Vitamin E Acetate

Specimens:

Fresh, dried, or infused cannabis flowers and oils

Detection Method:

Shimadzu/Sciex High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Action Limit:

Parts per million

Natural fatty acids found in cannabis called lipids play a crucial role in energy storage and are beneficial in edibles, where fats help the body absorb cannabinoids like THC and CBD. However, in inhalable products such as vape cartridges and concentrates, excess lipids can accumulate in the lungs and contribute to serious health conditions like COPD and lipoid pneumonia.

Vitamin E acetate, a lipid additive used to stabilize and thicken oils, has been linked to thousands of cases of E-cigarette or Vaping Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) across the U.S., according to the CDC and FDA. Inhaling vitamin E acetate can disrupt lung surfactants, leading to severe respiratory issues or even death. During cannabis concentrate production, processes like dewaxing and winterization are used to remove harmful lipids by solidifying and filtering them out at cold temperatures. At IAS, we rigorously test for lipid content to ensure products are safe, clean, and free from harmful additives—protecting the health of every consumer.

Vitamin E acetate/tocopherol acetate (VEA) Detection in vape samples that exceeds 0.7% by weight will be cause for product destruction.

Learn more about Panels