IQOS is Philip Morris’s heated tobacco system: a small device that heats a tobacco stick instead of burning it. The current range is ILUMA, which only works with TEREA sticks. This page explains the models, the sticks, how it differs from a cigarette and a vape, and where heated tobacco stands under Australian law.

中文简介：IQOS 是菲莫国际（Philip Morris）的加热烟草设备，加热烟弹而不是点燃。现在的主力是 ILUMA 系列，只能用 TEREA 烟弹；旧款带加热片的 IQOS 用 HEETS，两种烟弹不能混用。这篇讲型号区别、烟弹怎么选，以及加热烟草在澳洲法律上的现状。TEREA 全部 21 个口味见这篇。

How IQOS works

A cigarette burns tobacco at around 600 °C or more. IQOS heats a tobacco stick to a lower temperature, so the tobacco gives off a nicotine-containing aerosol without catching fire. There is no ash and less smell than smoke, but it is still real tobacco and it still delivers nicotine. Each stick lasts about six minutes or up to 14 puffs, whichever comes first, much like a cigarette.

ILUMA devices heat the stick from the inside using induction: a metal strip sealed inside each TEREA stick warms up in the device’s magnetic field. Older IQOS models used a heated blade that pierced the stick instead.

The ILUMA range

Model Style Sticks per charge
ILUMA One / ILUMA i One All-in-one, no separate holder About 20 in a row
ILUMA / ILUMA i Pocket charger plus holder Holder: about 2 in a row, then back in the pocket charger to top up
ILUMA Prime / ILUMA i Prime Premium version of ILUMA with a wrap-around cover As ILUMA

The “i” models are the 2024 update. They add a touch screen, a pause mode that lets you stop mid-stick for up to eight minutes, and a FlexPuff setting that adjusts the session to how you puff. Every ILUMA model, original or “i”, uses the same TEREA sticks.

TEREA vs HEETS

TEREA HEETS
Works in ILUMA and ILUMA i only Older blade IQOS (3 DUO, Originals, earlier)
Heating Induction, metal strip inside the stick Blade pushed into the stick
Mouth end Sealed Open filter

They are not interchangeable. HEETS won’t heat in an ILUMA, and Philip Morris warns against using TEREA in a blade device because the metal strip can damage it. If you are buying sticks, check which device you have first.

TEREA comes in regular tobacco, menthol and capsule (“Pearl”) versions. Our TEREA flavour guide lists all 21 with tasting notes.

Is IQOS healthier than smoking?

Heating instead of burning cuts the levels of many measured toxicants compared with cigarette smoke, but it does not remove them, and there are no long-term health studies yet. Much of the research is funded by the manufacturer. We go through what the independent evidence does and doesn’t show in Vaping vs IQOS: Which Is “Healthier”?

Heated tobacco and Australian law

Australia treats heated tobacco differently from cigarettes:

  • Only nicotine in tobacco “prepared and packed for smoking” is exempt from the Poisons Standard. Heated tobacco isn’t smoked in that sense, so the nicotine in it is classed as a Schedule 4, prescription-only substance.
  • In 2020 the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) refused Philip Morris’s application to change this. Philip Morris has not launched IQOS in Australia.
  • Heat-not-burn products are a prohibited import under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations: they can’t be imported, including by mail, without prior permission. The Australian Border Force’s tobacco page says adult travellers don’t need a permit for tobacco they carry within the duty-free allowance, but its vaping page lists heat-not-burn under the stricter regulation. Ask the ABF before you fly with sticks.

Cancer Council Victoria sums it up as heated tobacco products being “essentially prohibited in Australia”. Rules can change, so check the TGA and Australian Border Force for the current position.

FAQ

Can I use HEETS in an IQOS ILUMA?

No. ILUMA only heats TEREA sticks, which have a metal strip inside. HEETS have none and won’t heat.

Can I use TEREA in an older IQOS?

No. Philip Morris warns that the metal strip in TEREA can damage a blade-heated device.

How long does one TEREA stick last?

About six minutes or 14 puffs, whichever comes first. The device ends the session and vibrates to let you know.

Does IQOS smell?

Much less than a cigarette and the smell doesn’t cling the same way, but there is a noticeable heated-tobacco smell while you use it.

Sources