A look at some popular heated tobacco devices & heat-not-burn alternatives
It is well known that smoking has become a public health threat, and it remains the main preventable cause of deaths and diseases in the world.
To address the health concern of smoking, tobacco industry manufacturers have branched out for years into newer “reduced risk” nicotine delivery systems or tobacco products.
Heat-not-burn or heated tobacco products (HTPs) are one product category among various alternative nicotine delivery systems and have increased in popularity in recent years.
There are a variety of HTPs brands in the market, and the most popular heat-not-burn device should be IQOS by Philip Morris International (PMI), which has dominated the HTPs market, and occupied more than 70% market share since its launch in 2014.
In addition to PMI, other transnational tobacco manufacturers also invest in developing heat-not-not products. For instance, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) developed its heated tobacco system Ploom, British American Tobacco (BAT) introduced Glo, and so on.
Furthermore, some attempts have been made to produce tobacco-free heat-not-burn products in the market, and these products are considered alternatives to HTPs.
Today, talk about some popular brands of heated tobacco products and alternatives.
Some facts about heat-not-burn products
Heat-not-burn devices are designed to provide smokers with harm-reduced alternatives to smoking.
Smoking is harmful to every part of the human body, and the killer is considered to be cigarette smoke, which is produced by burning tobacco.
When in use, traditional cigarettes are burnt with an open flame to an extremely high temperature, as high as 900°C, producing tobacco smoke and its residues, such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, and ash.
It is reported that among these chemicals, more than 250 compounds are known to be toxic, and about 70 are regarded as carcinogenic. These hazardous compounds are the causes of various tobacco-related diseases, such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, asthma, heart disease, stroke, and so on.
The working principle of heat-not-burn products, however, is different from that of traditional cigarettes. They adopt a heat-not-burn technology, which is to heat tobacco wrapped in paper by battery-power electronic devices without burning, generating a nicotine-infused inhalable aerosol that the user inhales.
As there is no burning, heat-not-burn products will not produce toxins related to cigarette smoke. Therefore, if smokers switch completely to HTPs, these products can reduce their risk of smoking-related diseases.
Meanwhile, although the work science of HTPs is different from that of traditional cigarettes, the HTPs resemble conventional cigarettes in many other aspects, such as the main substances, taste, appearance, smoking behavior, nicotine level, and so on.
For instance, heated tobacco products use real tobacco as their basic material, delivering satisfying aerosols that taste like conventional cigarettes.
That is to say, HTPs make for a familiar feeling or sensory experience, which may make the transition more natural. Most importantly, HTPs will not burn and expose users to the hazards related to cigarette smoke, which is the main concern of those health-conscious smokers.
So now we have learned some facts about HTPs. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some popular brands of HTPs.
IQOS with HEETS
IQOS is the heat-not-burn device manufactured by PMI, which was first introduced in Japan in 2014. As a pioneer brand of HTPs, IQOS has achieved great commercial success and made HTPs widely known.
An IOQS device usually consists of a two-piece setup, which is a pocket charger(the charging unit) and a small and lightweight hand held heating device (pen holder ), including a battery-powered power supply, control electronics, and a heating blade, as well as the heated sticks called Heatsticks or HEETS.
The HEETS sticks look similar to conventional cigarettes but are smaller in size, so they are also called mini-cigarettes.
When in use, the heating blade pierces the end of a heated stick and warms the stick to produce a nicotine-filled aerosol or vapor that the user breathes in.
The heating temperature is about 350°C, which is lower than the temperature required for combustion. Thus, the emission of IQOS heated sticks does not contain ash, tar, and other toxic chemicals related to cigarette smoke.
Although IQOS HTPs can expose users to low levels of toxins caused by burning tobacco, they contain nicotine and can be as addictive as conventional cigarettes. According to the manufacturer, each HEETS stick contains 0.5 mg of nicotine, which is comparable with conventional cigarettes.
With technological advancements, the IQOS has introduced various newer models, such as IQOS 2.4 PLUS, IQOS 3 DUO, IQOS ILUMA PRIME, and so on.
Although each model differs from the others in size, design, performance, etc., they all have one thing in common, that is, heating the tobacco sticks without burning them.
Glo with Neo sticks
Glo was launched in Japan by BAT(British American Tobacco) in 2016.Unlike IOQS heating devices, which consist of two individual parts, namely the pocket charger and the holder, the Glo heating device is an all-in-one style battery-powered handheld device that is slightly smaller than the IOQS charger.
