As early as the 1960s, various tobacco companies have been working on an alternative to traditional combustion methods. This eventually led to the development of heat-not-burn devices, though their popularity in the consumer market has really only been prevalent in the 21st century.
First introduced in 1988, the R. J. Reynolds Premier is considered to be the first heat-not-burn device available to the consumer market. Marketed as a “smokeless cigarette,” the R. J. Reynolds Premier was designed to look like a traditional cigarette, and utilized charcoal to create an aerosol of nicotine. This early heat-not-burn device did require some sort of combustion and cost over $325 million to develop and introduce to the market. While the device was technologically innovative, it did not prove to be popular with users, with many smokers describing it as difficult to use and noting that the taste was unpleasant. The device was ultimately pulled from the market after the American Medical Association and other organizations recommended that the FDA restrict it or classify it as a drug.
Despite its initial failure, the Premier went on to be further developed and re-launched as the Eclipse in the mid-1990s. The advertising for the Eclipse was done through a viral marketing campaign. Unfortunately, the device failed to gain significant traction but this didn’t stop R.J Reynolds from continuing development on this technology. A Japanese version of the Eclipse was developed by Japan Tobacco, known as the Steam Hot One, and Reynolds went on to develop a brand called Revo. According to Reynolds, Revo was established as a “repositioning” of the Eclipse.
While Reynolds was the first company to introduce heat-not-burn devices to the market, it can be argued that Phillip Morris was the first tobacco company to fully realize the potential of these devices. In October 1998, Philip Morris launched the Accord in the US and in Osaka, Japan, though it was known as the Oasis in the Japanese market. The Accord was developed as a specialized cigarette to be used with an electronic heating system. The device was battery-powered and was about the size of a pager. The Accord was marketed as a “low-smoke” product and advertising for the device was drafted but was never released in the US. While the Accord ceased production in 2006, the device would go on to influence Philip Morris’ future designs in the heat-not-burn industry.
Following the Accord, in 2007 Philip Morris International introduced the Heatbar to the market. This device was about the size of a mobile phone and was designed to specifically heat cigarettes rather than burning them. Despite the innovations established by the Heatbar, the only benefit of the device was to lower second-hand smoke, which ultimately led to the device being discontinued.
Thanks to early innovations in heat-not-burn technology, Philip Morris once again returned to the market with the introduction of the IQOS in June 2014. Based on the Accord, the IQOS utilized specially designed tobacco sticks and heating technology that utilized lower temperatures to heat tobacco. Initially launched in Nagoya, Japan and Milan, Italy, the IQOS is one of the first successful heat-not-burn devices and is currently available in 49 countries as of October 2019.
Part of the success of the IQOS lies in the knowledge gained from past heat-not-burn devices, with users of the IQOS noting the effectiveness of the device and its ability to create a less aggressive odour.
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