Why are more and more adult smokers switching to IQOS heated tobacco technology?

Heating tobacco allows adult smokers to continue to use tobacco products without having to subject the tobacco to a process of combustion. IQOS heated tobacco technology, also known as heat-not-burn, is an alternative adopted by increasing numbers of adult smokers that allow them to continue using tobacco products but without smoke or ash and with less smell than cigarettes.

IQOS is the first heated tobacco alternative and thousands of adult smokers around the world are switching over to IQOS every day*.

The innovative IQOS heating system

IQOS is a combustion-free, smoke-free alternative developed by more than 430 scientists and engineers at the Philip Morris International Global Research and Development Centre in Switzerland. The IQOS device heats tobacco instead of burning it, creating an alternative to conventional tobacco products.

IQOS blade devices contain a sophisticated technology (IQOS HeatControl™) which heats the specially designed tobacco units to a much lower temperature than cigarettes to generate a vapor containing nicotine, without burning the tobacco. When smokers use the IQOS device, tobacco vapor is released instead of tobacco smoke.

Using advanced HeatControl™ technology, which stops the tobacco from burning, smoke-free products release an aerosol containing significantly lower amounts of harmful and potentially harmful substances than are present in cigarettes. Meanwhile, the process of combustion associated with cigarettes produces a complex mixture that we call smoke, which is made up of more than 6,000 chemical substances, almost 100 of which have been identified as causing or potentially causing smoking-related diseases.

According to the research carried out so far, IQOS has the potential to pose a lower risk of harm to adult smokers who use it exclusively, making it a better alternative than continuing to smoke.

IQOS and the benefits of smoke-free alternatives

IQOS has different characteristics to cigarettes. Firstly, there is a reduction in exposure to toxic substances, as IQOS emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes**. Secondly, IQOS does not produce second-hand smoke, making it less likely to bother people around you, and it does not leave a persistent smell on your hands, clothing or hair.

These characteristics make IQOS a better alternative than continuing to smoke and might explain why around 12.7 million adult smokers have already opted to switch to IQOS and quit cigarettes***.

1. No combustion: IQOS heats the tobacco, so there is no risk of burning the people, pets, clothing or furniture around you, unlike with cigarettes.
2. No smoke: unlike cigarettes, IQOS does not burn the tobacco so it does not produce smoke.
3. No ash: there is no combustion, so IQOS does not generate ash.
4. Less smell: IQOS leaves a less persistent smell on your hands, hair and clothing in comparison with cigarette smoke.

Cigarettes have been on the market for many years. However, technological and scientific progress has allowed us to develop alternatives such as heated tobacco systems and electronic cigarettes (also known as vaping), which do not involve a process of combustion while in use and do not produce smoke, making them better alternatives than continuing to smoke.

IQOS offers a tobacco experience without the smoke and ash that come from smoking cigarettes. For this reason, it’s a better alternative than continuing to smoke. IQOS is available in several different models to suit your preferences. Find out more about our IQOS heated tobacco devices, which more and more adult smokers are switching to.

Despite being a better alternative to the conventional tobacco products currently available on the market, the use of IQOS is not risk-free.