What Is a Cloud Booster?
A cloud booster is unflavored, nicotine-free vegetable glycerin (VG) that you add to your vape juice. The ZB Cloud Booster was ZampleBox’s version: a bottle of 100% pure VG. Whatever the label says, pure VG does the same few things, and it helps to know them before you start mixing.
This guide explains what adding VG does, how to use it to lower nicotine strength or tone down a flavor, the simple math behind it, and when a cloud booster helps and when it does not.
Short version: Adding pure VG makes thicker vapor, lowers the nicotine strength of your juice, softens and slightly sweetens the flavor, and makes the juice thicker. It suits sub-ohm tanks and RDAs. In pods and mouth-to-lung tanks, extra VG can cause dry hits.
What VG is
Vegetable glycerin is one of the two base liquids in almost every vape juice, alongside propylene glycol (PG). It is a thick, clear liquid with a mildly sweet taste, usually made from plant oils. In e-liquid, VG is the ingredient that makes the vapor, so the more VG a juice has, the denser the clouds tend to be.
Despite the name, vegetable glycerin is not vegetable oil, and oils of any kind should never go in a vape. If you add VG to your juice, use only unflavored VG sold for e-liquid use. Our guide to PG and VG covers both base liquids in detail.
What adding VG does
Bigger clouds
This is why most people reach for a cloud booster. More VG means thicker vapor, so a little extra VG in your favorite juice can make noticeably bigger clouds, as long as your device is built for it. Cloud chasers usually pair high-VG juice with sub-ohm coils and open airflow.
Lower nicotine strength
If a bottle is stronger than you want, adding VG dilutes the nicotine. The more VG you add, the lower the strength. The math is below.
Softer, sweeter flavor
VG dilutes flavor along with nicotine, and it adds a touch of sweetness. That helps if a juice is too intense for you, but add too much and the flavor starts to fade. Keep in mind that when you dilute one thing, you dilute everything: you cannot lower the nicotine without also softening the flavor.
Thicker juice, smoother throat hit
More VG makes the juice thicker and usually gives a softer throat hit. Thicker juice also wicks more slowly, which matters a lot in small devices.
How to dilute a juice with VG
Diluting is simple arithmetic. Multiply the juice’s current strength by its volume, then divide by the new total volume:
New strength = current strength × current volume ÷ new total volume
| You start with | You add | You end up with |
|---|---|---|
| 30 ml at 6 mg | 10 ml of VG | 40 ml at 4.5 mg |
| 30 ml at 6 mg | 30 ml of VG | 60 ml at 3 mg |
| 30 ml at 3 mg | 15 ml of VG | 45 ml at 2 mg |
Adding VG shifts the PG/VG ratio too. For example, 30 ml of a 50/50 juice plus 10 ml of VG ends up at 37.5% PG and 62.5% VG.
Step by step
- Pick a clean bottle with room for the extra liquid and a child-resistant cap.
- Work out how much VG to add using the formula above.
- Add the VG slowly. It is thick, so give it a moment to pour.
- Cap the bottle and shake it well until the mix looks even.
- Label the bottle with its new strength so nobody mistakes it for the original.
- Store it like any e-liquid: cool, dark, capped, and out of reach of children and pets.
Only dilute down. Adding VG can lower nicotine strength but never raise it, so do not try to increase strength by adding nicotine concentrate. Concentrated nicotine is hazardous to handle, and small measuring mistakes make a big difference. If you want a stronger juice, buy it at the strength you want.
When a cloud booster helps, and when it does not
Good fit: sub-ohm tanks and RDAs
If you chase clouds with a sub-ohm tank or a dripper, a little extra VG in your favorite flavor can give you bigger, denser clouds. These setups have large wicking holes and plenty of power, so they handle thick juice well. Stay within your coil’s wattage range and your battery’s limits. See What Is Sub-Ohm Vaping? and our guide to recommended batteries.
Good fit: taming a strong juice
If you are more of a flavor chaser, pure VG is handy to keep around for the times a flavor is too strong or a bottle is a notch too high in nicotine.
Poor fit: pods and mouth-to-lung tanks
Small coils with tight wicking holes struggle with thick juice. Adding VG to a nic salt or 50/50 juice in a pod can leave the wick short of liquid and give you dry hits. For these devices, a juice made at a lower strength is the better way to cut back on nicotine.
Often simpler: buy the blend you want
Plenty of vape juice is made as high-VG blends and sold in several nicotine strengths, including 0 mg. Buying the ratio and strength you want keeps the flavor exactly as the maker intended. Browse our vape juice, and read our nicotine strength guide if you are unsure what to choose.
Cloud chasing etiquette
Big clouds draw attention. Keep them away from people who do not want them, never vape where it is not allowed, and save the cloud tricks for places where they will not bother anyone. Our guide to vaping etiquette has more.
If big clouds are your thing, you probably go through juice quickly, and that is exactly what the Zamplebox Club‘s Big Juice Box is built for: four bottles of 100 ml or more a month for $49.99.
Common questions
Does adding VG lower nicotine strength?
Yes. It spreads the same amount of nicotine through more liquid. For example, 10 ml of VG added to 30 ml of 6 mg juice gives you 40 ml at 4.5 mg.
Will adding VG change the taste?
Yes. The flavor gets softer and a little sweeter. Add VG in small amounts so the flavor does not fade too much.
Can I add VG to juice for a pod system?
It is best not to. Thick juice wicks slowly in small pods and can cause dry hits. Choose a lower-strength juice instead.
Is vegetable glycerin the same as vegetable oil?
No. VG is a different substance. Never put oil of any kind in a vape.
WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. For adults 21+ only.