Are you seeking out the healthiest vape pen to quit smoking, or to help you ditch vapes with nicotine and calm those nicotine cravings? Trying to decide which healthy vape alternatives are worth your hard-earned money? We've got you covered!
Let's be honest. No one is ever going to recommend vaping as the healthiest thing you can do. But when you compare vaping to cigarette smoking, there's a lot of evidence that suggests it's not as bad for you as lighting up. That’s why the demand for healthier alternatives has exploded.
In this article, we'll introduce you to some of our picks for both vape pens and juice. Let's dive in.
TL/DR Summary: A Quick Cheat Sheet of Our Healthy Vape Alternatives
- ARRØ "Plant-Powered Puffs": A "flavored-air" vape that's nicotine and caffeine free
- HELO Air & HELO Plus: A nicotine-free vape with a dose of natural caffeine for energy
- MELO Air & MELO Plus: Manufactured by the people behind HELO, MELO replaces HELO's caffeine with calming melatonin
- HealthVape: A non-nicotine vape that contains various vitamins and supplements
- Ripple+: Similar to HealthVape — a nicotine-free vape with vitamins
- CBD Luxe: A leading CBD vape
- LUVV: Another vape that contains functional herbs and supplements
- CBDfx: Another leading CBD vape
- The Komuso Shift: A device that helps control your breathing to restore a sense of calm
- Füm: Another "flavored-air" device that helps satisfy an oral fixation
Also, let's address an important question quickly — what exactly makes a vape "healthy?" The answer to that can mean different things to different people.
But in general, and because lots of people look for healthier vapes to help quit smoking, we're assuming that by "healthy" you mean "does not contain nicotine," so all of our picks here fall into that category at a minimum.
We're also including vapes (and vape alternatives) that take it a step further by introducing some ingredients that have been shown to be beneficial. These include ingredients like "tonics," which are supposed to have overall health benefits, as well as "functional" ingredients or supplements designed to have specific effects, such as boosting energy or helping you sleep. Let’s dive in.
ARRØ "Plant-Powered Puffs"
What makes ARRØ vapes special isn't what they do contain. It's what they don't contain.
You won't find anything in ARRØ besides flavor — no nicotine, no caffeine, no CBD, no supplements, no vitamins or minerals, and definitely nothing like diacetyl, formaldehyde or vitamin E acetate, the "big three" of super harmful chemicals found in some vapes.
Instead, ARRØ vapes deliver nothing but a throat hit sensation from "flavored air." That makes them great tools for helping give up unhealthy activities like smoking cigarettes or vaping substances that can be harmful. This makes ARRØ one of our best nicotine free vapes and best vapes to quit smoking.
ARRØ disposables should last for around 2,000 or 5,000 inhales, depending on which size you buy. Either way, that's far longer than your standard vape pen or pod. ARRØ is available in seven mouth-watering flavors, including Arctic Peach, Magic Mint, White Gummy, and Jolly Berries, among others.
Shop ARRØ Plant-Powered Puffs here.
HELO Air & HELO Plus
HELO was a pioneer in the healthy vape market, introducing a line of no-nicotine vapes focused on providing a healthier alternative to smoking and/or nicotine-infused vapes like Juul. Instead of nicotine, HELO contains energy-giving caffeine instead, and in a wide variety of awesome flavors that earn the brand rave reviews. We'll get to those details in a second.
But first, just as important as what is in HELO, is what's not in HELO. Many vapes may contain extremely harmful chemicals or additives, like vitamin E acetate and diacetyl. HELO doesn't contain either one, nor does it contain the artificial colors or flavors you can sometimes find in vapes of lesser quality.
The only ingredients you'll find in HELO are vegetable glycerin, water, organic fruit flavor extracts and caffeine. That's it. Another plus is how long each HELO lasts — 400 inhales for the standard size, called HELO Air, and double that, or 800 inhales, for HELO Plus.
As for those mouthwatering flavors we mentioned earlier, there's Strawberry Ice, Pink Slush, Banana Ice, Caramel Coffee, Aloe Grape, Pink Lemonade and more. You can find HELO products on their website, as well as in many online retailers.
