Premier
Premier was an unsuccessful American heated-tobacco cigarette introduced by R.J. Reynolds in 1988.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Premier was an American cigarette brand developed and manufactured by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, then part of RJR Nabisco. Introduced commercially in the United States in 1988, it is generally regarded as the first commercial heated-tobacco product. Unlike a conventional cigarette, Premier used a rigid casing, a small quantity of processed tobacco, flavor beads, and a carbon tip. Lighting the carbon element heated the tobacco and flavor materials, producing a nicotine-containing aerosol with little conventional smoke and no tar as that term was used in the product's positioning. The design was intended to respond to growing public concern about the health effects of smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Reynolds hoped that health-conscious smokers would adopt Premier rather than quit, and that former smokers might return to the company's products. The product's development was conducted with unusual secrecy. Tylee Wilson, chief executive of RJR Nabisco, supported the project as a way to regain competitive momentum after Philip Morris had overtaken Reynolds in the tobacco market. The project reportedly began in 1981 and was kept from the company's board for several years, despite the involvement of hundreds of employees, outside scientists, suppliers, and an advertising agency. Wilson authorized substantial development spending without obtaining the level of audit-committee approval expected by the board. The resulting governance controversy contributed to his removal as chief executive and the appointment of F. Ross Johnson. Premier performed poorly in test markets, including Arizona and Missouri, and encountered strong consumer resistance after launch. Users found the cigarettes difficult to light and draw on, while the taste and smell were widely criticized. Sulfur matches could react with the carbon tip and create an offensive odor. Internal research reportedly found that fewer than five percent of American smokers in one study liked the taste, while Japanese research produced an even more negative reaction. Reynolds also questioned whether the device delivered nicotine effectively enough for smokers. The product attracted criticism beyond ordinary consumer complaints. Medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to consider restrictions or drug-like regulation. Critics also raised concerns about possible misuse of the device for consuming illicit substances. After only a short period on the market, Reynolds withdrew Premier in 1989. Development and deployment costs were reported at approximately $300 million to $325 million, while total losses were later estimated at roughly $800 million to $1 billion. Premier therefore became a prominent example of a commercially unsuccessful reduced-smoke or heated-tobacco initiative. Reynolds later revisited the underlying concept through its Eclipse brand in the 1990s.
History
Premier emerged from R.J. Reynolds' effort to create a cigarette that could deliver nicotine while reducing the smoke and tar associated with conventional tobacco combustion. The project was developed during a period of increasing anti-smoking sentiment and public concern about secondhand smoke. Reynolds believed that a product with fewer visible emissions could defend cigarette consumption among existing smokers and potentially attract people who had stopped smoking or were considering quitting because of health concerns. The engineering concept differed substantially from an ordinary cigarette. Premier had a hard outer casing rather than the familiar soft paper construction. Inside was a limited quantity of processed tobacco, together with flavor beads. A carbon tip was ignited to heat the contents, creating an aerosol for inhalation. The product was consequently marketed as a smokeless or reduced-smoke cigarette, although its unfamiliar operation created significant practical problems. It could be difficult to light, hard to draw on, and inconsistent in its sensory experience. Some types of matches also produced an unpleasant reaction with the carbon tip. The program was closely associated with Tylee Wilson, then chief executive of RJR Nabisco. Wilson viewed the project as strategically important because Reynolds had lost ground to Philip Morris. Development reportedly began in 1981 and remained undisclosed to the board for approximately five years. The secrecy was controversial because the program involved many employees and external participants, including scientists, suppliers, and an advertising agency. When board chairman J. Paul Sticht discovered the project, directors focused not only on the product's poor taste and smell but also on Wilson's failure to provide appropriate disclosure. Wilson had approved approximately $68 million in development expenditure, which the board viewed as beyond his authority without audit-committee consent. He was replaced by F. Ross Johnson, under an arrangement that included continued compensation and retirement-related payments. Premier was test-marketed in the United States, including Arizona and Missouri, but consumers reacted negatively. Research cited in accounts of the product found that fewer than five percent of American smokers surveyed liked its taste. Testing in Japan was also highly unfavorable. Users complained about a strange flavor, unpleasant odor, and the effort required to obtain a satisfactory draw. Reynolds itself reportedly questioned whether Premier functioned well as a nicotine-delivery system. The product also faced regulatory and public-health scrutiny. The American Medical Association and other groups asked the Food and Drug Administration to consider whether Premier should be restricted or treated as a drug, while activists raised the possibility that the device could be adapted for illicit drug use. Reynolds launched Premier commercially in the United States in 1988. The product was withdrawn only months later, in 1989, after its failure to gain consumer acceptance. Reported development and deployment expenditure was approximately $300 million to $325 million, and aggregate losses were later estimated at $800 million to $1 billion. These figures made Premier one of the tobacco industry's most costly product failures. The company did not abandon the basic idea entirely: in the 1990s, it introduced Eclipse, another product built around a related reduced-combustion or heated-tobacco concept. Premier is therefore historically significant less as a successful brand than as an early commercial attempt to create a modern heated-tobacco product.
