Do mint vapes have sugar in them? An In-depth Look at E-Liquid Sweeteners

October 19, 2025 •

4 min read

Recent research from the University of Pittsburgh found that mint-flavored e-liquids can generate more harmful vapor particles than unflavored ones, which raises further questions about their contents: do mint vapes have sugar in them?. Commercially produced vape juices, including mint flavors, universally exclude real sugar due to technical and safety reasons.

Quick Summary

Mint and other vape flavors contain artificial sweeteners and flavor enhancers, not traditional sugar. Real sugar would caramelize, damage the device, and produce harmful chemicals when heated. The sweet taste comes from ingredients like sucralose, ethyl maltol, and vegetable glycerin. Specific health risks, including worse lung function from mint flavors, are also associated with these additives.

Key Points

No Real Sugar: Commercially available mint vapes do not contain traditional dietary sugar like sucrose, glucose, or fructose.
Artificial Sweeteners Used: The sweet flavor is achieved using artificial sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda), flavor enhancers like ethyl maltol, and the naturally sweet taste of vegetable glycerin.
Harmful When Burned: Real sugar caramelizes and produces harmful chemicals when heated, which would also ruin the device's heating coil with residue known as 'coil gunk'.
Increased Particle Exposure: Research has shown that mint/menthol flavored e-liquids can generate more toxic vapor particles compared to non-menthol flavors, potentially worsening lung function.
Long-Term Effects Unknown: While the inhaled sweeteners are considered more heat-stable than sugar, the full long-term effects of inhaling these compounds are still under scientific investigation.
Other Health Risks: Beyond the specific sweeteners, vaping can cause dental issues like plaque buildup and nicotine can affect blood sugar regulation.

Why Real Sugar is Not Used in Vapes

Contrary to what the candy-like taste might suggest, manufacturers do not use traditional dietary sugars such as sucrose, glucose, or fructose in vape juice. The primary reason for this is a chemical reaction that would cause significant technical and health problems when the e-liquid is heated. When sugar is heated to the high temperatures required for vaporization, it does not vaporize cleanly. Instead, it caramelizes and turns into a sticky, residue-forming substance commonly known as “coil gunk”. This gunk builds up on the heating coil and wick, quickly leading to a burnt and unpleasant taste, and shortening the lifespan of the vape coil.

More critically, the heating process can degrade sugar into potentially harmful chemicals, posing health risks when inhaled. The degradation products of sugar, even in tobacco smoke, contribute to the negative health outcomes associated with smoking and can include volatile toxicants and carcinogens. Because of these risks, the vaping industry has opted for alternative sweeteners that can withstand high temperatures without degrading in the same manner.

The Real Sweeteners in Mint Vapes

Instead of sugar, vape manufacturers use a variety of non-nutritive sweeteners and flavor enhancers to create sweet profiles, including in mint varieties. These substances are chosen for their heat stability and sweetening power.

Common Vape Sweeteners

Here are some of the key ingredients that contribute to the sweet taste in mint vapes:

Sucralose: This is the most common artificial sweetener used in e-liquids. Sold under the brand name Splenda, it is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so only a tiny amount is needed to achieve a very sweet flavor. While popular for its taste, sucralose is a major contributor to coil gunk because it caramelizes on the coil when heated.
Vegetable Glycerin (VG): One of the two primary base ingredients of e-liquids, VG is a naturally sweet-tasting sugar alcohol. E-liquids with a higher VG ratio will have a slightly sweeter taste than those with more propylene glycol (PG), even without added sweeteners.
Ethyl Maltol: This synthetic agent has a flavor that resembles cooked or caramelized sugar, often described as tasting like cotton candy. It is used to enhance fruit and dessert flavors, and sometimes mint profiles, to create a fuller, sweeter taste.
Flavor Concentrates: Beyond specific sweeteners, the food-grade flavor concentrates themselves contribute to the overall taste. For example, the compounds used for spearmint or peppermint flavor add their own sensory experience, which can be enhanced by sweeteners.

