Have you been trying to quit vaping? Then you surely heard out of Ripple vapes. You must’ve wondered, is ripple vape bad for you?
Ripple vapes are indeed safe. They pose no health risks for occasional, temperate use by healthy adult non-smokers. It’s because Ripple vapes contain no nicotine or synthetic chemicals – only natural botanical extracts in vegetable glycerin/propylene glycol base liquids.
However, excessive use could still irritate the lungs. Overall, Ripple vapes are likely safe for most if used responsibly.
Do you need more explanation behind this statement? Read on for a nuanced, research-backed dive into Ripple vapes.
Is Ripple Vape Bad (Or Safe) For You?
For healthy adult non-smokers, Ripple vapes likely pose no health hazards because they are completely nicotine-free. But, this applies only to those with occasional, temperate use.
However, vaping Ripple vapes multiple times per day for years on end will put you at risk of lung inflammation and cardiovascular effects.
For cigarette smokers, switching completely to Ripple (or any vapes) could significantly reduce exposure to the thousands of toxins. It’s supported by the National Health Service (NHS) UK. Using Ripple vapes instead of tobacco-based cigarettes greatly lowers the risks of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, and other smoking-related illnesses.
Read on to know: Do Ripple Vapes Give You a Buzz?
Note: People with respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) avoid any type of vaping, including Ripple vapes.
What Are Ripple Vapes? – In Brief
Ripple is a brand of nicotine-free, aromatherapy vape pens and pods. They were launched in 2019 by a brother-sister band of two, Sam and Lucie Beecham, in the UK.
Ripple aims to provide a vaping experience free of nicotine and synthetic chemicals. According to their official website, they use only natural botanical blends.
The core Ripple product line includes:
- Disposable vape pens prefilled with botanical e-liquid formulas. These one-time-use “ripples” are available in blends like Mint Breeze, Tropical Twist, and Zen Berry.
- Reusable POD vapes that use snap-in refillable pods. The sleek POD device has an 8-hour battery life and comes with one pod of your choice. Pods come in flavors like Mint Refresh and Mango Magic.
What Ingredients Are In Ripple Vapes?
Ripple vapes contain two main types of ingredients:
- Botanical Extracts And Essential Oils: This includes natural plant-derived extracts like peppermint, chamomile, and lavender. Ripple claims on their website these create aromatherapy benefits.
- Base E-liquids: According to Ripple itself, vapes use a base of vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG) to carry the flavors. These are common solvents in vape juices.
Let’s look closer at each:
Botanical Extracts:
Ripple uses extracts from flowers, fruits, herbs, and spices to naturally flavor and aromatize its e-liquids. Some examples include:
- Peppermint oil
- Chamomile extract
- Lavender oil
- Ginger extract
- Lemon and citrus oils
Base E-liquids:
The botanical extracts are suspended in a base of two solvents: vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG):
- According to Juicehead.co, VG is an odorless, syrupy liquid derived from plant oils. It creates dense, visible vapor clouds.
- Wikipedia mentions PG is a petroleum byproduct with a slightly sweet taste. It thins out the VG and carries flavors.
Note: Most vape juices also contain nicotine and artificial flavorings. But Ripple products notably leave these out. They market themselves as having “no synthetic nasties.”
Are Ripple Vapes Safer Than Traditional Cigarettes?
Based on current evidence, Ripple vapes almost certainly carry fewer health risks overall than traditional tobacco cigarettes.
Here are some key points on how Ripple vapes compare to cigarette smoking:
- Ripple vapes contain no tobacco and create no smoke. According to Lung.org, cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 69 known carcinogens.
- With no combustion, vaping avoids exposure to tars, carbon monoxide, and ash (as reported by Tablites.com). With cigarettes, these cause lung and cardiovascular damage.
- Ripple’s nicotine-free formulas reduce risks of addiction, withdrawal, and poisoning from nicotine overdose.
- Vape aerosol dissipates much quicker than lingering cigarette smoke, reducing secondhand exposure risks. This is supported by a 2014 study published by the National Institutes of Health.
- Lab tests by another 2014 study published by the National Institutes of Health reveal far fewer harmful metals and toxins in vapes compared to cigarette smoke. So, ripple vapes are far less harmful than cigarettes.
Are Ripple Vapes Addictive?
While traditional vape juices contain addictive nicotine, Ripple vapes do not. So, these are not addictive in themselves due to their nicotine-free formulas.
However, some specific concerns around habit-forming remain:
1. Behavioral Habits
Like many vapes, Ripple products can form strong behavioral habits and oral fixations. According to HopkinsMedicine, the act of vaping itself can become habitual and tough to break, similar to chain-smoking cigarettes.
2. Ingredients
A few of the botanical extracts in Ripple, like kava and blue lotus, do have mild psychoactive effects. While likely not addictive, this could lead to psychological cravings.
3. Hand-to-mouth Motion
The Government Accountability Organization states that the repetitive hand-to-mouth motion of vaping can be habit-forming over time, similar to smoking. This muscle-memory factor could drive you to keep puffing without thinking.
4. Flavor Associations
Linking certain flavors with moods or activities can reinforce vaping routines through conditioned responses. For example, your brain may start to crave mango-flavored hits as part of your morning wake-up routine for example.
So, while Ripple vapes carry minimal chemical addiction risk from nicotine, the behavioral aspects may still be tough to break.
What Are The Potential Health Risks Of Using Ripple Vapes?
While likely safer than smoking overall, using Ripple vapes too frequently still may some potential health risks:
1. Lung Irritation:
Heating oils to create vapor can irritate airways and cause inflammation like coughing or wheezing for some. This is supported by Harvard Health.
2. Cardiovascular Effects:
Vaping can stiffen arteries and spike blood pressure and heart rate shortly after use. Long-term effects remain unknown.
3. Compound Toxicity:
When heated, some natural compounds transform into toxic substances like formaldehyde and carbonyls.
4. Ingredient Reactions:
Little is known about the inhalation effects of many botanical extracts and how they interact when combined.
5. Battery Explosions:
Faulty vape batteries can very rarely combust and cause serious burns.
So while generally low-risk for healthy adults, I recommend you exercise in moderation with Ripple vapes.
Is There Any Evidence That Ripple Vapes Are Harmful To Long-term Health?
There is currently no long-term scientific evidence directly linking Ripple vapes to chronic health conditions or disease.
So, I have come to the conclusion that the chemicals of Ripple vapes are NOT HARMFUL in the long run. However, the habit of vaping itself can be harmful.
Here are my considerations around long-term vape use:
- Based on the results of the 2016 study published in the National Library of Medicine, we can say that botanical extracts such as flowers and leaf oils can boost respiratory functions.
- Ripple’s nicotine-free formulas carry lower risks than nicotine-based vapes.
- According to a 2022 study by the National Institutes of Health, persistent lung inflammation from nicotine vaping could slowly degrade respiratory function over many years. But since Ripple doesn’t have nicotine, it’s not dangerous.
- As stated by Business Insider, youth nicotine vaping could stunt brain development. But, again, Ripple vapes will likely not cause that.
Final Verdict
To wrap up, is Ripple vape bad for you? It is fully safe to use a Ripple vape. When used moderately and seldom by adult non-smokers, they do not provide any health hazards. This is so because Ripple vapes only employ natural plant extracts, neither nicotine nor artificial chemicals.
On the other hand, prolonged use may potentially irritate the lungs. If you use it properly, Ripple vapes are safe for you and the majority of people.
In the end, your decision will likely come down to personal factors like your health history and risk tolerance. But hopefully, this breakdown of Ripple’s ingredients, addiction potential, and safety provides some facts to better inform your choice.