Shop HELO Air and HELO Plus here.
MELO Air & MELO Plus
Made by the same folks who brought you the HELO diffuser line, MELO takes the same care in avoiding all of the nasty chemicals you find in many vapes, including nicotine. But instead of replacing the bad stuff with caffeine, MELO goes in the opposite direction by including calming melatonin in its vape pens.
Like HELO, MELO is known for its wildly popular flavor combinations and all-natural ingredient list — it contains just vegetable glycerin, water, organic fruit flavor extracts and melatonin. Also like HELO, MELO contains no vitamin E acetate or diacetyl.
MELO's unique flavors include Cotton Candy, Orange Dreamsicle, Cosmic Berry, Gummy Bear, Midnight Mint, Peach Cream and more. MELO comes in the same sizes as HELO — 400 puffs in the standard AIR size, and 800 in the Plus size.
Shop MELO Air and MELO Plus here.
HealthVape
HealthVape is one of the more popular non-nicotine vape options on the market, and it's not hard to see why. Their flavors appeal to those seeking healthier vape alternatives, and their unique combinations of functional ingredients make it easy to find an option that's geared toward the effects you're after.
All told, HealthVape offers six different formulations and flavor combinations, including Boost, with Vitamin B12; Energy, with caffeine; Vital, with Vitamin C; Chill, with chamomile; Soothe, with melatonin; and Restore, with collagen. All flavor/ingredient combinations are available as both pens and pods.
Flavors are dependent on the ingredient combo you choose, but include flavors like Berry Mint, Strawberry, Citrus, Cinnamon, Minty Lime, Mango, Lavender, Lychee and more.
You should expect to get around 450 puffs from each of HealthVape's disposable vape pens, and around 200 puffs from each of HealthVape's pods. Each pod contains 1 ml of vape juice, and they're sold in packs of four.
Ripple+
Ripple+ has been referred to as an aromatherapy company rather than a vape company. In reality, their devices look and act like many of the vapes currently on the market. Still, they certainly are a high-quality alternative to nicotine vapes, and feature flavor and ingredient combinations that have earned them mentions in magazines like Vogue and Conde Nast Traveller.
Ripple's vape/aromatherapy devices come in either disposable vape pens or pods. Like HealthVape, they contain various combinations of functional ingredients designed to produce a desired state of mind — like calm, focus, energy, etc.
Ripple's flavor/effect combinations include Relax, with chamomile and lemon balm in jasmine flavor; Happy, a passion fruit-flavored combination of schisandra and limeflower; Dream, a lavender-scented vape containing valerian and jujube seed; Boost, which is lychee-flavored and contains green tea and maca; Power, with ginseng, gingko biloba and peppermint flavoring; and Focus, which is mango-flavored and contains bacopa and guarana.
Ripple claims their disposables are able to deliver 1,000 puffs per device, with the pods delivering 800 puffs. If this is important to you, Ripple does offer a recycling program where you can return your used devices to them and let them handle the recycling.
You can either find a retailer near you that will accept your "empties," or print out a shipping label and send them back to the company directly. When you do that, you'll get 10% off your next order. So a nice bonus for doing what's right for the planet.
CBD Luxe
CBD Luxe is one of two CBD vapes that made our list. It edges out CBDfx CBD vapes (more on them below) simply because they go to extra lengths to include functional ingredients beyond CBD. This makes them a kind of hybrid pick between a product like HELO, MELO, ARRØ or HealthVape, and a pure CBD pick like CBDfx.
CBD Luxe's vape pens come in three formulations called Be Calm, Be Alert and Be Clear. Be Alert adds lemon, lime and ginger essential oils to CBD; Be Calm is CBD plus lavender, chamomile and valerian; and Be Clear is simply CBD with peppermint oil. Each pen is advertised to last for around 300 inhales.
LUVV
Much like HealthVape and Ripple+, LUVV is another product that falls into the functional vape category. They contain natural flavors derived mainly from non-GMO plant extracts, to which are added vitamins, herbs and other compounds to produce one of several desired effects.
