safer.1
Is vaping completely risk-free, then?
No — vaping still delivers nicotine and isn't risk-free, though current evidence holds it's substantially less harmful than smoking. Read more: Reasons to Switch to Vaping
Related guides
Sources
- Cancer Research UK, "What chemicals are in a cigarette?" ⤴
- GOV.UK, "E-cigarettes: regulations for consumer products" ⤴
- GOV.UK, "Tobacco and vapes: evidence to support legislation" ⤴