IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

Industry Insight by Ellesmere Zhu

Oct.31.2022

“Heated Tobacco only” as the IQOS brand may imply, guests in the room were all smoking traditional cigarettes.

Article by Ellesmere Zhu | photo by David Yu

2FIRSTS correspondent notices that in the international departure of Manila International Airport lies a smoking room labeled IQOS, an HTP brand of PMI.

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

The room was not crowded but always occupied as people went in and out. “HTP only” as the IQOS brand may imply, guests in the room were all smoking traditional cigarettes.

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

#Africa #Egypt #Regulation

*This article is an original article of 2FIRSTS Technology Co., Ltd. The copyright and license rights belong to the company. Any entity or individual shall make link and credit 2FIRSTS when taking actions to copy, reprint or distribute the original article. The company retains the right to pursue its legal responsibility.

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

California Lawmakers Pass Disposable Nicotine Vape Ban, With Sales Prohibition Set for 2028

California Lawmakers Pass Disposable Nicotine Vape Ban, With Sales Prohibition Set for 2028

According to CBS Los Angeles on August 27, 2026, California lawmakers have passed Assembly Bill 762, which would phase out disposable, battery-embedded nicotine vapes in the state. If signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, manufacturing and importation of the covered products would be prohibited beginning January 1, 2027, followed by a sales ban on January 1, 2028. Driven primarily by concerns over electronic waste, lithium-battery fires and environmental pollution, the legislation would further shift California’s legal vape market toward rechargeable, refillable or replaceable-pod devices.

NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”

NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”

At the 2026 New Approaches Summit in New York, former FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Mitch Zeller called for the tobacco harm reduction debate to shift from the traditional “end game” toward defining a desired “end state.” He also highlighted unresolved concerns around dual use, argued that biomarkers of exposure may be more meaningful than cigarettes-per-day in assessing risk reduction, and said nicotine misperceptions remain a major barrier to public health progress.

Kelly White Bets on Female Consumers as Nicotine Pouch Competition Intensifies | 2Firsts Interview

Kelly White Bets on Female Consumers as Nicotine Pouch Competition Intensifies | 2Firsts Interview

Swedish nicotine pouch brand Kelly White is building its strategy around adult female consumers. Founder and CEO Sophia Wilsby told 2Firsts that women accounted for around 70% of the brand’s repeat customers on HAYPP in Sweden in 2025. The interview explores female consumer segmentation, product and design differentiation, gender stereotypes, packaging regulation, and how independent brands can compete with global players such as ZYN and VELO while considering funding, partnerships and future ownership options.

HG Innovation, linked to IMiracle and ELFBAR, wins China patent for 6-methylnicotine salts covering vaping and oral products

HG Innovation, linked to IMiracle and ELFBAR, wins China patent for 6-methylnicotine salts covering vaping and oral products

HG Innovation Limited has been granted a Chinese invention patent covering 6-methylnicotine salt formulations and their use in oral and vaping products. The technology forms salts between 6-methylnicotine and alicyclic carboxylic acids, with granted claims extending to oral products, atomization substrates and electronic atomization devices. Applicant-generated tests reported differences in oxidation stability, in-vitro cytotoxicity and aerosol heavy-metal performance compared with selected benzoate or lactate controls. HG Innovation is directly linked to the broader IMiracle and ELFBAR business network.

UK Directors Banned After 352,688 Vapes Imported From China Were Misdeclared as Medical Nebulizers in £15 Million Tax Case

UK Directors Banned After 352,688 Vapes Imported From China Were Misdeclared as Medical Nebulizers in £15 Million Tax Case

The UK Insolvency Service said YSK Enterprises imported large quantities of vapes from China in 2023, with a shipment addressed to the company declared as medical nebulizers before Border Force found 352,688 vaping products. HMRC calculated nearly £15 million ($20.3 million) in unpaid VAT and customs duty, alongside about £437,000 in corporation tax. Two directors were disqualified for nine years. The case predates the UK's Vaping Products Duty, which will introduce vape-specific excise and duty-stamp requirements from October 2026.

PMI CEO Attends Opening of IQOS Global Flagship in Tokyo’s Ginza as 1,814 Limited ILUMA i PRIME Sets Launch

PMI CEO Attends Opening of IQOS Global Flagship in Tokyo’s Ginza as 1,814 Limited ILUMA i PRIME Sets Launch

IQOS opened its first global flagship, IQOS Flagship Ginza, in Tokyo on September 4, 2026, replacing the former IQOS Store Ginza after nearly a decade of operation. The new location expands conventional product retail into member lounges, digital experiences, art installations and brand programming. IQOS also launched a Ginza-exclusive IQOS ILUMA i PRIME set limited to 1,814 individually numbered units, priced at JPY11,980, or about US$77. PMI Sales Strategy Consultant Yuji M. later said on LinkedIn that more than 500 people had lined up from the night before the opening.

Related Topics

Related Read

California Lawmakers Pass Disposable Nicotine Vape Ban, With Sales Prohibition Set for 2028

California Lawmakers Pass Disposable Nicotine Vape Ban, With Sales Prohibition Set for 2028

NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”

NAS 2026 | Former FDA Tobacco Chief Mitch Zeller Calls for Shift From “End Game” to “End State”

Kelly White Bets on Female Consumers as Nicotine Pouch Competition Intensifies | 2Firsts Interview

Kelly White Bets on Female Consumers as Nicotine Pouch Competition Intensifies | 2Firsts Interview

HG Innovation, linked to IMiracle and ELFBAR, wins China patent for 6-methylnicotine salts covering vaping and oral products

HG Innovation, linked to IMiracle and ELFBAR, wins China patent for 6-methylnicotine salts covering vaping and oral products

UK Directors Banned After 352,688 Vapes Imported From China Were Misdeclared as Medical Nebulizers in £15 Million Tax Case

UK Directors Banned After 352,688 Vapes Imported From China Were Misdeclared as Medical Nebulizers in £15 Million Tax Case

PMI CEO Attends Opening of IQOS Global Flagship in Tokyo’s Ginza as 1,814 Limited ILUMA i PRIME Sets Launch

PMI CEO Attends Opening of IQOS Global Flagship in Tokyo’s Ginza as 1,814 Limited ILUMA i PRIME Sets Launch