Is IQOS better than cigarettes?

Nothing proves it, despite what its sellers claim. Long-term evidence is missing. It may be less toxic on some measures, but dependence is rather reinforced — and definitely not a harmless product.

If I switch from IQOS to vaping, do I gain anything?

For most measured compounds, yes. Vaping delivers fewer toxicants than heated tobacco.

Is there a major difference between IQOS, glo and Ploom?

Marginal. Heating temperatures and formulations vary slightly, but the overall risk profile is similar.

Is heated tobacco banned for sale to minors?

Yes, everywhere in Europe — just like cigarettes and vapes.

Heated tobacco (IQOS, glo, Ploom): level of risk and current state of scientific knowledge

IQOS, glo, Ploom: these products heat tobacco without burning it. Less toxic than cigarettes? The science is more cautious than the manufacturers.

June 26, 2026 Aria

The scientific basis on quitting smoking was reviewed on a voluntary basis by Pr. Bertrand Dautzenberg , a tobacco specialist, in order to rule out gross, potentially dangerous errors. It reflects positions commonly shared by health professionals and health agencies, without always corresponding exactly to his thinking or his practice. He is not the author of this text; he has only carried out a vigilance review of it.

You have probably seen colleagues pull out a small device with a mini-cigarette that barely smells of anything. That is a heated tobacco product (HTP, heated tobacco product): IQOS by Philip Morris, glo by British American Tobacco, Ploom by Japan Tobacco.

The marketing says: '95% risk reduction vs cigarettes'. Independent science says: 'we do not know enough yet'. Here is where we stand, in 2026.

How it works

You insert a mini tobacco stick (Heets, Neo, Terea, etc.) into an electronic device. A blade or a pin heats the tobacco to 250-350°C — enough to vaporise the nicotine and flavourings, not enough for full combustion as in a cigarette.

You inhale an aerosol (not smoke) that contains:

nicotine,
flavourings,
water and glycerine vapour,
but also: carbon monoxide, nitrosamines, aldehydes — at reduced levels vs the cigarette, but not zero.

~50-90% reduction in exposure to several major toxicants vs cigarettes — depending on the compound, and on who funded the study.

Philip Morris studies filed with the FDA, independent counter-studies

The data trap: who pays for what?

This is probably the most important point. Most studies favourable to heated tobacco are:

funded by the manufacturers (mainly PMI on IQOS),
filed with the FDA as part of marketing authorisation requests,
focused on biomarkers of exposure rather than long-term clinical effects.

Independent studies (PubMed, academic meta-analyses) often find:

The available evidence is limited, sometimes contradictory, and hard to interpret. Industry-funded studies are not enough to establish that HTPs are safer than cigarettes for the people using them.

The Conversation, 2026 — Tobacco Control synthesis

What we can say with confidence, in 2026

Where health authorities stand

WHO: refuses to call heated tobacco 'less risky' without long-term clinical evidence.
US FDA: authorised IQOS as a 'modified-risk tobacco product' in 2020 (with very limited claims), withdrawn from the US market in 2021, with discussions reopening in 2026.
French Academy of Medicine: caution, asks for these products not to be presented as quit aids.
NHS (UK): considers them 'probably less risky' than cigarettes but not recommended first-line to quit smoking.

So is it better or not, for a smoker?

Is this an answer for a smoker who does not want to quit but wants to cut their risks?

And passive smoking?

Relative good news: the aerosol released smells less, contains fewer visible particles and less carbon monoxide than cigarette smoke. Bad news: it still contains nicotine and several toxicants, inhaled by the non-users around.

The 2026 market

Heated tobacco now accounts for 5 to 15% of the total tobacco market in several European countries (Italy, Germany, Poland in particular). In Japan, close to 30%. Growth is rapid — and the marketing aggressive. In the United Kingdom, heated tobacco remains a minor niche.

In United Kingdom

Your questions

Is IQOS better than cigarettes?

Nothing proves it, despite what its sellers claim. Long-term evidence is missing. It may be less toxic on some measures, but dependence is rather reinforced — and definitely not a harmless product.
If I switch from IQOS to vaping, do I gain anything?

For most measured compounds, yes. Vaping delivers fewer toxicants than heated tobacco.
Is there a major difference between IQOS, glo and Ploom?

Marginal. Heating temperatures and formulations vary slightly, but the overall risk profile is similar.
Is heated tobacco banned for sale to minors?

Yes, everywhere in Europe — just like cigarettes and vapes.

sources

Znyk M, Jurewicz J, Kaleta D, Exposure to Heated Tobacco Products and Adverse Health Effects, a Systematic Review, Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021 (and 2025 update).
WHO, Heated tobacco products: a brief, updated 2024.
Berman ML et al., Heated tobacco products: a critical review of evidence, Tobacco Control, 2026.
Académie nationale de médecine (France), Opinion on new tobacco products, 2023.