Organic Cotton – What is it in Vaping?

Definition

Organic cotton is unbleached, pesticide-free cotton fibre that vapers use as the wicking material inside rebuildable atomisers, OCC coils and other open system devices. Its job is to absorb e-liquid from the tank and transport it to the coil, where heat turns it into vapour. Because it is untreated, organic cotton delivers a cleaner flavour than standard cotton balls and avoids the break-in “cottony” taste, making it the most popular wicking choice for flavour-chasers across Australia.

Technical Details

Organic cotton works by capillary action: the tiny spaces between fibres draw e-liquid upward to the heated coil. Most brands are 100% GOTS-certified, long-staple fibres with a density of 120–150 g/m². Sheets come pre-compressed (about 0.5 mm thick) for easy stripping, while “cotton bacon” style is loose and fluffy, expanding when saturated. Variations include Japanese organic cotton pads, shoelace-style agleted wicks, and mesh-cotton hybrids. When dry-burned above 230 °C the cellulose can char, so coil overheating protection circuits in regulated mods often limit wattage automatically. Resistance remains unchanged because cotton is non-conductive, but a well-packed wick can slightly raise effective Ohm reading by cooling the coil.

Usage & Tips

  • Installation: Roll a strip tight enough to move the coil slightly when pulled through; loose wicking causes spit-back.
  • Priming:Drip 8–10 drops directly onto the wick and wait 2 minutes before first puff to prevent dry hits.
  • Problems & Solutions:Burnt taste—rewick; muted flavour—rinse coil, replace cotton. If OLED screen shows “dry coil” error, check wick saturation.
  • Safety: Use only sterilised, lab-tested organic cotton; boil supermarket brands to remove residual hydrogen peroxide.

History & Context

Japanese Koh Gen Do cotton pads were the first “vape-specific” organic cotton, adopted by early rebuilders in 2013. As OCC coils became mainstream, manufacturers pre-installed organic cotton, cementing it as the industry standard wicking material.

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