Smokeless Products: An Introduction

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17 September 2024

INTRODUCTION

Smokeless Products: An Introduction

As the world changes at unprecedented speed, bringing innovation with agility is critical to a multi-category company like ours.


Since the launch of our first vapour product in 2013, we have been on a transformation journey to become a truly multi-category consumer products business, with a mission to build A Better Tomorrow™. We are creating new Smokeless Products, that encourage adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke, to switch to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk*† alternatives.

Our Smokeless Products can be categorised into four types: Heated Products, Vapour Products, Oral Tobacco Products, and Oral Nicotine Pouches. Through our transformation journey several terms are used to collectively define these products, e.g. Next Generation Products, Non- Combustible Products, New Category Products, and Reduced-Risk*† Products (RRPs). Additionally, each product type may have had a different term during the past decade (Figure 1). The commonality all these products share is that they operate with the absence of combustion. This is one of their key differentiators compared to cigarettes and the main factor as to why they have a reduced-risk*† relative to cigarettes.

* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.

† Our products as sold in the U.S., including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without agency clearance.

Figure 1: Smokeless Products

Inhalable

Other Names / Types

  • Heat-not-burn (HNB) 
  • Tobacco Heating Products (THP) 
  • Heated Tobacco Products (HTP) 
  • Herbal Heating Products (HHP) 

 

Absorption
Inhalation (Lung) 

 

BAT Lead Brand
glo™ 

 

Device

glo device

Consumable

neo consumable for glo

Consumer Operation
The consumer inserts the consumable into the battery-powered device and starts the heating session. Once the consumable has reached the necessary temperature, the consumer puffs on the product and inhales the aerosol. (Note: The consumable remains in the device) 

How they work
The consumable contains a plant-based (tobacco leaf or non-tobacco leaf) substrate that is heated to a temperature typically <300°C that forms an aerosol comprised of a carrier (glycerol), nicotine and flavours. 

Other Names / Types

  • Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) 
  • E-Cigarettes 
  • Vaping Devices 
  • Vapes 

 

Absorption
Inhalation (Lung) 

 

BAT Lead Brand
Vuse 

 

Device

Vuse GO device

Consumable

Vuse cartridge

Consumer Operation
The consumer inserts the consumable into the battery-powered device and turns on the device. Once on, if the device is puff-activated, the consumer will puff on the consumable and inhale the formed aerosol. If the device is button-activated, the consumer will press the button, puff on the consumable, and inhale the formed aerosol.

Note: for Vapour Products that do not have separate consumables (i.e. disposable e-cigarette) the consumer only needs to turn on the device before then puffing on the product as required.

How they work
The product contains an e-liquid comprised of carriers (glycerol and propylene glycol), nicotine and flavours, and a heating element. When activated, via puff or button, the heating element heats the liquid (to a temperature typically <200°C) and forms an aerosol comprised of the carriers, nicotine and flavours.

Oral

Other Names / Types

  • Traditional Oral 
  • Smokeless Tobacco 
  • Snus 
  • Moist-Snuff 

 

Absorption
Buccal Mucosa (Inner lining of the cheek between the lip and gum)

 

BAT Lead Brand

Camel

Lundgrens

Grizzly

 

Consumable

Snus pouches open box

Consumer Operation
The consumer takes a single portion or pouch and places it within the mouth, between the lip and gum.

How they work
When a portion or pouch is placed within the mouth, between the lip and gum, nicotine and flavours are absorbed from the pouch into blood stream via the buccal mucosa (inner lining of the cheek).

Other Names / Types

  • Modern Oral
  • Nicotine Pouches 

 

Absorption
Buccal Mucosa (Inner lining of the cheek between the lip and gum)

 

BAT Lead Brand
Velo

 

Consumable

Velo pouches open box

Consumer Operation

The consumer takes a single pouch and places it within the mouth, between the lip and gum.

How they work
When a pouch is placed within the mouth, between the lip and gum, nicotine and flavours are absorbed from the pouch into the blood stream via the buccal mucosa (inner lining of the cheek).

A history of Smokeless Products

Smokeless Products were first conceived as early as the 17th century, with Oral Tobacco Products, such as snus, used in Sweden. In the 1980s and 1990s, RJ Reynolds introduced Premier and Eclipse in the U.S. as the first Heated Products, which was followed by Accord from Philip Morris International. While unsuccessful commercially at that time, Heated Products were reintroduced in 2014, with Philip Morris International launching IQOS in Japan, followed closely by BAT under the brand glo. The largest category of Smokeless Products is Vapour Products. The first such products were introduced in China in 2004. In 2006, the Ruyan Group (Holdings) Limited launched the first e-cigarette in Europe and the U.S., called the ‘Ruyan V8’. We launched our first Vapour Products, Vype in the UK and Vuse Solo in the U.S., in 2013. The most recent category of Smokeless Products is Oral Nicotine Pouches, where we launched Velo in the U.S., in 2016. Innovation continues at pace in all categories to create a range of Smokeless Products that meet consumer demand and facilitate adult smokers switching to lower risk*† Smokeless Products.

1950s

Oral tobacco

Oral tobacco
1988

Heated products

Two Premier cigarettes packaging
1996

Heated products

eclipse cigarettes packaging
1998

Heated products

Accord launched

2006

Heated products

Heatbar launched

2006

Vapour products

First e-Cigarette Launched by Ruyan Group

2013

Vapour products

Vype device
2013

Heated products

Vuse device
2014

Heated Products

IQOS Launched

2015

Vapour Products

JUUL Launched

2016

Heated Products

glo device
2016

Vapour Products

Vuse Vapor device
2016

Oral Nicotine Pouches

Velo pouches box
2020

Heated Products

glo device
2022

Vapour Products

Vuse GO device
2024
glo device, Vuse device, Velo pouches box

Next
Chapter

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17 September 2024

01. Our vision: A need for reappraisal

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