Alternative To Smoking

Today's adult smokers have the option of exploring different experiences rather than continuing to smoke. If you are an adult smoker who will continue to smoke or use other nicotine products, would like to know more about alternatives to smoking, and would like to switch to a different type of product, here is the information for you.

What are other alternatives to smoking?

There are two main groups of smoking alternatives: heated tobacco, or "Heat-not-burn" products, and e-cigarettes.

Heated tobacco products as an alternative to smoking

Heated tobacco, or “heat-not-burn” devices, are smoke-free alternatives. Heated tobacco sets use specially processed real tobacco, and are molded into bars. Tobacco sticks are then inserted into a device, where innovative technology heats the tobacco to a certain temperature, but not high enough to cause the tobacco to burn. As with e-cigarettes, no smoke is produced from heated tobacco. Some heat-not-burn devices use an external heating source, which means the tobacco stem is heated thoroughly from the outside. In this case, the tobacco is not preheated; rather the paper around the tobacco sticks is preheated. This can affect the taste. Other heat-not-burn devices, such as IQOS, that contain ceramic blades made of gold and platinum. The HEETS tobacco rod is inserted directly into the blade, and the blade heats the tobacco stem directly from the core. This allows the tobacco to be preheated, before the paper, which provides a consistent taste and experience.

E-cigarettes are an alternative to smoking

E-cigarettes are another type of alternative cigarette, but do not use any real tobacco. They are electronic products that heat and vaporize e-liquids, in a wide range of temperatures, from 100°C to 250°C. Most use a system called "wick & coil", where the wick draws the e-liquid, which contains flavoring and nicotine, to the coil element to heat it and generate steam. Steam is drawn from the device through the funnel. It does not produce smoke.

E-cigarettes are often called "vapes" or "vaping systems". Some of them have an open tank system that can adjust the temperature from the power applied. Other e-cigarettes have closed vaping systems, some of which can be used single-use, refilled, or contain cartridges.

What is the difference between smoke-free alternatives and smoking?

The main difference between alternative products such as e-cigarettes or heated tobacco and burnt cigarettes lies in what makes the alternative “smoke free”: this is due to the absence of the burning process - or the burning of the tobacco.

Cigarettes must be lit using a fire to be smoked, and lighting a cigarette causes burning. The burning tip of a cigarette can reach ambient temperatures or even above 600°C, causing the tobacco to burn, and it is known that most of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke come from such burning.

On the other hand, smoke-free alternatives such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco eliminate the burning process. With e-cigarettes, there is no tobacco involved, so there is no burning but a process of heating the nicotine liquid. With heated tobacco products, the tobacco sticks in these devices are heated to a certain temperature without burning them. For example, IQOS heats tobacco to temperatures below 350°C. As a result, no smoke is produced, only tobacco vapor. Once the burn is removed, IQOS ILUMA emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes,* However, it does not equate to risk reduction. IQOS ILUMA is not risk-free.

The absence of a combustion process in smoke-free alternative products also has another advantage - IQOS does not produce ash, and does not produce smoke. With no burning tobacco tip, IQOS does not run the risk of burning other people around you, clothing or furniture. In particular, with IQOS, adult smokers can still experience the true taste of tobacco, and experience the real taste of tobacco, as a smoke-free alternative.

For adult smokers looking for a different kind of tobacco experience, IQOS is a better choice than continuing to smoke. View and compare IQOS devices.

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