What Are The Alternatives To Smoking Cigarettes?
There are a range of smoke-free alternatives on the market, including vapes, nicotine sticks, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches.
The risks associated with continuing to smoke cigarettes are well known. Quitting tobacco and nicotine usage is the best choice an adult smoker can make. However, for those who choose not to, there are better alternatives worth considering.
Introducing Devices that Heat Tobacco
One alternative to continued smoking is heated tobacco. To use this alternative, a special type of tobacco stick is inserted into a device, where it’s then heated to produce an aerosol for adult users to consume.
There are a range of heat not burn products available. Among these alternatives is IQOS ILUMA - a range of electronic heating devices that use Smartcore Induction Technology. IQOS ILUMA Smartcore Induction Technology can heat specially created tobacco sticks instead of burning it to deliver the taste of real tobacco. In fact, IQOS ILUMA when heated emit 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*
Important information: This does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS ILUMA is not risk-free.
* “95% less” represents the average reduction in levels of the 9 chemicals recommended for reduction in cigarette smoke by the World Health Organization, which do not include nicotine.
See Important Information on IQOS.com.
Unlike other smoke-free alternatives, heat not burn devices like IQOS ILUMA can use real tobacco to provide a nicotine experience. One of the many features of IQOS ILUMA is that it can provide real tobacco taste and satisfaction.
Heat not burn devices aren’t the only smoking alternatives available to adult smokers. There are a number of other options that could also be viable alternatives to smoking, including the following.
Vapes/E-cigarettes
E-cigarettes, commonly known as vapes, are another possible substitute for smoking. Vapes are devices that heat e-liquid (containing nicotine and other ingredients) into a vapour for adult users to consume.
Depending on the product, vapes could offer a variety of differences to cigarettes. Take our pod-based vape VEEV ONE as an example. VEEV ONE emits significantly lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarette smoke.* Additionally, VEEV ONE does not produce smoke. VEEV ONE produces a vapour that is not smoke.
Important information: VEEV ONE is not risk-free.
* 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.
There are a number of other features that can make vapes possible alternatives to smoking. Find out more via our guide on the benefits of vaping instead of smoking, and our Discover Vaping page.
Nicotine Pouches
Another possible alternative to continued smoking is nicotine pouches. These are small, pillow-shaped pouches that contain nicotine and other ingredients (typically plant-based fibres, sweeteners and flavourings). They’re placed in the mouth (often under the top lip) during use, and are usually smoke-free, tobacco leaf-free and device-free.
In being device-free, nicotine pouches could also be viable alternatives to e-cigarettes (see our guide to nicotine pouches vs vaping for more information), as well as alternatives to heat not burn devices. They’re also discreet to use, and by emitting no smoke or vapour you may be able to use these products in more enclosed public places than you can cigarettes and other smoke-free alternatives.
Why Choose IQOS ILUMA as an Alternative to Smoking Cigarettes?
IQOS ILUMA is a better choice than continued smoking. All the devices in this range offer several improvements to smoking cigarettes, including reduced risk, less smell, lower costs and more.
Explore some of the reasons why adult smokers might choose IQOS ILUMA devices as smoking alternatives below.
Less Risk than Continuing to Smoke
Switching completely to IQOS ILUMA presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke.* This makes IQOS ILUMA devices worthwhile alternatives to smoking cigarettes. Of course, the best choice an adult smoker can make is to quit cigarettes and nicotine use entirely - but if you’d otherwise continue to smoke, a substitute to smoking like IQOS ILUMA is worth considering.
Important information: IQOS ILUMA is not risk-free, and provides nicotine which is addictive.
* Based on the totality of evidence available for IQOS in comparison with continuing to smoke. See Important Information on IQOS.com.
Cigarettes product tar - IQOS ILUMA doesn’t. Tar is the residue from smoke after a cigarette is burned. IQOS ILUMA does not produce tar because when it heats tobacco instead of burning it, it 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 when IQOS ILUMA heats tobacco it is risk free. IQOS ILUMA provides nicotine which is addictive.
* Reductions in levels of the 9 harmful chemicals the World Health Organization recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke, which do not include nicotine.
See Important Information on IQOS.com.
