Heating Technology

Find answers in our FAQ section for your questions related to heat not burn technology. If you have a question which is not listed there, please contact our customer support team.

IQOS is an alternative for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke without many of the inconveniences of cigarettes, such as ash or smoke. It’s not for people who have quit smoking or have never smoked.
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No. IQOS is not a device intended to help you quit smoking. If you’re thinking about the health effects of smoking, your best option is to quit tobacco altogether.
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No, IQOS doesn’t produce smoke because it doesn’t burn the stick. It generates an aerosol - this is what you see when you use your IQOS.
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IQOS is a better choice than continued smoking. IQOS heats the stick instead of burning it and provides no smoke, no ash and less smell than cigarettes. IQOS emits 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.*

Important information: IQOS is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive.

*“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. It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. See Important information. on IQOS.com.
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No. IQOS is not risk free. IQOS emits 95% lower level of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes*. IQOS is a better choice than continued smoking. If you’re thinking about the health effects of smoking, your best option is to quit tobacco and nicotine altogether.

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

Important information: IQOS is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive.

*“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.
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You should always respect the rules of the place you’re in, and use common sense when using IQOS around other people, including children under the age of 18.

If you’re travelling on a plane, you should ask permission from airline staff before using IQOS – most airlines currently don’t allow you to smoke or use smoke alternatives on their aircraft.

The make up of IQOS aerosol is significantly different from cigarette smoke.
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For tobacco sticks, the limit on how many tobacco sticks you can take on holiday is similar to cigarettes and may vary from country to country. Before you leave for holiday, double check the allowance set by the country you’re travelling to.

Customs authorities in the country you’re visiting may challenge you if you bring in more tobacco sticks than is allowed. They could also take them from you and ask you to pay a fine.
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Our friendly Customer Care team are always happy to help:
Mon-Fri: 08:00 - 22:00 Sat-Sun: 10:00 - 18:00
By phone: +36 80 888 222
By e-mail: contact.hu@iqos.com
By Facebook: send a message via "IQOS Ügyfélszolgálat" page
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Nicotine is addictive. However, it is not the main cause of smoking related diseases. IQOS delivers nicotine in a comparable way to cigarettes. Our clinical studies show that the amount and rate of nicotine absorbed when using one tobacco stick with IQOS is comparable to that of smoking one cigarette.

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The percentage refers to the average reduction of the levels of certain constituents prioritized for action by renowned public health organizations such as the WHO and the US FDA found in IQOS tobacco vapor compared to the smoke from a 3R4F reference cigarette. To this effect, we collect the tobacco vapor and smoke under the Health Canada Intense machine-smoking regime (55 mL puff volume, 2 second puff duration, 30 second interval puff) using a comparison on a per stick basis. Reduction calculations exclude nicotine.

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We use PMI Financials or estimates, IQOS user panels and PMI Market Research. The number of total users we report refers to IQOS users for whom PMI tobacco sticks represent at least 5% of their daily tobacco consumption over the past 7 days, while the number of people we estimate have completely quit cigarette smoking refers to IQOS users who have completely quit cigarettes and for whom PMI tobacco sticks represent at least 70% of their past 7-day heated tobacco consumption.

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Since IQOS does not burn the stick, it also does not produce smoke, but rather aerosol. 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.

Important information: IQOS is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive.

* ”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.
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IQOS devices are designed to work exclusively with our specifically designed, patented heated sticks. Exactly which heated sticks you can use will depend on the IQOS device you’re using.

HEETS VS SMARTCORE STICKS™ (TEREA, DELIA and LEVIA)

  • Older generation IQOS devices are equipped with HeatControl Technology, and use HEETS heated tobacco sticks. These devices heat the tobacco gently via a heating blade inside the device. These types of IQOS devices and the HEETS tobacco sticks designed for them are no longer commercially available in Hungary.

  • The IQOS ILUMA generation of devices use SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM™, which heats the SMARTCORE STICKS™ from inside. Unlike cigarettes, IQOS ILUMA does not burn the stick and therefore produces no smoke.

  • Compared to HEETS sticks, SMARTCORE STICKS™ are sealed. So, when SMARTCORE STICKS™ are used with IQOS ILUMA there is no residue and no need to clean the device after use.

  • IQOS ILUMA device does not need cleaning.

  • SMARTCORE STICKS™ are designed to be used only with IQOS ILUMA.
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    Different countries commercialize TEREA, DELIA and LEVIA under different variants, based on local regulations.
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    Currently, we do not have nicotine-free tobacco stick.
    ​ Nicotine is naturally found in tobacco leaves. The tobacco sticks (TEREA and DELIA) and also LEVIA sticks that can be used for the IQOS heating device contains nicotine.
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    Important information about IQOS


    Information that you should know about IQOS:

  • Cigarette smoking causes serious diseases and is addictive. Without question, the best decision any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.
  • Minors should not use tobacco or nicotine in any form.
  • PMI’s smoke-free products are for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products.
  • We do not offer PMI’s smoke-free products to people who have never used tobacco or nicotine products or who have quit using tobacco and nicotine products. Our smoke-free products are not alternatives to quitting and are not designed as cessation aids.
  • PMI’s smoke-free products are not risk free and contain nicotine, which is addictive. Switching to a smoke-free product is, however, a better choice than continuing to smoke.
  • We support our adult smoke-free product users in their journey to full conversion through education and guidance.
  • For consumers to experience the benefits of smoke-free products, they must switch completely and abandon smoking permanently.
  • We inform consumers of all relevant safety information about our smoke-free products.

