Jul 22, 2021

What is technology of heated tobacco?

The idea of heating tobacco instead of burning it has been around for some time. After years of research and development at Philip Morris International (PMI), it finally came to life, offering our innovative alternative to traditional cigarettes for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products.

A cigarette has to be lit in order to be smoked. It burns at 600°C at the tip of the cigarette, but can reach above 800°C during a puff. It is the action of burning that releases most of the harmful and potentially harmful chemicals into the smoke that is inhaled by a smoker.

On the contrary, PMI’s heat-not-burn device IQOS heats up processed tobacco at temperatures of up to 350°C, releasing tobacco flavor with no fire, no ash, and no smoke. By heating instead of burning the tobacco, the IQOS tobacco heating system doesn’t create smoke and emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes*. It is important to say that it does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk and IQOS is not risk-free.

Another advantage of IQOS is that since it produces less smell than cigarettes, it is less likely to bother people around you. By heating tobacco instead of burning it, IQOS does not produce second-hand smoke.

* Average reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette (3R4F).


What are heat-not-burn products?

Heat-not-burn products do exactly what their name suggests: they heat tobacco instead of burning it. 
Equipped with innovative HeatControl™ Technology, IQOS heats tobacco up to 350°C without burning it. This delivers a high quality tobacco experience, without any fire or ash and with less lingering smell on your hands, hair and clothes than cigarettes.


IQOS heat-not-burn devices

Currently, there are three IQOS devices available in two different versions. The first version has two main components – a holder and a charger. The second type of device is an integrated, all-in-one device which combines the holder and the charger. IQOS is for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products.

Within the first category is our most advanced IQOS device yet, the IQOS 3 DUO. The IQOS 3 DUO holder provides two consecutive tobacco experiences without the need to recharge the holder and 20 tobacco experiences overall before the need to recharge the pocket charger; it’s equipped with our fastest charging holder to date (only 1 minute and 50 seconds to the first use).

The third IQOS device, the IQOS 3 Multi, is an integrated product that combines the holder and charger. The all-in-one pocket size device offers 10 back-to-back sticks experiences before needing to recharge. It’s lightweight and portable.

The IQOS 2.4 Plus is our classic, yet revolutionary heat-not-burn device. It features an intuitive, user-friendly design and offers 20 tobacco experiences in one charge of the pocket charger.

Compare all IQOS devices 

How do IQOS heat-not-burn devices work?

All IQOS heat-not-burn devices work in the same way: first, insert the stick into the holder. Next, push a button to turn on the heater and then draw on the heated tobacco stick. Once the stick is finished, simply remove it from the holder and dispose of it.