A Glo heating device usually contains a lithium-ion battery and a heating chamber to heat the cartridges called Neostiks or NEO sticks. A NEO stick is made up of reconstituted tobacco, tobacco leaf, glycerol, and flavorings, which are designed as a specialized tobacco rod.
As for the heating system, Glo devices use induction technology to heat the sticks from the outside, which is different from IQOS devices, which heat the sticks from the inside with a heating blade.
A Glo heating device features an alternating current that is passed through a wire coil, which generates an oscillating magnetic field, making the heating chamber heat up the stick.
NEO sticks are heated up to 270 degrees Celsius, which is relatively lower than the temperature of IOQS. Due to this, the taste of NEO sticks may be slightly lighter than that of IQOS HEETS.
Ploom with EVO sticks
Like Glo, Ploom does not use a heating blade to heat the tobacco. Instead, Ploom uses an external heating method or a convection system, which is called a HeatFlow heating system.
A Ploom heating device is also an integrated handheld device that features a closed ribbed heat chamber to warm the sticks. Ploom heating devices are exclusively designed for heating EVO tobacco sticks.
The EVO tobacco sticks use Ploom’s ActivBlend – an authentic tobacco blend containing two different cuts of tobacco, namely micro-ground and fine cut, which is said to release flavor effectively.
When in use, the heated stick is inserted into the heating chamber and heated up from the outside. The stick is surrounded by airflow, which, according to the manufacturer, can make the heating more efficient.
Besides, as the tobacco inside the stick is not in direct contact with the heating element, the heating chamber produces minimal charring, which makes the flavor pure.
The nicotine content of each Ploom stick is 0.5mg, which is the same as each IQOS HEETS stick, and can satisfy users’ nicotine cravings when they make a transition.
So, IQOS, Glo, or Ploom, which will be the right choice for you? It depends on your preference. For example, if you want a feeling more similar to smoking, IQOS will be a better choice because IQOS has a pen holder similar to a conventional cigarette, which will give you get a familiar feeling.
But, one possibility is that you intend to kick tobacco use while still wanting to keep the satisfaction of smoking. In this case, heated tobacco products won’t work for you. Instead, tobacco-free heat-not-burn products may be your suitable choice.
Tobacco-free heat-not-burn sticks
Tobacco-free heat-not-burn products are known as herbal heated sticks, heated tobacco alternatives, or heated alternatives.
Just as heated tobacco sticks and herbal heated sticks adopt a heat-not-burn technology, many heated tobacco alternatives can be compatible with the popular heat-not-burn heating devices on the market, such as IQOS heating devices.
Apart from working science, heated tobacco alternatives resemble heated tobacco sticks in many aspects, such as appearance, rituals, and feeling. In short, heated tobacco sticks give users a sensory experience similar to heated tobacco sticks.
The essential difference between heated tobacco sticks and heated tobacco alternatives lies in the materials they use. Heated tobacco alternatives do not contain actual tobacco. Instead, they use natural herbs or other plant-based materials as the main substances.
Herbal heated sticks can use a single kind of natural herb or a mixture of various herbs, which provides users with richer flavors than heated tobacco sticks.
In a word, herbal heated sticks are suitable for those who would like to explore something new or flavorful while still wanting to keep the smoking-like habit.
On the other hand, for those who enjoy the real tobacco experience but don’t want the lingering smell of tobacco, herbal heated sticks can also meet their needs.
For example, Neafs, a brand of tea-based herbal heated sticks which was established in Orlando, Florida in 2015, has created a tobacco flavor that eliminates tobacco use!
Neafs heated sticks are made up of tea, which is the main component, as well as nicotine, vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, natural herbs, and flavorings.
As with other herbal heated sticks, Neafs heated sticks offer a variety of flavors, including menthol, strawberry, blueberry mojito, and coffee. However, the unique selling point of Neafs is that despite the rich flavors, all Neafs heated sticks are based on the tobacco taste. This means that Neafs offer tobacco flavor without using real tobacco.
What’s more, because neaf heated sticks are free of actual tobacco, they do not have a harsh odor related to tobacco, offering a more refreshing and pleasant tobacco experience.
Simply put, Neafs sticks are tobacco-flavor-based heated sticks without tobacco, fire, smoke, ash, tar, and odor.
In conclusion
As heat-not-burn products do not involve combustion, they keep users away from harmful smoke and combustion by-products such as carbon monoxide, tar, and ash, thus reducing the risk of smoking-related diseases.
Heat-not-burn products are intended for those adult smokers who decide to give up combusted cigarettes and, at the same time, want to get the satisfaction of smoking and use nicotine in a way that reduces harm.
People who do not smoke are not recommended to use them because heat-not-burn products can be addictive.
