- Compare the price per millilitre, not the sticker price.
- Choose by the compound on the label, such as isopropyl, pentyl or isobutyl nitrite.
- Check the maker or importer details before you pay.
- If you feel dizzy, your heart races or you get chest pain, stop using poppers and see a doctor at once.
- Popularity is not safety, so report any change in your eyesight to a doctor straight away.
Contents
- Which one to pick for your budget and the bottle size you need
- Liquid Gold: the lowest-priced bottle for a first try
- Pure Gold: a small 10ml bottle for a cautious first try
- Amsterdam: a 25ml bottle at a mid-range price
- English: a 25ml bottle sold at the same price as Amsterdam
- Rush: the brand for a 24ml premium line
- Jungle Juice: a 25ml bottle at the higher end of the listed prices
- Frequently asked questions
Poppers are sold in small bottles across the UK, and many of them look almost the same on the shelf.
Picking one is hard, because the name on the label tells you little about what is inside. This guide shows you how to compare the best-known bottles by size, price and formula, plus the UK rules and health risks.
Which one to pick for your budget and the bottle size you need
Don’t pick a bottle because its name says “strong”. Start with the size and the price, then read the formula on the label.
Original Amsterdam Gold Extra Strong 25ml costs £7.16, against £6.95 for Amsterdam 25ml. That extra 21p pays for the name, so compare the formulas on the two labels before you choose.
Here is how the premium bottles compare with the mid-range 25ml at £6.95:
- Rush 10ml costs £3.99 to £6.20: a low-cost trial, but more per ml than a 25ml.
- Rush Black Label Pentyl 24ml and Rush Brut Premium 24ml each cost £15.50, over twice the £6.95 mid-range 25ml.
- Jungle Juice Original 25ml costs £9.30 to £10.95, which is £2.35 to £4.00 more than the mid-range 25ml.
Liquid Gold: the lowest-priced bottle for a first try
Liquid Gold is the cheapest bottle for a first try. A single 10ml bottle costs about £3.99 to £7.00, so you can test it without spending much. It contains isopropyl nitrite.
Buying in packs lowers the price of each bottle. Five bottles cost £16.16 to £19.52, and ten cost £34.00. If you already know you like it, ten is the better buy. Otherwise, start with one.
Keep the bottle in a cool place, away from heat and sunlight.
Keep it out of children’s reach.
Do not swallow the liquid.
If it touches your skin, wash the area with plenty of water.
If it gets in your eyes, rinse them with clean water for several minutes.
If exposure causes a problem, get medical help straight away.
Pure Gold: a small 10ml bottle for a cautious first try
A 10ml bottle of Pure Gold costs about £3.95 to £5.00, so your first try stays cheap. If it doesn’t suit you, you have spent very little.
The catch is the price per millilitre, roughly 40 to 50 pence, which is more than a bigger bottle costs per millilitre. Pure Gold’s formula is isopropyl nitrite, so make sure that is the one you want.
Poppers can lower your blood pressure, so stop using them and see a doctor straight away if you notice any of these:
- Dizziness, or feeling light-headed, after you use them
- Your heart beating fast, or beating in an irregular way
- Chest pain, or fainting
Amsterdam: a 25ml bottle at a mid-range price
The Amsterdam 25ml bottle costs £6.95, which puts it in the middle of the price range. It suits you if you want more than a trial bottle without paying premium prices.
Buying the Amsterdam Gold three-pack lowers the price. Three bottles cost £17.95, or £5.98 a bottle. If you know you will use them, the pack is the cheaper way to buy.
The formula is not the same in every Amsterdam bottle. The compound inside changes from one product to the next, so the name on the box tells you little.
Read the label before you buy and find the compound it names. It matters: most known cases of poppers-related maculopathy, an eye condition, involved isopropyl nitrite, while amyl and isobutyl nitrite have also appeared in reports.
English: a 25ml bottle sold at the same price as Amsterdam
English 25ml sells for £6.95, the same price as Amsterdam. Two bottles at the same price can still hold different compounds, so put the two labels side by side before you pick.
Look for the compound name on the label, such as isopropyl or pentyl. Let that name guide your choice, not the price.
A bottle that sells well is not a safer one, and the eyes are the reason:
- Sales figures show how many people buy a bottle, not how well it protects you.
- Vision loss from poppers-related maculopathy has been reported with amyl and isobutyl nitrite.
- So a popular compound carries the same eye risk as a quiet one, and you should keep that in mind.
Rush: the brand for a 24ml premium line
Rush is the premium choice here. Its 24ml bottles, Black Label Pentyl and Brut Premium, cost £15.50 each, which works out to about 65p per millilitre (ml).
The 25ml mid-range bottle at £6.95 comes to about 28p per ml, so each ml of Rush costs more than twice as much. Before you buy, compare the price per ml, not just the price on the label.
Listed as pentyl with butanol. Look for that wording on your bottle.
Sold as a separate formula, so its ingredients may differ. Read its label before you buy.
Before you pay, check that the bottle shows the manufacturer or importer name and address.
Jungle Juice: a 25ml bottle at the higher end of the listed prices
Jungle Juice 25ml sits at the top of the price range, at about £9.30 to £10.95 a bottle. That’s well above the mid-range 25ml bottles.
A higher price doesn’t prove better quality. Before you pay the extra, read the formula and the maker’s name on the label, then decide if the difference is worth it for you.
Before you buy, check these three points on the bottle:
- Jungle Juice Original 25ml is listed as containing isopropyl nitrite, so check that the formula is named on the bottle.
- Some poppers are sold as room deodorisers, nail-polish removers or boot cleaners. Those labels can confuse you about the risks, so don’t rely on them.
- Jungle Juice is made for Ram Products. Look for the full maker or importer details on the bottle before you pay.
Before you buy, check the price per millilitre and the compound named on the label. If the maker’s details are missing, choose another bottle.
Ready to pick? Start with one small bottle and see how it suits you. Then decide whether a bigger pack is worth it. See you soon.
Frequently asked questions
How should poppers be stored at home to keep them stable?
Store poppers somewhere cool, away from heat and sunlight, and keep the cap screwed on tight. Heat and light break the liquid down, so a bottle left on a sunny windowsill or in a hot car loses its strength sooner.
Is there a legal minimum age to buy poppers in the UK?
No, there is no legal minimum age to buy poppers in the UK. Many shops set their own limit at 18, but that is shop policy, not the law. Don’t read an 18+ sign as the rule everywhere.
What should I do if poppers liquid gets into my eyes?
Rinse your eye with plenty of clean water, and seek urgent medical advice straight away.
Poppers can irritate the eye, and corneal damage, meaning harm to the clear front of the eye, has been reported. Don’t wait for it to pass.
How long does the effect of poppers usually last?
The head-rush from poppers usually lasts a few minutes. Dizziness or nausea can last longer, so sit or lie down until you feel steady again. If they don’t ease, or if they get worse, see a doctor straight away.
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