Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to vapes or aromatherapy diffusers.
Burst Bar is a disposable aromatherapy diffuser that can be inhaled directly into the lungs or used simply for its scent. The brand suggests their product causes “improved energy and focus,” and suggests that it can fight fatigue.
But is inhaled vitamin B12 actually healthy, or are these just marketing claims? Are there any risks associated with use of Burst Bars? What other ingredients are in it besides vitamin B12? And how do Burst Bars compare to traditional aromatherapy?
In this article, we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Burst Bar based on medical studies to give our take on whether this is a safe and effective way to increase energy, or if it’s a health risk.
We’ll share our concerns about vitamin vapes and compare this type of product to traditional aromatherapy.
Is Vaping Vitamins Safe?
We want to be clear that Burst Bar doesn’t state on their website that their product needs to be directly inhaled into the lungs. The company markets it to be used as a standard aromatherapy diffuser.
However, a cursory look at different forums of real users of this product like some subreddits suggests that the majority of customers inhale this product.
Inhalation is a legitimate method of absorbing vitamin B12 according to several clinical trials.
However, our concern is in regard to dosing. Even though vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient, it may be risky to directly inhale without knowing how much is absorbed, and we can’t find any information on Burst Bar’s website indicating how much B12 is absorbed in a single “hit” or dose.
We also simply don't understand why anyone would want to inhale a vitamin, when they’re cheap and easily accessible via food or oral supplements. Why use a relatively untested manner of absorption rather than something as simple as a vitamin B12 supplement with an excellent safety profile?
Our concerns about Burst Bar are more in relation to the inactive ingredients than the vitamins in any case. See the ingredient list below:
This product contains flavoring additives and sweeteners among other ingredients.
A 2016 medical study documented that flavoring additives may induce inhalation toxicity from e-cigarettes. We understand that Burst Bars does not brand itself as an e-cigarette, but this data still seems concerning for any flavor additives inhaled into the lungs.
Propylene glycol is clinically shown to damage cells in the airway, as we documented in our review of Elf Bar flavors.
We haven’t seen any clinical evidence that other inactive ingredients like compound food sweetener are safe to inhale, nor does the brand cite any on their product page.
Overall, we would strongly advise consumers to speak with a doctor before directly inhaling this product, due to our questions around its safety.
Is Vaping Worse Than Smoking?
A YouTube video from the “Future Proof” channel discusses some potential health risks of vaping and has over 250,000 views:
A news segment from the “KSAT 12” station discusses the pros and cons of vaping vitamins:
Burst Bar vs. Aromatherapy
We don’t see any advantages of Burst Bar over standard aromatherapy using an essential oil diffuser.
Some clinical studies show aromatherapy with essential oils to be effective for blood pressure reduction in hypertension, stress, depression and sleep according to a 2019 medical review.
Essential oils of ginger and eucalyptus may support immune function when delivered via aromatherapy according to a medical review published in the Molecules journal.
Why would anyone prefer to use a device that doesn’t appear to be clinically tested over a method that has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years and has clinical backing?
Another strong advantage of essential oil aromatherapy is the lack of questionable additive ingredients in most essential oil products. Typically a diffuser contains just filtered water and a small amount of essential oils.
As an example, this lavender oil product (non-affiliate link, we have no affiliation to this brand) that came up #1 in our Amazon search has one single ingredient: lavender oil. There are no flavorings, propylene glycol or sweeteners.
Pros and Cons of Burst Bars
Here are the pros and cons of Burst Bars:
Pros:
- May be healthier than nicotine vapes
- May be healthier than inhaled vapes if used as aromatherapy
Cons:
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Propylene glycol may be harmful to the lungs if inhaled
- Flavoring chemicals may be unhealthy to inhale
- Brand is described as aromatherapy but marketed as a vape
- Worse option than traditional aromatherapy
- Questionable efficacy over regular oral vitamins
