I wrote/ Sama Mohamed
As part of Milan Design Week 2026, the “Soundsorial Design” experience was presented in collaboration between IQOS, the number 1 tobacco heating system1, and the French acoustic engineering company Devialet, as an immersive interactive space exploring the relationship between sound, technology, and sensory experience.
The experience was presented in the Tortona Rocks area of Milan, Italy, where it redefined the concept of sound from being an element that is only heard to one that can be seen and felt, by integrating light, movement, and sound waves within a dynamic and ever-changing environment.
This collaboration combines Devialet’s expertise in acoustic engineering and IQOS’s innovation-driven approach, in a multidimensional experience where sound becomes a core element shaping the entire interactive landscape.
The experience relies on employing advanced acoustic technologies from Devialet within an integrated sensory framework that blends hearing, sight, and feeling, where sound is transformed into a living element that can be seen and felt physically through its deep infrabass, in an interactive space that invites visitors to explore their own frequencies, giving the visitor an immersive sense of sound within the space.
In this context, Oggie Kapetanovic, PMI’s President Heat Not Burn, said: “In both companies, design is deeply functional and innovation is the foundation.
Patents, products and peer standards are the evidence. United by a relentless commitment to push innovation boundaries, Devialet and IQOS challenge the status quo while redefining the experiences of tomorrow”.
Kapetanovic added: “The sound waves carry a signature rhythm – a pattern as unique as a fingerprint. Yet waves also belong to the collective: they are energy moving through space, the invisible currents that bind us to one another.
This duality mirrors the spirit of the IQOS and Devialet collaboration. Devialet’s sound waves turn emotion into shared experience that combines individual expression and collective connection.”
For his part, Jacques Demont, Devialet’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Driven by a shared ambition to disrupt industry conventions, Devialet and IQOS have designed a truly ‘soundsorial’ experience for this exhibition. By bringing Devialet’s savoir-faire to the space, we have ensured that sound is no longer just a backdrop, it becomes a physical presence that completes the journey.”
The event also saw the unveiling of a limited edition titled “Soundsorial Limited-Edition Capsule Drop,” combining the IQOS ILUMA i PRIME device with Devialet Gemini II earbuds, featuring sound-wave-inspired patterns, in a direct reflection of the collaboration between the two brands.
Heated Tobacco technology, while not risk-free, is a better alternative for adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking.
combustion temperatures in cigarettes burns tobacco at 800°C, while IQOS heats tobacco at lower temperatures, producing an aerosol instead of smoke.
This has been shown to produce lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarette smoke.
Philip Morris International: A Global Smoke-Free Champion
Philip Morris International is a leading international consumer goods company, actively delivering a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector.
The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smokefree products, including heat-not-burn, nicotine pouch and e vapor products.
Our smoke-free products are available for sale in over 105 markets, and as of December 31, 2025 PMI estimates they were used by over 43 million legal-age consumers around the world, many of whom have moved away from cigarettes or significantly reduced their consumption.
The smoke-free business accounted for 41.5% of PMI’s full year 2025 total net revenues. Since 2008, PMI has invested over $16 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes.
This includes the building of worldclass scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies.
Following a robust science-based review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the marketing of Swedish Match’s General snus and ZYN nicotine pouches and versions of PMI’s IQOS devices and consumables – the first-ever such authorizations in their respective categories. Versions of IQOS devices and consumables and General snus also obtained the first-ever Modified Risk Tobacco Product authorizations from the FDA.
With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, PMI has a long-term ambition to expand into wellness areas.
References to “PMI”, “we”, “our” and “us” mean Philip Morris International Inc., and its subsidiaries.
For more information, please visit
www.pmi.com
www.pmiscience.com
1 PMI global estimate of total In-Market Sales of Heated Tobacco Units as of December 2024.