Comparison: Real Sugar vs. Vape Sweeteners


Feature	Real Sugar (Sucrose)	Vape Sweeteners (Sucralose, etc.)
Effect when Heated	Caramelizes and burns, producing harmful byproducts.	Stable at high temperatures, but some, like sucralose, can still cause residue buildup (coil gunk).
Vape Device Impact	Causes rapid buildup of sticky, dark residue on heating coils, leading to a burnt taste and shortened coil life.	Sucralose can cause coil gunk, while others like ethyl maltol are less likely to.
Inhalation Safety	Heating can create potentially harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are unsafe to inhale.	Considered safer to inhale when vaporized than sugar, but long-term inhalation effects are still under investigation.
Health Impact	Can impact blood sugar levels and carries inherent risks when burned.	Artificial sweeteners do not directly raise blood sugar, but nicotine and other compounds still pose health risks.

Specific Risks of Mint Flavors and Sweeteners

For those concerned about what is in mint vapes, the addition of menthol flavoring, a key component, carries specific health warnings. Studies have shown that adding mint flavor to e-cigarette liquids generates a greater number of toxic microparticles in the vapor compared to non-menthol options. This has been linked to poorer lung function and shallower breaths in users.

Furthermore, while the sweeteners themselves are not traditional sugar, the health implications of inhaling them are still being studied. Inhaling heated artificial sweeteners is different from ingesting them in foods and drinks. Some research suggests that heating these compounds can produce toxic byproducts, such as formaldehyde and acrolein, which can irritate the lungs. Additionally, the sweet residue from vaping can negatively impact oral health by promoting plaque buildup, especially when combined with the dry mouth effect common to vaping.

The Overall Health Context of Vaping

Beyond the specific additives, it is crucial to remember the broader context of vaping. Nicotine is highly addictive and has its own set of health risks, including effects on the cardiovascular system. Nicotine also impacts blood sugar and insulin resistance, which is a significant concern for individuals with diabetes. While often marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, vaping is not without its own set of health consequences, and the long-term effects of inhaling vaporized flavorings and sweeteners are still unknown. Making informed decisions requires understanding that the sweet taste of a mint vape comes from artificial ingredients, not real sugar, and that these ingredients carry their own distinct risks.

Conclusion

To answer the question, do mint vapes have sugar in them, the definitive answer is no, they do not. The sweetness in mint e-liquids comes from artificial additives like sucralose, flavor enhancers such as ethyl maltol, and the naturally sweet base ingredient, vegetable glycerin. This substitution is made to prevent device damage and avoid the formation of harmful byproducts that would occur from burning real sugar. However, this does not mean these sweeteners are harmless to inhale. Studies indicate that menthol flavors specifically increase harmful particle exposure, and inhaling these compounds poses potential respiratory and dental health risks. For a truly informed choice, individuals should understand the ingredients they are inhaling and not assume 'sugar-free' equates to 'risk-free' when it comes to vaping.

For more information on the overall health effects of vaping, consider visiting the Johns Hopkins Medicine website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Vape manufacturers do not use real sugar because when heated to high temperatures, it caramelizes and burns. This process would damage the vape's heating coil, create a bad taste, and produce harmful byproducts that are unsafe to inhale.

The sweet taste in mint vapes typically comes from artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda), a flavor enhancer called ethyl maltol, and the naturally sweet flavor of vegetable glycerin, a key base ingredient.

When heated, the artificial sweeteners used in vapes are more stable and do not degrade in the same way as real sugar, but this does not mean they are completely safe to inhale. The long-term health effects of inhaling aerosolized sweeteners are still largely unknown.

'Coil gunk' is a dark, caramelized residue that builds up on a vape's heating coil and wick. It is caused primarily by sweeteners like sucralose and leads to a burnt taste and decreased coil life.

Yes, research has shown that mint and menthol flavorings can generate more toxic microparticles when vaped, which has been linked to poorer lung function in users compared to those who use non-menthol flavors.

Reputable brands may list sweeteners like sucralose on the ingredient label. However, disposable vapes often lack detailed ingredient lists, so relying on taste is common. An intensely sweet, candy-like flavor is often an indicator of added sucralose.

While the sweeteners themselves may not directly increase blood sugar, nicotine can affect blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. This poses a risk, particularly for individuals with diabetes, and vaping is not recommended for them.

Yes, sweeteners used in vape juices, along with the dry mouth effect of vaping, can promote plaque buildup and increase the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.