The answer: Both are non-combusted nicotine delivery systems, but they differ fundamentally in what they heat, what they produce, and what harm profile results. Understanding the distinction matters because the two are often conflated in both public discourse and policy.
What heated tobacco is
Heated tobacco products (HTPs) heat real tobacco leaf to temperatures below combustion (typically 250 to 350 degrees Celsius) to produce a nicotine-containing aerosol. The tobacco is heated, not burned. No combustion means no tar and reduced carbon monoxide- the two primary drivers of cigarette smoking’s most severe health consequences.
The tobacco leaf is present and real. The nicotine comes from actual tobacco. The aerosol produced contains tobacco-derived compounds (including some carcinogens) at lower concentrations than cigarette smoke, not harmless.
IQOS is the dominant heated tobacco product globally. Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco (glo), and Japan Tobacco International (Ploom) are the primary manufacturers.
What vaping is
Electronic cigarettes (vapes) heat a liquid solution (e-liquid) containing nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, and flavoring to produce an aerosol. No tobacco leaf is present. The nicotine is pharmaceutical-grade nicotine extracted from tobacco or synthetic nicotine and added to the liquid, not delivered through heating tobacco itself.
The aerosol produced is fundamentally different from both cigarette smoke and heated tobacco aerosol, containing no tobacco combustion byproducts, no tar, and significantly lower concentrations of harmful compounds found in cigarette smoke, but are not harmless.
The key differences
Source of nicotine: Heated tobacco- tobacco leaf. Vaping- nicotine solution, no tobacco leaf present.
What is produced: Heated tobacco: aerosol from partially decomposed tobacco compounds, some carcinogens present. Vaping: aerosol from heated nicotine solution, tobacco carcinogens largely absent.
Harm profile: Heated tobacco carries residual tobacco-specific carcinogen exposure absent from vaping. Vaping carries concerns about propylene glycol, flavoring compounds, and in the case of vitamin E acetate adulteration, associated with the 2019 US EVALI outbreak acute lung injury risk from contaminated products.
Regulatory status in India: Both are banned under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act 2019, which explicitly covers both electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
Appearance and behavior: Heated tobacco use closely resembles cigarette smoking with similar ritual, similar tobacco smell, and similar hand-to-mouth behavior. Vaping produces visible vapor clouds, is odorless or flavored, and looks and feels distinctly different from smoking.
What both share
Nicotine delivery sufficient to maintain and produce dependence. Behavioral ritual reinforcement of the smoking circuit. Commercial positioning by tobacco and nicotine companies whose interest is in maintaining nicotine markets. Regulatory challenges in contexts where the harm reduction benefit must be balanced against the risk of new user initiation and dual use alongside cigarettes.
The one thing to hold onto
Heated tobacco heats tobacco. Vaping heats nicotine liquid. Both deliver nicotine without combustion. Both maintain dependence. Neither is a path to freedom from nicotine, only a way of remaining dependent on it.
The distinction matters for harm reduction. It does not matter for cessation, because neither product produces it.
Cignix is India’s neural circuit-based smoking cessation platform. The Cignix Protocol works with the biology of how smoking is learned and how it is unlearned. The entry point is the Smoking Immunity Meter at learn.cignix.com/user/sim. Visit cignix.com.