Philip Morris Middle East launches IQOS ILUMA i Electric Purple in Dubai

Philip Morris Middle East, an affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) has introduced the IQOS ILUMA i Electric Purple to the UAE market, making the country the second in the region to receive the device following its recent global rollout. The launch, held at the IQOS Boutique in Dubai Mall, was accompanied by an immersive art installation created by Charlotte de Belle, a French artist who has called Dubai home since 2007.

The collaboration is part of a broader effort by PMI to embed its smoke-free portfolio within the cultural and creative communities of the markets where it operates.

For PMI, the UAE is far more than a retail destination. As Richa Rustagi, Managing Director for PMI Lower Gulf, Kuwait and Iraq, explained during an interview at the boutique ahead of the launch, the country functions as a launchpad for the wider region.

"The UAE is extremely dynamic, and that is not a coincidence. There is a very conscious vision from the leadership here to position the country at the forefront of progress and innovation," Rustagi said. "At the same time, the UAE has positioned itself as a vitrine for the world. Whatever happens here very quickly spreads to the region and beyond."

PMI first brought IQOS to the UAE in 2019. A year later, during the pandemic, the company opened its boutique in Dubai Mall. Its regional headquarters, overseeing operations across nearly 90 markets, are also based in the country.

Rustagi noted that roughly one million smokers reside in the UAE, with approximately 160,000 having already switched to IQOS. The remaining gap, she said, represents the core of the company's ongoing mission.

"We still have roughly 850,000 smokers we want to reach. Today, they still have not made the choice to switch," she said. "We need to make sure we talk to them about our products, that they have a chance to visit a place like this, speak with our experts about the science behind our products, and understand that there are better alternatives available."

The Electric Purple joins the IQOS ILUMA i range, which includes One, IQOS and Prime models. The device uses PMI's SMARTCORE Induction System, a bladeless heating technology that warms tobacco from within without combustion, producing no smoke and no ash. Features include a touch screen, pause mode, AutoStart, and what PMI calls FlexPuff and FlexBattery functionality for extended use.

Rustagi framed the colour launch as consistent with PMI's broader approach to the UAE. "Nothing has changed. We want to make sure that the UAE being the UAE and a vitrine to the world, the products we bring here are best in class and among the first in the world," she said.

The decision to pair a product launch with an art installation reflects something PMI has been building toward across the region. Previous collaborations in the UAE have included work with Dubai-based artist Kris Balerite, whose installation The Thread explored unity and connection through contemporary design. Globally, the brand partnered with Italian design house Seletti, a collaboration that was brought to Dubai Design Week 2025.

Rustagi offered a straightforward rationale for the creative approach. "What we have realised is that when adult smokers make the choice to switch to IQOS, this is a very important lifestyle choice," she said. "We wanted to make sure that alongside that messaging; adult consumers also see this as a brand that fosters and supports the local community."

She was clear that the intent goes beyond decoration. "IQOS is not just a product that we brought from elsewhere and transplanted here. We want to show that we are present as part of the community, and that is why we do these brand collaborations."

De Belle, the founder of Vertical Design DXB, is known for installations that combine traditional glass neon with materials such as cement, mirror and acrylic. Her work has appeared at Art Dubai, Dubai Design Week and the Bluewaters Art Festival. She learned neon tube bending in New York under David Ablon, a recognised pioneer of the craft.

For the IQOS boutique, de Belle created a piece based on the concept that curiosity is the beginning of discovery. Her installation translates this into a physical experience where light, texture and motion shift depending on the viewer's position.

"I love to work with mixed media, and I really wanted the viewer to not stand still but to be attracted by something visually that catches their eye and draws them into the store," de Belle said during a walkthrough of the piece. "The material I work with brings that quality. It represents a topography of light. It looks like it breathes, it shifts, and when people move around it, they discover something new."

At the centre of the installation, a neon element introduces stillness against the surrounding motion. De Belle described this tension as deliberate. "That contrast between the stillness, and the movement of the viewer is what brings the two together. Nothing acts alone. Everything comes with two forces."

When asked how she connected her artistic practice to the Electric Purple launch specifically, de Belle responded: "It was really about curiosity. Attract people with the light, get them in, and then let them move around and experience the interplay between movement and stillness. The colour was also important because of IQOS ILUMA i Electric Purple and the product itself. We injected both worlds together, the artistic and the brand, and what you get is the beauty of an art piece that lives naturally within the space."

PMI's global transformation from traditional tobacco to smoke-free alternatives is well documented. The company says it has invested over $16 billion since 2008 in developing and commercialising smoke-free products. As of its most recent earnings, smoke-free products accounted for 43 per cent of total net revenues, with an estimated 43 million consumers worldwide having made the switch.

In the UAE, Rustagi positioned the company's trajectory as naturally aligned with the country's own economic direction. "I would say the UAE's mission aligns very naturally with what PMI wants to do around the world," she said. "We see a lot of parallels between how the UAE never stops disrupting itself and how PMI is also taking some big bets and disrupting itself."

On what comes next, Rustagi was direct. "My job, along with everyone else on the team, is to make sure that whatever is the best in innovation at PMI, we put the UAE on the map. Whatever we have, the best devices, the best products, ZYN included, we want to bring it here as quickly as possible."

This product is not risk-free and contains nicotine, which is addictive. It is intended for adult smokers only.