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The science and vision behind IQOS.
IQOS is the combination between science and technology.
Science
We believe in science. We believe it can change the lives of millions of smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke. To this effect, we recruited scientists to work on an important idea: developing less harmful products that cigarette smokers can switch to if they don’t quit. Hundreds of scientists and engineers at PMI’s global Research and Development centres in Switzerland and Singapore have developed and evaluated IQOS, an innovative electronic device that heats and not burns tobacco. It produces a tobacco vapour that delivers nicotine.
Tested by scientists
IQOS has gone through robust scientific assessments, including, to date, 18 non-clinical and 10 clinical studies involving thousands of participants. The totality of evidence available shows that, while IQOS use is not risk-free, switching completely to IQOS presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke cigarettes.
Learn more about some of the key pieces of scientific evidence on IQOS.
Why heating is better.
By combining science and technology, we have developed a better alternative to continuing to smoke. IQOS is changing the way adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, experience tobacco.
IQOS heats tobacco instead of burning it for a simple reason: the burning of tobacco emits high amounts of harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide.
IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology prevents tobacco from burning, which means they significantly reduce the number and level of harmful chemicals emitted compared to cigarette smoke.
Heating technology.
Cigarettes burn tobacco, reaching high temperatures, and producing ash, tar, and smoke with high number and levels of harmful chemicals. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of over 6000 chemical substances, around 100 of which have been linked to smoking-related diseases by public health authorities.
IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology heats tobacco to a lower temperature, ensuring that combustion does not occur. Because there is no combustion, IQOS does not produce smoke. It generates a tobacco vapour that brings a user experience with 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 (3R4F). See Important information on IQOS.com.
IQOS does not produce tar because it does not burn tobacco.
IQOS generates an aerosol residue that is fundamentally different from tar and consists of significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals.*
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: The absence of tar does not mean that IQOS is risk free. IQOS provides nicotine, which is addictive.
* Average reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to cigarette smoke.
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Tobacco vapour vs smoke.
IQOS tobacco vapour is less harmful than cigarette smoke. To demonstrate this, we conducted a comprehensive assessment program that included 10 clinical studies on aerosol chemistry (as well as data from 18 non-clinical studies), and involved thousands of participants in the US, Japan, UK and Poland. Evidence demonstrates that switching completely to IQOS, while not risk-free, presents less risk of harm compared with continuing to smoke cigarettes.
IQOS produces less carbon monoxide because it does not burn the tobacco.
IQOS doesn’t burn tobacco, producing on average 98% less carbon monoxide (CO) and significantly lower levels of other harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This does not mean a 98% reduction in risk, and carbon monoxide is only one of many harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. IQOS is not risk free, and provides nicotine which is addictive.
IQOS doesn't burn because it heats the tobacco.
The use of IQOS emits significantly less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes due to the absence of combustion.
Important information: ** The absence of combustion does not mean that IQOS is risk free. IQOS ILUMA provides nicotine, which is addictive.
Switching to IQOS.
Our studies show that the user experience of those who switched completely to IQOS is comparable to that of those who continued to smoke cigarettes.*
Discover more about our scientific assessment journey.
IQOS is not risk-free and delivers nicotine, which is addictive. The best decision any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.
* 3-month clinical study conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each, under near real-world conditions.
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