No Burning
IQOS ILUMA, when used with heated tobacco, doesn't burn tobacco and instead heats it to a controlled temperature. Burning cigarettes reach temperatures of over 800°C at the tip, which releases far greater quantities of harmful chemicals in smoke. This means unlike cigarettes, IQOS ILUMA has no risk of burning others around you, pets, clothes, and furniture as there is no lit end.
Less Impact on Those Around You
Heat not burn devices can also have less of an impact on the air around you - and therefore less of an impact on the people around you too. In fact, IQOS ILUMA produces less smell than cigarettes.* As IQOS ILUMA produces less smell than cigarettes, it is less likely to bother people around you.** It also leaves less smell on furniture and fabric than cigarettes.***
* 93% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
** 85% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
*** 93% agreement on less smell amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
No Need for a Lighter
Devices that can heat tobacco, like IQOS ILUMA, don’t require a lighter. Instead, the advanced Smartcore Induction Technology heats the tobacco from the inside out. This not only alleviates some of the issues that can come from burning tobacco, but it also means you won’t have to carry a lighter around with you.
Less Lingering Smell
Cigarette smoke can linger on hair, clothes, breath and soft furnishings, but IQOS ILUMA leaves less lingering smell than cigarettes.* These cigarette alternatives also offer more improvements off the back of this reduction in lingering smells. Consumers who use IQOS ILUMA say that their breath smells better than it did with cigarettes.** Moreover, consumers who use IQOS ILUMA feel more comfortable getting close to people than they did after smoking a cigarette.***
* 90% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
** 85% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
*** 82% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020 – 2021.
Similar Ritual
Tobacco sticks deliver tobacco taste and satisfaction, which can make heated tobacco a closer experience to smoking a cigarette.
Authentic Tobacco Flavour
IQOS ILUMA can provide heated tobacco users with real tobacco taste and satisfaction, without the smoke. Because IQOS ILUMA can heat tobacco instead of burning it, you can get the taste of tobacco, with 95% less harmful chemicals* than cigarettes.
Important information: This does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS ILUMA is not risk-free.
* “95% less” represents the average reduction in levels of the 9 chemicals recommended for reduction in cigarette smoke by the World Health Organization, which do not include nicotine.
See Important Information on IQOS.com.
Price and Availability
Using heat not burn devices with heated tobacco could cost less than smoking cigarettes in the long run. 20 TEREA tobacco sticks (the compatible tobacco sticks for IQOS ILUMA devices) cost £6 RRP, less than half the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes.* TEREA sticks are also available to buy online via our shop TEREA page, or at selected newsagents and retail stores across the UK. Explore the top 10 IQOS UK shop locations here.
You can also use our Cost Savings Calculator to find out exactly how much switching to IQOS’ alternatives to smoking could save you.
*Claim compares (i) the cost of smoking an average priced pack of cigarettes (with king size filter) per day, and (ii) the cost of buying an IQOS ILUMA ONE Starter Kit (RRP £29), and then consuming one pack of TEREA daily (RRP £6). In February 2024, the average price for a pack of cigarettes with king size filter was £15.45 (ONS data). Savings will vary depending on IQOS ILUMA model and Starter Kit selected. For further information, visit www.iqos.com/legal. IQOS ILUMA™ is only compatible with TEREA™ sticks. Using TEREA™ sticks with previous IQOS™ generations may cause damage to your device. TEREA™ sticks contain a metal part; do not disassemble. Keep out of reach of children.
Why Use Nicotine Based Smoking Alternatives?
The best decision for adult smokers is to quit using nicotine entirely - however, there are certain nicotine based smoke-free products that offer a better alternative to continued cigarette use. That said, products like vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches should only be used by those who would otherwise continue to smoke. If you’re looking to stop nicotine use by using a cessation aid, Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) are available to help with this transition.
If you are an adult smoker who would otherwise continue to smoke, and are not planning on stopping nicotine use, there are many different cigarette alternatives to explore. When deciding on a substitute for smoking, it’s important to opt for one that best suits your lifestyle and personal preferences. Understanding how each viable alternative works enables you to make a more informed choice.
Smoke-free products are not risk-free and provide nicotine, which is addictive. The best decision any adult smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether. Smoke-free products are not alternatives to quitting and are not designed as cessation aids.
This article is for general information and educational purposes. Some of the information in this article is based on external, third-party sources and we make no representations or warranties of any kind regarding the accuracy, validity or completeness of such information.
