What is the difference between nicotine and tobacco?

Tobacco and nicotine are often mentioned in the same context, but they are not the same thing. So what's the difference between nicotine and tobacco? Let’s have a look at what makes them different and how they are related.

Difference between tobacco and nicotine

Tobacco is a plant that is grown in many parts of the world and used in various products. Once the leaves are harvested and dried, they can be processed in several ways, depending on how they will be used. Tobacco has been cultivated for hundreds of years and comes in different varieties, with some containing more nicotine than others.

Nicotine is a substance found naturally in the tobacco plant. It acts as a natural defence for the plant and helps it keep insects away. Nicotine can be extracted from tobacco leaves and used in various forms, both in products containing tobacco and in products without tobacco.

It is also possible to produce synthetic nicotine, which means that the nicotine is produced in a laboratory without being extracted from the tobacco plant. Synthetic nicotine is used in some modern nicotine products and has the same chemical structure as natural nicotine.

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Try IQOS ILUMA for 60 days

Discover a better alternative by heating tobacco instead of burning it.

No smell of smoke

Heats tobacco & nicotine without burning it

No second-hand smoke and no ash

With IQOS there is no fire and therefore no smoke or ash follows - and no cleaning required, ever, with our latest ILUMA series!

Try IQOS ILUMA

Can you have nicotine without tobacco?

Yes, because nicotine can be extracted from the tobacco plant, it can be used in products where the tobacco itself is not present. This means that nicotine can be obtained without using tobacco in its natural form. Some nicotine products, such as white snus and e-cigarettes, therefore contain nicotine but no tobacco.

Is all tobacco nicotine-containing?

Yes, all tobacco leaves contain nicotine, but levels can vary depending on the variety and growing conditions. Factors such as climate, soil and time of harvest affect how much nicotine a particular plant develops.

There are also processes to reduce the nicotine content of tobacco, for example by treating the leaves in different ways before they are used in products. In some types of tobacco products, the nicotine content can be adjusted by mixing different tobacco leaves to obtain a specific strength.