What is Heated Tobacco & What are Heated Tobacco Products?
By Elina Panayotova
What is heated tobacco?
Heated Tobacco products, also known as heat-not-burn products, heat real tobacco, rather than e-liquid, to release a nicotine-containing vapour without burning the tobacco. The heating process results in formation of vapour rather than smoke, which is produced through combustion.
What are heated tobacco products and how do they work
Our heated tobacco products (sometimes called tobacco heating products) combine an electronic device, called IQOS, with specially-designed heated tobacco sticks called HEETS. The device contains two parts – a holder and a charger. The holder is a pen-shaped electronic device which contains a ceramic coated blade designed to heat real tobacco within the HEETS stick. The charger is designed to carry and charge the holder in between uses.
IQOS devices need to be plugged in and charged regularly. Once the device is charged, the HEETS tobacco stick can then be inserted into the holder. By pressing the button on the holder until it gently vibrates, the heating process begins – this is represented by the light(s) flashing. Once the light on the holder stops flashing and turns solid, the user can inhale the vapour that is released by the heating of the tobacco. When the experience is finished, the HEETS tobacco stick can be removed from the device and discarded in a bin and the holder can be returned to the charger.
How are tobacco sticks different to vaping?
Unlike a vape product, which uses liquid, IQOS devices heat real tobacco for a satisfying taste experience.
HEETS tobacco sticks are specially designed tobacco units containing real tobacco leaf and intended for exclusive use with IQOS HeatControl™ Technology. The uniquely designed tobacco sticks are heated using an electronically controlled heating blade, rather than being burned like cigarettes. The generated vapour that the user inhales contains nicotine, which is naturally present in the tobacco.
IQOS provides cigarette-like satisfaction1, with one HEETS stick lasting roughly the same duration as a cigarette. HEETS are also available in nine carefully-blended tastes, including classic tobacco and menthol tobacco, to match a user’s unique taste preferences. And with a recommended retail price of £5.50, HEETS tobacco sticks are less than half the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes2.
Is heated tobacco safer than smoking?
Smoking causes serious diseases and is addictive. Without a doubt, the best choice that any smoker can make is to stop tobacco and nicotine use altogether. However, for those adults who do not or will not quit, switching completely to IQOS is a better choice than continued smoking and emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*
Important Information: It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.
* ”95% less” represents the average reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette. See Important Information on IQOS.com
Is heated tobacco the same as vaping?
Heated tobacco is not the same as vaping — here are some of the key differences between the two:
- Electronic cigarettes heat liquids (referred to as e-juice or e-liquids) to produce a vapour; these liquids do not contain tobacco.
- Tobacco heating systems do not use e-liquids; they heat real tobacco to produce a nicotine-containing tobacco vapour.
Philip Morris International’s goal is to replace cigarettes with smoke-free products that – while not risk-free – are a better choice than smoking. Thanks to over a decade of expert scientific research and substantial financial investment, IQOS can provide smokers with an alternative to cigarettes that does not burn tobacco and therefore produces no smoke and no ash.
IQOS is the leading smoke-free product in the UK3 and studies1 show that the satisfaction of those who switched completely to IQOS is comparable to those who continued to smoke cigarettes.
To help discover if IQOS is right for you, our Try Before You Buy programme means you can Try IQOS for 14 days in the comfort of your home. Each trial kit includes a brand new IQOS device and 2 packs of your chosen HEETS variants for just £10. At the end of the trial, you can choose to keep the device and pay the difference, or simply return it free of charge. Click on the link to begin your smoke-free journey today.
Find out if IQOS is right for you and start your 14-day trial.
1 3-month clinical studies conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each under real conditions (ambulatory)
2 Claim based on the 12-month average cost of smoking 20 cigarettes/day versus using IQOS with 20 Heets sticks per day. For more information, including the ONS data used to substantiate our total saving claim visit iqos.com/legal.
3 Nielsen data as of September 2020, which encapsulates “smoke-free” product categories - e-cigarettes (hardware and consumables).
