Many think of Philip Morris International as a “tobacco company” or “cigarette manufacturer,” but over the last decade, we have been up to so much more. We set out to change the game when it comes to better options for existing adult smokers.

We have a smoke-free future as our mission. We want to replace cigarettes with smoke-free products, across the globe, by 2035.

Never starting to smoke or quitting altogether is the best option. However, adult smokers who want to continue using tobacco should know that not all tobacco alternative products are the same. We strongly believe – that our smoke-free products are great alternative for those who want to enjoy tobacco in a clean way with no ash and no smoke smell. And that is why we are transforming our company and building our future on replacing cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives.

How did heated tobacco products get started?

The history of heated tobacco products dates back decades. The idea of heating tobacco instead of burning it has been around since the 1980’s. However, the first heated tobacco brands, along with their heated tobacco products, failed to offer a suitable alternative for adult smokers.

How did IQOS get started as a heated tobacco brand?

At Philip Morris International, we want to provide over 1 billion adult smokers all over the world with better options than continued smoking. And that is how IQOS, our heated tobacco system, got started.

The first IQOS devices date back to 2014, when the innovative heat-not-burn alternative was launched in Japan and Italy. Gradually, IQOS rolled out to other countries and is available now in 51 countries.

However, the history of IQOS dates back to 2008, when Philip Morris International first started working towards providing alternatives for smoking. Our commitment is the result of many years of careful deliberation, backed up by substantial investments in Research and Development.

IQOS is part of our portfolio of smoke-free products, for which PMI invested over USD $6 billion over a decade of R&D. During that time, more than 400 scientists and engineers collaborated on the development and assessment of smoke-free products.

So far, more than 10 million adult smokers around the world have chosen to switch to IQOS and leave cigarettes behind*.

There are many reasons why they made the switch to IQOS. Their feedback told us that IQOS delivers the true taste of real tobacco without fire, ash and cigarette smoke smell.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT RISK FREE AND PROVIDES NICOTINE, WHICH IS ADDICTIVE. ONLY FOR USE BY ADULTS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE CONTINUE TO SMOKE OR USE OTHER NICOTINE PRODUCTS.

If you’d also like to leave smoke behind and try out the IQOS alternative, there are currently two IQOS heat-not-burn devices you can choose from: IQOS 3 DUO and IQOS 3 Multi. You can find all of our heated tobacco devices online or in any of our IQOS stores. To find an IQOS store near you, use the Store Locator on our website.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT RISK FREE AND PROVIDES NICOTINE, WHICH IS ADDICTIVE. ONLY FOR USE BY ADULTS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE CONTINUE TO SMOKE OR USE OTHER NICOTINE PRODUCTS.

* Source: PMI Financials or estimates, IQOS user panels and PMI Market Research. Status as of March 2020. IQOS users who have completely quit cigarettes and for whom HeatSticks represent more than 70% of their past 7-day tobacco consumption.