Philip Morris launches new IQOS ILUMA in the UAE, aims for a smoke-free future

“The main difference between cigarettes and smoke free products is combustion like making a grill barbeque vs making it in the oven. So, the smoke free products is called ‘smoke free’ because we don’t have any combustion. Combustion is the main reason that harmful chemicals are produced,” Tarkan Demirbas, Area Vice President Middle East, Philip Morris Management Services told Arabian Business.

“When you eliminate combustion you eliminate the potentially harmful elements, we have managed to eliminate 95% of potentially harmful chemicals (with the new smoke-free products),” he added.

The innovative heating technology in the devices is the Smartcore Induction System which heats the tobacco from within the sticks. The new sticks features an auto-start function that detects when the tobacco stick is inserted and automatically turns on the device to heat the tobacco from the core without burning it.

A $9bn investment has been made in their smoke-free line, “disrupting our business model to transform the industry,” Demirbas added. The new innovation is backed by science and consumer feedback.

The company aims to reach 100 markets in the next three years, currently present in 70 around the world.

PMI states that its commitment to society is to replace all cigarettes ultimately with smoke free products which are “less harmful and a better choice for adult smokers.”

PMI expressed ambition to convert cigarette smokers to users of smoke free products, at least 40 million PMI cigarette smokers by 2025. The company intends to have 50 percent of revenue come from smoke-free products by 2025.

When asked about the colour options, Demirbas said, “we need to appeal to the smokers this is one of the reasons we use the different colours. They need some initiation to quit their habits and switch to a new product.”

In regards to ceasing cigarette sales completely, Demirbas explained to Arabian Business, “Eventually we should replace all cigarettes with smoke free alternatives. But you cannot order people to stop smoking and switch to the smoke free product. So, as long as there is demand, we should really manage that demand. We want the transformation fast but we cannot do it alone, we need the government’s leadership through regulation.”

“Regulations should be based on the risk. Cigarettes should have the toughest regulations and then smoke-free products should be regulated according to the risk assessment and through that we can accelerate this transformative process,” he added.

“The launch of the new IQOS ILUMA in the UAE is the most recent example of our commitment to offer adult smokers with scientifically substantiated alternatives which, while not risk-free, are considered better alternatives to continued smoking,” Demirbas concluded.