LUVV's lineup includes:
Vapes for relaxation, like GLOW, with collagen and peppermint natural flavor; CALM, also in peppermint flavor but with melatonin; and ZEN, which contains chamomile and lavender.
They also have vapes for energy, including RISE, a vape infused with Vitamin B12 in a berry/mint flavor; WAKE, a mandarin orange flavored caffeine vape; and VITA, which is just vitamin C with citrus flavoring.
You can find LUVV's formulations in both disposable vape pens (good for approximately 650 inhales) and pods (good for around 200 inhales).
CBDfx
CBDfx is the second CBD-based vape to make our list. CBDfx is a highly-respected pioneer in the CBD industry. They've been in business since 2014 and offer everything from CBD gummies and tinctures to capsules, topicals and, of course, CBD vape pens and CBD vape juice.
Unlike CBD Luxe, CBDfx's doesn't include anything besides CBD in their vapes, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on what you're looking for. The CBD that fills its disposable pens and pods comes from organic hemp grown in the U.S., and is available in two formulations. Their full spectrum formulation can contain some trace amounts of THC — again, a good or bad thing depending on your needs. Their broad spectrum product generally does not contain measurable amounts of THC.
CBDfx offers an impressive lineup of flavors, including Pineapple Express, Wedding Cake, Fresh Mint, and Lemonade, among others.
Healthy Vape Alternatives
The Komuso Shift
If you've ever found that simply taking a deep breath helps to calm worry, fear or anxiety, The Shift from Komuso will make sense. To understand The Shift, it helps to think for a moment about what smoking or vaping does to your breathing pattern.
The act of doing either actually slows down your breathing. Both inhalations and exhalations are more pronounced and deeper, as opposed to the shallow breathing we do normally. This forced deeper breathing pattern is one of the things that makes both activities addictive, and adds to the sense of calm that gets lots of people hooked.
Komuso took this concept — which, yes, is backed up by scientific evidence — and created The Shift, a device that helps you achieve that slower and deeper breathing pattern, but without the harmful effects that can come from smoking or vaping.
Featured in The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, The Shift is basically a short metal straw that you wear on a chain around your neck. To use it, you inhale deeply, then exhale through the device.
Because you're forcing your exhalation through the straw-like device, which offers resistance, your breath slows down. The result? Your fight or flight response is deactivated, and a sense of calm is restored. That's all there is to it. There are no flavors, batteries, cartridges or pods, making The Shift unique among the other devices on this list.
To find out more about the science behind The Shift and explore purchasing options (there are more options besides the one we mentioned here), visit their website and check out the research they have posted there.
Shop The Shift from Komuso here.
Füm
Füm is a unique healthy vape alternative, because it's not actually a vape at all. Nothing is heated, nothing is vaporized and nothing is absorbed through your lungs. Instead, Füm uses a unique process to deliver flavored air and nothing else.
Füm is purpose-built for people who are trying to quit smoking, but it's also a good choice for anyone who simply wants to replace the oral fixation component of smoking or vaping with something that's much safer than either of those activities. It's also designed to give your hands something to fidget with, a habit smokers can attest is hard to break.
To use Füm, you start with the main diffuser device, and then choose "cores," which is where you find the flavor and aroma. The cores are offered as part of bundles that group similar or complementary flavors together (there's a citrus bundle, for example), or as standalone options. Füm flavors include Raspberry Lemon, Orange Vanilla and White Cranberry, among others.
Can We Crown a Healthiest Vape?
We've given you a lot of choices here for zero nicotine vapes that are "healthier" than either vapes with nicotine, or smoking, along with devices that aren't vapes at all, but that mimic a breathing action that helps calm your mind and body. So you can probably find something from this list that you'll like. But is there truly one single "healthiest vape?" Hard to say.
Every vape on this list is probably better for you than one loaded with nicotine. But deciding on one being the absolute healthiest from this list is pretty much impossible.
Try one that does what you want and helps you keep away from addictive substances — like ARRØ. Or one that does that and adds some functional ingredients on top of it — like HELO or MELO. If you can do that, you're certainly better off than choosing many of the harmful alternatives out there.