December 28 2020

What is IQOS HeatControl™ Technology?

IQOS heat-not-burn devices heat tobacco instead of burning it to release tobacco taste with no fire, no ash and less smell than cigarettes. 

Read on to find out more about IQOS HeatControl™ Technology.

The idea of heating tobacco instead of burning it has been around for some time. After years of research and development at Philip Morris International (PMI), it finally came to life, offering an innovative alternative to traditional cigarettes for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products. 

A cigarette has to be lit in order to be smoked. It burns at 600°C at the tip of the cigarette, but can reach above 800°C during a puff. It is the action of burning that releases most of the harmful and potentially harmful chemicals into the smoke that is inhaled by a smoker. 

On the contrary, PMI’s heat-not-burn device IQOS heats up processed tobacco at temperatures of up to 350°C, releasing tobacco taste with no fire, no ash, and no smoke. 

Another feature of IQOS is that since it produces less smell than cigarettes, it is less likely to bother people around you. By heating tobacco instead of burning it, IQOS does not produce second-hand smoke and emits on average 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes*. It is important to say that it does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk and IQOS is not risk-free.

There are many heat-not-burn products out there, but IQOS is the number one tobacco heating product in the world**. Equipped with the innovative HeatControl™ Technology, IQOS heats tobacco up to 350°C without burning it. This delivers a high quality tobacco experience, without any fire or ash and with less lingering smell on your hands, hair and clothes than cigarettes. 

*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

**Source: PMI global estimate of total In-Market Sales of Heated Tobacco Units as of December 2019 (excluding China and US).