Our smoke-free products include our leading heated tobacco product, IQOS; a range of e-vapor products (also known as e-cigarettes or vapes), including VEEV; and oral products such as ZYN nicotine pouches.
For any smoker, the best choice for their health is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether. For those adults who already use nicotine or tobacco products, our smoke-free products are better choices than cigarettes.
Why Philip Morris International’s smoke-free products do not burn tobacco or create smoke
Our portfolio of modern nicotine products do not burn tobacco, by design. As a result, they don’t create smoke. This is critical because it’s the burning of tobacco that releases over 6,000 chemicals into cigarette smoke, around 100 of which have been identified as causes or potential causes of smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and emphysema.
Rather than smoke, our heated tobacco products and e-vapor products produce inhalable aerosols, which we’ve studied in detail. Here are some key results:
- Our heated tobacco product heats tobacco without burning it. This heating process has been shown to generate no burning and no smoke, as confirmed by multiple laboratory tests.
- Our e-vapor products heat an e-liquid to generate an aerosol, while our oral nicotine products (e.g. nicotine pouches and snus) are placed in the mouth. No burning takes place.
- According to laboratory tests, our heated tobacco product’s aerosol emit on average 95 percent lower levels of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs).
- Our e-vapor products emit on average 99 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.1
- According to indoor air quality tests, our flagship heated tobacco product’s aerosol does not adversely affect indoor air quality. It is also not a source of secondhand smoke.
Why Philip Morris International’s smoke-free products contain nicotine
Nicotine is one of the reasons that people smoke cigarettes. Our smoke-free products also contain nicotine, because they are designed for people who would otherwise continue to smoke. For adult smokers to successfully switch from cigarettes to smoke-free alternatives, these products need to contain nicotine. Nicotine is addictive and isn’t risk-free.
Nicotine uptake and urge-to-smoke scores were comparable among heated tobacco users with those measured in subjects who continued smoking. This suggests that adult consumers who make the switch don’t use heated tobacco products more often than a smoker would smoke, and that people who switch can find this better alternative to smoking acceptable and satisfying.
What Philip Morris International’s studies show about its heated tobacco product IQOS:
The totality of our studies to date indicates that our heated tobacco product is likely to present less risk of harm compared to continued smoking for adult smokers who switch to it completely. Like other products in our portfolio, it contains nicotine and is not risk-free.
A 90-day clinical study in the United States and also a 90-day clinical study in Japan reported that adult smokers who switched completely to our heated tobacco product reduced their exposure to selected HPHCs (based on the measurements of health markers that indicate exposure, called biomarkers of exposure). The reduced levels of biomarkers of exposure were comparable with those observed in people who quit smoking for the duration of the studies.
Clinical findings from a six-month study on biomarkers of potential harm, along with its six-month follow-up study, indicate that switching completely to our heated tobacco product may have a positive impact on adult smokers’ health. More recent findings from a cross-sectional clinical study further supported the positive impact as observed two years or more after switching.
Our research shows negligible interest in heated tobacco products among people who have never smoked or who have quit smoking.
The aerosol from our heated tobacco product discolors teeth significantly less than cigarette smoke.
What Philip Morris International’s studies show about its e-vapor products (e-cigarettes/vapes):
Our e-vapor products are a better choice for adult tobacco and nicotine users than cigarettes. These products aren’t risk-free, and quitting smoking is the best choice.
Our e-vapor aerosols have a substantially reduced effect on the respiratory tract compared to cigarette smoke.
Our e-vapor aerosols have minimal effect on coloration of teeth and dental resin composites.
Multiple surveys show e-vapor products are not a substantial gateway to smoking for youth.
What Philip Morris International’s studies show about its oral products, including nicotine pouches and snus:
Our oral products, including nicotine pouches and snus, are a better choice for adult tobacco and nicotine than cigarettes. These products aren’t risk-free, and quitting smoking is the best choice.
Nicotine pouches and snus affect gum tissue less than cigarette smoke in laboratory studies.
Our studies found lower levels of harmful chemicals for nicotine pouches, snus, and other oral products compared to combusted tobacco products.
Nicotine pouches can be an acceptable alternative to cigarettes in terms of nicotine delivery and satisfaction for adult smokers who would otherwise smoke.
Visit our PMI Science website for more information on the results of our studies on our smoke-free products, and to learn more about our latest science and technology updates.
How Philip Morris International shares and reviews its scientific research:
We are committed to seeking independent verification of the scientific data we have generated on our smoke-free products. This includes publishing over 500 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters related to our smoke-free products since 2008.
1 Average reductions in levels of a range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette (3R4F). This does not necessarily equal a 99 percent reduction in risk.
Read more about our science
The difference between cigarette smoke and our heated tobacco aerosol?
A cigarette burns tobacco, our heated tobacco product heats it. This fundamental difference results in significantly reduced levels of harmful and potentially harmful constituents found in the aerosol it produces.
Study shows e-cigarettes’ disease risk-reduction potential
4 min readE-cigarettes, both with and without nicotine, were found to have significantly lower biological responses associated with heart and lung diseases compared to cigarette smoke, a new PMI study finds.
Assessing the health impacts of our products
3 min readThe team led by PMI's Chief Medical Officer assesses the harm reduction potential of our better alternatives to smoking in controlled clinical studies and in the real world.