  • Safety Warnings & Instructions.

    Tobacco and Nicotine

  • Tobacco sticks used with IQOS contain nicotine, which is addictive.
  • IQOS is not risk-free. The best way to reduce tobacco- and nicotine-related health risks is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.
  • Some users of nicotine-containing products may experience abdominal pain, chest pain, choking sensation, cough, difficulty breathing, dizziness, dry mouth, dry throat, gingivitis, headache, malaise, nasal stuffiness, nausea, mouth irritation, palpitations, throat irritation, and vomiting.
  • Nicotine-containing products should not be used by people who have or are at risk of heart disease, are diabetic, are epileptic, or are experiencing seizures.
  • Nicotine-containing products should not be used during pregnancy or while breast-feeding. If you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or think you may be pregnant, you should quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.
  • Stopping smoking or switching to IQOS and its respective tobacco sticks, or other nicotine-containing products may require the adjustment of the dosing of certain medicines (e.g. theophylline, clozapine, ropinirole).
  • If you have questions about whether you should use IQOS given an existing health condition, consult a health care professional.

  • Use of tobacco sticks

    Only use:
  • IQOS ILUMA™; or earlier generation devices with SMARTCORE STICKS™ (TEREA and DELIA) designed to be used with it.

  • Never use IQOS devices with a cigarette or similar products. Doing so may cause injury.
  • Do not modify SMARTCORE STICKS™ in any way or add any substance to them. Doing so may result in injury.

  • Prior to use of a product, users should read the full Safety Warnings & Instructions, which contain important safety information about the use of the product.

    Safety Warnings & Instructions, User Guide for IQOS ILUMA i PRIME

    Safety Warnings & Instructions, User Guide for IQOS ILUMA i

    Safety Warnings & Instructions, User Guide for IQOS ILUMA PRIME

    Safety Warnings & Instructions, User Guide for IQOS ILUMA

    Safety Warnings & Instructions, User Guide for IQOS ILUMA ONE

    Voluntary Warranty documents:

    Voluntary Warranty for IQOS ILUMA i PRIME - Last updated on: 19.11.2024. br>
    Voluntary Warranty for IQOS ILUMA i - Last updated on: 05.02.2025.

    Voluntary Warranty for IQOS ILUMA PRIME - Last updated on: 19.11.2024.

    Voluntary Warranty for IQOS ILUMA - Last updated on: 19.11.2024.

    Voluntary Warranty for IQOS ILUMA ONE - Last updated on: 19.11.2024.

    Battery Degradation

    IQOS devices, including holders, contain a lithium-ion battery. The lithium-ion battery in the devices is a consumable component that degrades with usage and age. This is a natural process common to all rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. As the battery ages, the active ingredients inside the battery become less capable of retaining energy, resulting in a permanent decrease in maximum battery capacity and usable energy. In addition, the active ingredients become less effective in delivering energy, resulting in a decrease of the battery’s ability to provide sufficient power for electronic device components to operate. As a result, where relevant, the duration of experience may appear to be shorter, the number of puffs or experiences with one full charge may appear to be fewer, the second consecutive use might be shorter or missing, or some device features, such as Autostart or double tap for the IQOS ILUMA holder, may not perform.

    The battery is a chemical system that requires certain temperature ranges during charge and discharge to work optimally and minimize battery capacity degradation over its lifetime. Although your device has a specific operating range within which the device will function, operating at the extreme ends of this range will degrade your battery faster. Your device comes with customized software to control the charging parameters in order to maximize the life of your device. These algorithms can support the longevity of your battery life, but they can still never fully mitigate the normal aging mechanisms of lithium batteries. High and low temperature operation of your device will accelerate the natural degradation of your battery. Even if you do not use your device the batteries contain chemical systems which can still degrade over time. In order to slow the battery degradation process, we recommend charging your device within the recommended temperature zone, not keeping it discharged for long periods of time and using the charging cables and power adaptors that come together with the device as per the user guides.

    Please read more information in our FAQ section.

    You will find consumer communication around the website that come from the following sources:

    Studies* showed that the satisfaction of those who switched completely to IQOS is comparable to those who continued to smoke cigarettes. * Source: 3 month clinical studies conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each under real conditions (ambulatory).

    Switching completely to IQOS presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke. IQOS emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.* *“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.

    IQOS has extensive and robust clinical evidence* showing that using IQOS presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke.
    Important information: IQOS is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive.


    IQOS emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.* *“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.

    Switching completely to IQOS is less harmful than continuing to smoke.* * Source: Based on the totality of evidence available for IQOS in comparison with continuing to smoke.

    IQOS provides cigarette-like satisfaction *3 month clinical studies conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each under real conditions (ambulatory).

    Cigarettes produce tar – IQOS doesn’t Tar is the residue from smoke after a cigarette is burned. IQOS does not produce tar because 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.* Switching completely to IQOS is less harmful than continuing to smoke.** * Reductions in levels of the 9 harmful chemicals the World Health Organization recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke, which do not include nicotine.
    ** Source: Based on the totality of evidence available for IQOS in comparison with continuing to smoke.


    Cigarettes produce high amounts of carbon monoxide - IQOS doesn’t Cigarettes burn tobacco, which produces high amounts of carbon monoxide. 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 monoxid is only one of many harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. IQOS is not risk free, and delivers nicotine which is addictive.
    *We measured the levels of the 9 harmful chemicals the World Health Organization recommends to reduce in cigarette smoke, which do not include nicotine, and these are reduced on average by 95%. See Important Information.