I tried gums and patches. One gave me mouth ulcers the other skin rashes. What worked best for me was in fact vape. Since vape contains purified nicotine in PEG , I think it would make it relatively safe. I mean compare that to number of carcinogens in that single puff of ciggarate. If quitting is the goal cape is a good option, in my opinion.
PS since capes aren't readily available in India, I used eCiggarates by EON. It doesn't produce as much smoke as those vapes I saw in San Diego, but yes it works on same principle and did the job for me.