Why is Nicotine Included Within Vapes & Heated Tobacco?
If you’re considering switching from smoking to an alternative like vaping or the use of heated tobacco, you may be wondering if there is nicotine in these devices.
While the best choice any smoker can make is to quit entirely, vaping and heated tobacco are less harmful choices for those who chose not to. Nicotine is an addictive substance and is therefore included within vapes and heated tobacco to help smokers who are switching. Vaping and heated tobacco products like IQOS are not for those who have quit smoking or have never smoked; they are designed as alternatives to smoking.
While nicotine is an addictive substance and is not harmless, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding it. Some people believe it to be the most harmful substance in cigarettes, but that’s not the case – it is not the main cause of smoking-related diseases. Hence, using vapes and heated tobacco, while not risk-free, are less harmful than smoking despite nicotine being included within them.
When a cigarette is smoked, tobacco is burned and this is when the majority of harmful chemicals are released. This differs from heated tobacco and vaping products, with which the tobacco or e-liquid (respectively) is heated instead. They both contain nicotine to help people switch from smoking but are less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
For all you need to know about nicotine and why it’s included in vapes and heated tobacco, just keep reading on.
Why is Nicotine Included in Vapes?
As touched on above, nicotine is included in most vapes (however there is also the option of nicotine free vapes) to help those smokers who are switching or thinking of switching from smoking to vaping. But where in the vape do we find the nicotine?
The nicotine in vapes actually comes from the e-liquid which is inserted into the vape and heated to create vapour, which is drawn up through the mouthpiece and inhaled. Depending on the type of vape device, the e-liquid might need to be inserted manually into the tank, or it might come in cartridges or pods that are ‘snapped’ into the vape and then removed and swapped once used.
E-liquids have four primary ingredients, one of which is nicotine. While quitting nicotine altogether is the best choice a smoker can make, switching to vaping is a less harmful alternative. However, not all e-liquids will have the same nicotine level when it comes to choosing the right nicotine level, however, there’s no hard and fast answer. Nicotine levels are shown either in percentages or mg on the e-liquid containers to allow vapers to choose the one that best suits them.
Alongside nicotine as one of the core ingredients of e-liquid are flavourings, propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG).
Why is Nicotine Included in Heated Tobacco?
Like with vapes, heated tobacco also contains nicotine as it is a fundamental part of the tobacco leaf – while quitting entirely is the best thing any smoker can do for their health, using heated tobacco is a better alternative than continuing to smoke.
The nicotine is contained in the HEETS tobacco stick, which are specially designed real tobacco sticks that are heated by your IQOS device - rather than burned like conventional cigarettes. When using HEETS, the HEETS stick is inserted into the IQOS holder, and the device heats it up – as shown by two vibrations and both status lights on the holder being on.
Unlike e-liquids, HEETS tobacco sticks don’t contain differing levels of nicotine – while there are different variants, the nicotine levels remain the same across the board.
IQOS heats real tobacco, offering true tobacco taste and cigarette-like satisfaction*, and one HEETS stick lasts for around the same time or number of puffs as a cigarette. While 20 HEETS tobacco sticks cost £5.50 RRP, less than half the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes**. The reason HEETS contain nicotine is that they help smokers switch to a better alternative.
Important information: It does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.
While the best thing any smoker can do is to stop altogether, if you’re considering switching to heated tobacco, you can find out more here, and you can also try IQOS with a 14-day trial for just £10. Each trial kit includes a brand new IQOS device and two packs of your chosen HEETS variants, and at the end of the trial you can choose to keep the device and pay the difference, or simply return it free of charge.
*Source: 3 month clinical studies conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each under real conditions (ambulatory).
**Claim based on the 12-month average cost of smoking 20 cigarettes/day versus using IQOS with 20 Heets sticks per day. For more information, including the ONS data used to substantiate our total saving claim visit iqos.com/legal.
