Feb 6, 2025

Heated tobacco devices heat tobacco instead of burning it. As a result, there is no fire, ash or smoke that cigarettes produce.

All heated tobacco devices contain a heating source. Some, but not all, heated tobacco products are electronic, and the exact temperature the tobacco is heated to varies from product to product. What’s important is that heated tobacco products do not reach the high temperatures where tobacco is burnt.

 

What is the difference in heat-not-burn devices?

Heated tobacco devices are also called heat-not-burn devices because of the fact that they heat tobacco instead of burning it. Essentially, the two terms – heated tobacco and heat-not-burn – are interchangeable.

At the heart of our IQOS heated tobacco devices is our sophisticated SMARTCORE™ technology that heats specially designed tobacco sticks called TEREA. 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, a TEREA tobacco stick is inserted into the device. By pushing a button to begin the heating process, an IQOS legal age user can then inhale the vapor that is released. Once the experience is over, the used tobacco stick can be removed from the device and disposed of in a bin.

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.

* “95% less” represents the average reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette (3R4F). See Important Information on iqos.com.
 

The best of IQOS technology

From thought to reality, each element of IQOS is carefully crafted.

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE™ technology is the heart of the product. Designed in Switzerland, it is responsible for heating tobacco, without burning it, to precise temperatures up to 350⁰C.

SMARTCORE™ technology uses induction to heat the tobacco in the stick evenly from the inside. This means IQOS adult users get the experience of the real tobacco in the tobacco stick, with no smoke, no ash and no smell of cigarette smoke.
 

The tobacco taste

The tobacco inside every TEREA is specially prepared using a unique patented processing method called the “cast leave process”, which is necessary to optimise the tobacco for heating. In this process, tobacco leaves of the highest quality are ground into powder and then reconstituted into tobacco sheets. These sheets are crimped and made into a tobacco plug. When combined with all the other parts, it creates a TEREA stick able to provide taste satisfaction close to a cigarette.**

IQOS and TEREA were designed to provide IQOS adult users with a tobacco experience and duration similar to that of cigarettes. Each TEREA stick can last up to 6 minutes or 14 puffs on average. All you really need to know is that longer and gentler puffs extend the duration of your TEREA experience.
TEREA tobacco sticks for IQOS heat-not-burn devices come in many different tobacco flavours ranging from rich to refined, including tobacco with menthol and new aromatic blends. We’re sure that among our TEREA selection each IQOS adult user will discover the TEREA flavour that matches their taste.

** Source: 3-month clinical studies conducted in the US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each under real conditions (ambulatory).  
 

 

 

Discover the science behind IQOS