Which Nicotine Strength to Choose? Complete 2026 Guide

janvier 9, 2026
News

New to vaping, or looking to fine-tune how much nicotine you take in? Choosing the right nicotine strength is a crucial step if the switch is going to stick. Too low and you risk going back to cigarettes; too high and you'll get an unpleasant throat hit. This guide helps you find the strength that suits you.

Understanding nicotine strengths

In France, as across the EU under the TPD, nicotine is capped at 20mg/ml in 10ml bottles. Larger formats (50ml, 100ml, 500ml and beyond) are sold nicotine-free: it is up to you to add nicotine shots (boosters) to suit.

The most common strengths are:

0mg: Nicotine-free, purely for the pleasure of vaping
3mg: Light, for light smokers or the last stage of quitting
6mg: Moderate, and by far the most popular
12mg: Strong, for regular smokers
16-20mg: Very strong, for heavy smokers at the start of quitting

Which strength for your smoking profile?

How much you smoke is the best guide:

Your profile	Cigarettes per day	Recommended strength
Non-smoker / ex-smoker, already off nicotine	0	0mg
Occasional light smoker	1-5	3mg
Moderate smoker	5-15	6mg
Regular smoker	15-25	12mg
Heavy smoker	25+	16-20mg

Tip: These are guidelines, not rules. Adjust to how you actually feel.

Option 1: ready-mixed 10ml e-liquids with nicotine

The simplest route for beginners. Our UNICORN 10ml e-liquids come in 3mg, 6mg and 12mg of nicotine, ready to use.

Six classic flavours to choose from:

Menthe Glaciale — Intense freshness
RY4 — Caramelised blond tobacco
Blond — Classic blond tobacco
Red — Red berries
Custard — Vanilla cream
Cactus Citron Corossol — Exotic

Upside: Nothing to mix, you simply pick your strength.
Best for: Beginners, and anyone who wants it simple.

Option 2: large formats plus nicotine shots

This is our speciality at Unicorn Vape. E-liquids in 50ml, 100ml, 200ml and even 1 litre offer superb value for money and an almost unlimited choice of flavours.

These formats are sold at 0mg. To add nicotine you use our Unicorn Boost: a 20mg/ml nicotine shot in a 10ml bottle.

How do you dose with nicotine shots?

It is straightforward. Every 10ml shot you add to your e-liquid raises the nicotine strength:

E-liquid format	For 3mg	For 6mg
50ml (60ml shortfill)	1 shot	2 shots
100ml (120ml shortfill)	2 shots	4 shots
200ml	4 shots	8 shots

Shortfill? Shortfill bottles are deliberately left part-empty, leaving room for your nicotine shots.

Upside: An unbeatable price per litre, a huge choice of flavours, and precise control over your strength.
Best for: Regular vapers, and anyone who likes exploring flavours.

Our best-selling large formats

Grand Écran — Salted butter caramel popcorn
Granola Cream — Rich, creamy granola
Dubai Chocolate Bar — Dubai-style pistachio chocolate
P'tit Belge — Liège waffle

See the whole range in the 10 Ans Unicorn collection.

How to get off to a good start

1. Start slightly above rather than below
If you are torn between two strengths, take the higher one. Stepping down later is easier than making up for missing nicotine by vaping non-stop.

2. Listen to your body
Headaches, nausea or dizziness mean your strength is too high. Constantly wanting to vape, or craving a cigarette, means it is too low.

3. Throat hit is not only about nicotine
What you feel in your throat also depends on the PG/VG ratio and on your kit. A high-PG e-liquid delivers more throat hit.

4. Come down gradually
Go from 12mg to 6mg, then 6mg to 3mg, and why not to 0mg. With nicotine shots you can fine-tune every step.