Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Switzerland
There is currently no federal law specifically regulating alternative tobacco products like heated tobacco or snus in Switzerland. Find out all market and regulatory aspects related to the Swiss region that will help you understand how this markets operates.
Business briefing
Regulatory briefing
Swiss Assembly starts debate this month on long-anticipated tobacco bill
2nd December 2020
Market reports
IQOS and Glo dominate the market for heated tobacco in Switzerland
8th January 2020
Introduction to the Swiss market
Home to around 8.4m people, Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world per capita. It is known for its lenient tobacco regulations – it has not ratified a global tobacco control treaty – yet despite this Switzerland’s smoking rate was 23% in 2019, lower than neighbouring France or Germany.
Furthermore, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) study in 2018, smoking prevalence is falling every year and the WHO estimates this trend will continue for the next five years. Despite this trend, Switzerland is home to the three Big Tobacco companies’ headquarters – Philip Morris International (PMI), Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and British American Tobacco (BAT). The three companies are investing in reduced-risk products – heated tobacco, vaping and smokeless tobacco products.
Switzerland was one of the first markets where heated tobacco products were launched. In 2019, JTI stopped selling Ploom Tech in Switzerland, leaving just Iqos and Glo as the only heated tobacco brands currently available in the country.
