Levia, a new stick brand compatible with IQOS ILUMA series, is going to be rolled out. Next to Terea and Sentia, Levia is PMI’s third stick brand to expand the portfolio of the IQOS ILUMA series. But different from TEREA, SENTIA, Marlboro and Heets, it is tobacco-free.
How is LEVIA different from Terea, Sentia, Marlboro and Heets?
From the perspectives of the material, compatible model, flavor and price, Levia differs from Terea, Sentia, Marlboro and Heets.
Structure and material
About the material, LEVIA is made from cellulose. In an interview with Daily News Egypt, Gizelle Baker, the Vice President of Global Scientific Engagement at PMI said LEVIA is made from cellulose, which is a natural plant fibre1.
But it is unknown which kind of plant the cellulose comes from.
Compatible model
Levia sticks, like Terea and Sentia, are compatible with IQOS ILUMA models.
However, as Baker illustrates, PMI will update the firmware on the device to enable the device to recognize which product is inserted in it and adjust the settings accordingly1.
So in the future, IQOS Iluma series will be updated to recognize whether Terea, Sentia or Levia is inserted and adjust the settings to help users have the best experience.
Flavor
There are two flavors of LEVIA currently. They are LEVIA Electro Rouge and LEVIA Island Beat.
Electro Rouge: It has a refreshing blueberry flavor, blending the flower aroma.
Island Beat: It blends the flavor of cream and cool mint.
Price
We learned that the price of LEVIA in Czech is 120 Koruna per pack2.
Why does LEVIA use herbal materials?
Herbal sticks are made for two main reasons.
Flavor ban
According to Directive (EU) 2022/2100, the flavor ban applies to heated tobacco products (htps) as well, which means that any flavor (including menthol and other characterizing flavors) can not be added into htps and the regulation takes effect from October 23, 20233.
Most flavored heated tobacco products are prohibited from entering into EU market. However, heated herbal products are not banned. Made from herbal material, heat not burn products that contain nicotine can satisfy users’ needs. LEVIA is a flavored non-tobacco stick product.
Heavy tax
According to Directive (EU) 2022/2100, novel tobacco products include heated tobacco products3. Tax on tobacco products is heavy in some markets. Jacek Olczak, the CEO of PMI, gave a speech on the investor day and said the product may avoid heavy taxes4.
As far as we know, BAT released Veo which is also a nicotine-containing tobacco-free stick compatible with the Glo device. Similarly, Veo used South African Rooibos tea as the material.
CCOBATO’s herbal brands – Ccobato and Unicco
CCOBATO is dedicated to heated herbal sticks and the R&D of herbal substrates for years. CCOBATO developed multiple flavor series to satisfy users’ different needs.
Ccobato, Unicco and CHT are the three main brands created by CCOBATO. Among them, Ccobato is nicotine-free herbal sticks, Unicco is nicotine-containing herbal sticks, and CHT (Ccobato Heated Tobacco) is pure tobacco products.
More surprisingly, Unicco now has a black gold series and e-cigarette style version. The black gold series replicates the sensation of cigarettes with non-tobacco materials. While e-cigarette version would be sweeter with fruity flavors.
Both Ccobato and Unicco are herbal leaves-made products. They provide users with a new and more healthy smoking choice. Besides, they are not tobacco, which means they could be free from heavy tax and regulation. Please go to the page to learn more about CCOBATO’s herbal products and the tax policies.
Conclusion
The decision to release LEVIA will be a big step to affect the development of heated tobacco industry as IQOS occupies an increasing market share and most smokers switch to IQOS ILUMA.
This would also have an important impact on the niche manufacturers. We are looking forward to the day it launches. And we are curious and excited to see what change would happen.
(Notes: Please be aware that the trademarks of LEVIA, TEREA, SENTIA and IQOS mentioned in this passage are of PMI and the trademark of VEO is of BAT. They have nothing to do with CCOBATO. Furthermore, PMI and BAT’s products have nothing to do with CCOBATO’s products. All statements here represent the article partner’s opinions.)
References
[1] PMI to launch tobacco-free LEVIA with 99% less harmful chemicals than cigarettes
[2] Příchutě nekončí, nové náplně LEVIA pro IQOS ILUMA s borůvkou a mátou
[4] Philip Morris develops zero-tobacco heat stick that may avoid regulations