A wooden surface with a pair of black headphones, a beige-colored heated tobacco device, and its case.

What is Heated Tobacco?

Heated tobacco is a smoke-free alternative to smoking. It’s real tobacco, just heated instead of burnt. That’s why heated tobacco doesn’t produce smoke, cigarette smoke smell or ash.

Curious about how IQOS heated tobacco works?

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION technology prevents tobacco from burning. The metal heating element of the IQOS device heats the tobacco from within the TEREA stick, using induction.

Tobacco is heated, instead of burned, which means combustion does not occur and no cigarette smoke is produced. It brings you improved draw, taste consistency from stick to stick, generous vapor and less lingering smell than ever before.

Diagram of a TEREA heated tobacco stick showing its components and their functions. The components include a Cooling Plug, Air-flow Chamber, Tobacco, Front Seal, and Heating Element.

Benefits of Heating Tobacco

Swipe to discover why 32.2 million* adult smokers have switched over to IQOS.

*PMI Financials or estimates, IQOS user panels and PMI Market Research. Status as of December 2024. PMI heat-not-burn product users who have completely quit cigarettes and for whom PMI tobacco sticks represent at least 70% of their past 7-day heated tobacco consumption.

A collection of TEREA heated tobacco packs in various colors arranged in a fan shape, an IQOS holder, and an IQOS charger.

A collection of TEREA heated tobacco packs in various colors arranged in a fan shape, an IQOS holder, and an IQOS charger.

IQOS ILUMA and TEREA, a new way to tobacco pleasure

With IQOS ILUMA, experience improved draw, taste consistency, generous vapor and less lingering smell than ever before with every TEREA stick it is used together with.

IQOS ILUMA is designed to be used with TEREA sticks. Do not use IQOS ILUMA and TEREA sticks with previous IQOS generations, as this may cause damage to your device.
Do not ingest or disassemble TEREA sticks. This product contains a sharp metal part that can cause serious injury if swallowed. Keep out of reach of children.
See Important Information.

FAQs about Heated Tobacco

Heated tobacco products may produce a smell, depending on the device, but it’s different from the smell of regular cigarettes. IQOS ILUMA generates no cigarette smoke and produces less smell than cigarettes.* Learn more about the smell of heated tobacco sticks vs cigarettes.

*93% agreement amongst 674 adult consumers in Japan and Italy, 2020-2021.

While both are smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes, heated tobacco and vaping are not the same. Heated tobacco devices heat tobacco to release a nicotine containing vapor without combustion, while vapes use e-liquids that are vaporized, often without any tobacco present. Learn more about the differences between vapes and heated tobacco to discover which alternative is right for you.

Heated tobacco sticks are tightly packed tubes of tobacco, wrapped in a paper-like material with specific internal components (depending on the type of stick). They are inserted into the Heat Not Burn device, which heats the tobacco to release a nicotine-containing aerosol and taste.

TEREA heated tobacco sticks are specifically crafted tobacco sticks for newer, bladeless IQOS ILUMA devices.

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