IQOS vs Cigarettes: An Honest Side-by-Side Comparison
This is a comparison, so let's put the most important line first: the best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit nicotine completely. Neither a cigarette nor an IQOS device is the healthy option. If you're ready to stop, our quit smoking guide for India lists the free support available, including the National Tobacco Quit Line (1800-112-356).
If you already smoke and aren't ready to quit, here is an honest side-by-side of what changes when you switch from cigarettes to an IQOS ILUMA i ONE, and what doesn't.
The comparison table
| Cigarettes | IQOS ILUMA i ONE with TEREA | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens to the tobacco | It burns | It is heated, not burned |
| What you inhale | Smoke | An aerosol |
| Ash | Yes | None |
| Lighter or matches | Needed | Not needed; the device must be charged |
| Smell | Smoke smell that lingers on clothes, hands and rooms | Still a smell from the stick and aerosol, but not the lingering smoke smell in the same way |
| Harmful chemicals measured | High levels in smoke | Studies measure much lower levels of many harmful chemicals in the aerosol |
| Risk of disease | Well established | Lower risk has not been shown; not risk-free |
| Nicotine | Yes, addictive | Yes, addictive |
| Ongoing cost | What you pay per pack | ₹15 to ₹18 per stick, plus the device at ₹4,990 |
Most of the rows are practical: ash, lighters, smell. Two rows need more explanation, because they are where marketing and reality most often get confused.
What "reduced exposure" means
When tobacco burns, it produces smoke containing a very large number of chemicals, many of them harmful. Heating tobacco without burning it produces an aerosol instead. Studies, including Philip Morris's own and some independent ones, measure much lower levels of many harmful chemicals in heated tobacco aerosol than in cigarette smoke. That is what "reduced exposure" refers to: if you switch completely, you are exposed to lower levels of those chemicals.
In July 2020 the US Food and Drug Administration authorised an earlier IQOS system (IQOS 2.4) to be marketed with a reduced-exposure claim. The FDA did not authorise a claim that it reduces the risk of disease, and that order does not cover ILUMA. You can read the FDA's record of the IQOS orders on its website.
What it doesn't mean
Lower exposure has not been shown to mean lower risk of disease. Heated tobacco is not risk-free, and TEREA contains nicotine, which is addictive.
The World Health Organization's position is that heated tobacco products are harmful. In its July 2020 statement on heated tobacco, WHO said that reducing exposure to harmful chemicals does not render these products harmless and does not translate to reduced risk to human health. It also noted that some toxins have been found at higher levels in heated tobacco aerosol than in cigarette smoke, and that the health implications are unknown. WHO does not endorse heated tobacco as a way to quit. For a fuller look at the evidence, see our guide to what the studies on IQOS do and don't show.
Switching completely vs using both
Any reduction in exposure depends on switching completely. Using an IQOS device during the day and still smoking cigarettes in the evening, or "just at parties", keeps you exposed to cigarette smoke. Dual use doesn't deliver the reduced exposure described above.
The practical differences, honestly
Leaving health aside, these are the changes people notice most in daily life:
- No ash, no lighter. No ashtray to empty, no burnt fingers, no hunting for matches.
- Less lingering smell. Clothes, hair and car seats don't hold smoke in the same way. There is still a smell during use; our guide to IQOS smell and ash is frank about it.
- A different taste. Heated tobacco doesn't taste like a cigarette, and most people need a week or two to adjust.
- A battery to manage. About 20 sessions per charge, about 90 minutes to recharge over USB-C.
- A fixed session. Up to 6 minutes or 14 puffs per stick, rather than however long a cigarette lasts.
What about cost?
It depends entirely on what you pay for cigarettes and how many you smoke. TEREA costs ₹15 to ₹18 per stick on iqoser, and the device is a one-time cost. Our IQOS cost guide for India shows how to work it out with your own pack price.
The bottom line
Quitting is best. If you won't quit, switching completely from cigarettes to heated tobacco reduces your exposure to many harmful chemicals, but it is not risk-free, it hasn't been shown to lower your risk of disease, and you will still be using an addictive product. The ILUMA i ONE is for adults who already smoke. It is not a quit-smoking aid.
Questions
Is IQOS better than cigarettes?
It is different: heating, not burning, means no smoke or ash and lower measured levels of many harmful chemicals. Lower exposure has not been shown to mean lower risk of disease, and it is not risk-free. Quitting completely is best.
Does IQOS have nicotine like cigarettes?
Yes. TEREA sticks contain nicotine, which is addictive.
Did the FDA say IQOS reduces risk?
No. In July 2020 the FDA allowed a reduced-exposure claim for an earlier IQOS system and did not authorise a reduced-risk claim.
Does IQOS smell like cigarettes?
Not in the same lingering way, but there is still a smell during use.
Can IQOS help me quit smoking?
No. It is not a quit aid. For help quitting, call the National Tobacco Quit Line on 1800-112-356.