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ExplainersILUMA i ONE

IQOS Glossary: Heated Tobacco Terms From Aerosol to USB-C

By the iqoser team · Updated · 6 min read

ILUMA i ONE in Electric Purple with the cap open

Heated tobacco comes with its own vocabulary, some of it technical, some of it marketing. This glossary defines the terms you'll meet on iqoser and elsewhere, in plain language and without spin. Where a term touches on health, the definition says what is and isn't known. IQOS, ILUMA and TEREA are trademarks of Philip Morris Products S.A.; iqoser is an independent retailer.

A to C

  • Aerosol: what a heated tobacco device produces instead of smoke: a mist of fine droplets and particles that you inhale. It isn't "just vapour" or steam, and it contains nicotine.
  • Amber: a TEREA tobacco blend, balanced and roasted; the usual everyday choice.
  • Band: the coloured strip printed "TEREA" at the mouth end of each stick. When a stick is inserted properly, only the band shows.
  • Blade: the heating part inside older IQOS devices, which pushed into the stick. ILUMA devices have no blade.
  • Bronze: a TEREA tobacco blend, rich and full, with cocoa and dried-fruit notes.
  • Cap: the sliding cover on the ILUMA i ONE. Slide it toward the light end to uncover the opening; close it after each session.
  • Capsule: a small bead inside the filter of some TEREA sticks. Squeeze the filter until it clicks to release extra flavour. Sun Pearl and Oasis Pearl have capsules.
  • Carton: 10 packs of TEREA, or 200 sticks.
  • Combustion: burning. Cigarettes burn tobacco; heated tobacco heats it without burning.

D to H

  • Dual use: using heated tobacco and still smoking cigarettes. It keeps you exposed to cigarette smoke, so it doesn't deliver the reduced exposure of switching completely.
  • FlexPuff: a feature that may add up to 4 puffs to the standard 14 in a session, depending on how you puff. It works automatically.
  • Filter: the mouth end of a TEREA stick. It has a line that shows how far to insert the stick.
  • Heat-not-burn: another name for heated tobacco. The tobacco is heated enough to release nicotine and flavour, but not set alight.
  • HEETS: the older tobacco sticks made for blade IQOS devices. They don't work in ILUMA devices. See TEREA vs HEETS.

I to M

  • ILUMA: the family of IQOS devices that heat by induction and use TEREA sticks.
  • ILUMA i: a two-piece ILUMA i family device with a holder and pocket charger. Not sold by iqoser.
  • ILUMA i ONE: the one-piece ILUMA i family device, with no separate holder or charger case. This is what iqoser sells.
  • ILUMA i PRIME: the premium two-piece ILUMA i family device with a wrap. Not sold by iqoser.
  • Induction: heating metal with a rapidly changing magnetic field, without touching it. The same principle as an induction cooktop.
  • IQOS: Philip Morris's brand of heated tobacco devices.
  • mCessation: India's text-message quit support programme. Give a missed call to 011-22901701 to sign up.
  • Menthol: a cooling flavour. Turquoise and Purple Wave are menthol blends; Sun Pearl is deep menthol tobacco with a capsule.
  • MRTP (modified risk tobacco product): a US FDA category. In July 2020 the FDA authorised an earlier IQOS system (IQOS 2.4) as an MRTP with a reduced-exposure claim. It did not authorise a reduced-risk claim, and the order doesn't cover ILUMA.

N to P

  • Nicotine: the addictive substance in tobacco. Every TEREA stick contains it.
  • NRT (nicotine replacement therapy): gum, lozenges and patches, sold in Indian pharmacies, used for a limited time to help people quit. A medical treatment, unlike heated tobacco. See our NRT guide.
  • Oasis Pearl: a TEREA capsule blend: toasted, creamy tobacco; click for passion fruit and menthol.
  • Pack: 20 TEREA sticks.
  • Preheat: the roughly 20 seconds after inserting a stick while the device heats it. The lights fill from bottom to top; a second vibration and four steady lights mean it's ready.
  • Purple Wave: a TEREA menthol blend with dark forest-fruit notes.

Q to S

  • Quitline: India's National Tobacco Quit Line, free on 1800-112-356, offering counselling to people who want to stop.
  • Reduced exposure: the finding that heated tobacco aerosol contains much lower levels of many harmful chemicals than cigarette smoke, so switching completely lowers exposure to them. Lower exposure has not been shown to mean lower risk of disease.
  • Session: one use of one stick: up to 6 minutes or 14 puffs, plus any FlexPuff puffs.
  • Silver: a TEREA tobacco blend, refined and lighter in taste. Lighter refers to taste, not nicotine.
  • SMARTCORE: the name of the induction heating system in ILUMA devices. See SMARTCORE explained.
  • Status bar: the four white lights on the ILUMA i ONE that show power, preheat and the session countdown. See the lights reference.
  • Sun Pearl: a TEREA capsule blend: deep menthol tobacco; click for cool watermelon.
  • Susceptor: the technical name for the sealed metal element inside each TEREA stick that the induction coil heats.

T to Z

  • TEREA: the tobacco sticks made for ILUMA devices. They work only in ILUMA-family devices and must never be used in an older blade IQOS.
  • Turquoise: a TEREA menthol blend: cool menthol over toasted tobacco with a zesty edge.
  • USB-C: the charging connection on the ILUMA i ONE. A full charge takes about 90 minutes and gives about 20 sessions.
  • WHO: the World Health Organization. Its position is that heated tobacco products are harmful, that reduced exposure doesn't mean reduced risk, and it does not endorse them as a way to quit.

A note on the health terms

Words like "reduced exposure" and "modified risk" sound reassuring, which is why it matters to be precise. Heated tobacco is not risk-free, and TEREA contains nicotine, which is addictive. The best thing a smoker can do is to quit completely; our quit smoking guide explains how.

Questions

What does heat-not-burn mean?

The tobacco is heated enough to release nicotine and flavour but not set alight, so there's no smoke or ash. It is still not risk-free.

What is a susceptor in TEREA?

The sealed metal element inside each stick that the ILUMA device heats by induction.

Is the aerosol from IQOS just water vapour?

No. It's a mix of fine droplets and particles that contains nicotine.

What does MRTP mean for IQOS?

It's a US FDA category. An earlier IQOS system was authorised with a reduced-exposure claim in 2020, not a reduced-risk claim, and ILUMA isn't covered.

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