How Heated Tobacco Devices Work?

Heated tobacco devices heat tobacco instead of burning it. The result is a smokefree alternative with none of the fire, ash or smoke that cigarettes produce.

Each heated tobacco device heats the tobacco in some way, but the heating temperature may be different. What's important is that heated tobacco products do not reach the high temperatures where tobacco is burnt.

At the heart of our IQOS heated tobacco devices sophisticated electronics heats a specially designed tobacco stick called HEETS. Since IQOS heat-not-burn devices are battery-powered, they need to be charged regularly, just like you would charge a smartphone. Once the IQOS heated tobacco device is ready to use, a HEETS tobacco stick is inserted into the device. By pushing a button to start the heating process, an IQOS adult user can inhale the vapor that is released.

Since the tobacco is heated and not burned, IQOS emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*

Important information: It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.

The essence of the IQOS technology
From thought to reality, each element of IQOS is carefully crafted. IQOS HeatControl™ Technology is the heart of the product. Designed in Switzerland, it is responsible for heating tobacco, without burning it, to precise to the optimum temperature. The ceramic blade inside IQOS, which has gold and platinum tracks, heats the tobacco inside the HEETS. So IQOS adult users get the experience of the real tobacco in the tobacco stick, with no smoke, no ash and without the smell of cigarettes.

The tobacco taste
We pay special attention to ensure that we provide IQOS adult users a smoking experience which gives them a taste of real tobacco. Each HEETS stick contains specially prepared tobacco. To do this, we use a unique, patented processing method which is necessary to keep the tobacco in an optimal condition for heating. In this process, tobacco leaves selected under strict quality control are ground to a powder and then reshaped as tobacco sheets. Then these sheets are rolled up and made into a tobacco rod, and all the other ingredients are used to create the HEETS tobacco stick. HEETS stick were designed to use with IQOS, it lasts around 6 minutes or 14 puffs on average (whichever comes first) which is similar to the duration of smoking cigarettes.
Find out more about IQOS heated tobacco devices and the technology behind them here.

* “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.