- 1990
Related concept reappears as Eclipse
[1]R.J. Reynolds later returned to the underlying heated-tobacco concept with Eclipse.
- 1989
Product withdrawn
[1]Reynolds removed Premier from the market after a short and commercially unsuccessful run.
- 1988
Commercial launch in the United States
[1]Premier was released as an early commercial heated-tobacco cigarette.
- 1986
Board controversy over undisclosed development program
[1]RJR Nabisco directors learned of the project and challenged Tylee Wilson's handling of disclosure and spending authority.
- 1981
Premier development reportedly begins
[1]R.J. Reynolds began work on a concealed reduced-smoke cigarette project later commercialized as Premier.
Products and positioning
A reduced-smoke, low-tar alternative to conventional cigarettes intended to retain nicotine consumption while addressing concerns about smoking-related health effects and secondhand smoke.
Heated-tobacco cigarette · 1988
Premier
Premier was a hard-cased cigarette containing processed tobacco and flavor beads. A carbon tip was lit to heat the contents and generate a nicotine aerosol with minimal conventional smoke. The product was intended as an alternative to combustible cigarettes for smokers concerned about health effects or secondhand smoke. In practice, consumers criticized its taste, smell, difficulty of lighting, and restricted draw. It was launched in the United States in 1988 and discontinued in 1989.
Controversies
1986
Undisclosed Premier development project
Tylee Wilson's decision to withhold the Premier project from RJR Nabisco's board for several years became a governance controversy. Directors objected to the lack of disclosure and to approximately $68 million in spending authorized without the expected audit-committee approval. The episode contributed to Wilson's replacement as chief executive.
Brand decisions
1989
Withdrawal of PremierStrategyBackground
Weak test-market and launch results, negative sensory feedback, and questions about nicotine delivery undermined the product's commercial prospects.
Action taken
R.J. Reynolds removed Premier from the market after only a short period.
Aftermath
The failure produced very large losses but did not end Reynolds' interest in reduced-combustion products; the company later introduced Eclipse.
Reported development and deployment cost. $300 million-$325 million (1989)
1988
Launch of Premier in the United StatesProduct launchBackground
R.J. Reynolds sought to answer growing opposition to conventional smoking and prevent health-conscious smokers from leaving the category.
Action taken
The company introduced a heated-tobacco cigarette using a carbon tip, processed tobacco, and flavor beads.
Aftermath
Consumers generally rejected the product because of its taste, odor, and difficult operation, and Reynolds withdrew it the following year.
Recent events
Reported
Premier names Marena a medical-garment supplier[2]
Premier named The Marena Group its manufacturer and supplier of medical-grade post-surgical compression wear under an agreement effective December 1, 2021.
Reported
Premier launches free value-for-member assessment service[3]
Premier launched a free value-for-member assessment service to assist defined contribution scheme trustees with new regulations.
Reported
AMCASE awarded Premier group purchasing agreement[4]
AMCASE was awarded a group purchasing agreement with Premier, allowing Premier members to access pre-negotiated pricing and terms for AMCASE furnishings and related products.
Reported
Med Center Health, DeRoyal and Premier establish gown-production joint venture[5]
Med Center Health entered into a partnership with DeRoyal Industries and Premier to create a joint venture dedicated to domestic production of isolation gowns. Med Center Health also committed to purchasing a portion of its annual gowns from the venture.
Reported
SourceMark receives Premier’s 2020 Supplier Diversity Award[6]
SourceMark received the 2020 Supplier Diversity Award from Premier Inc. The award recognizes contracted suppliers for contributions to diversity programs in their organizations and communities.
- Unconfirmed
McLaren Northern Michigan partners with PPE suppliers[7]
McLaren Northern Michigan partnered with Premier, Inc. and Prestige Ameritech to expand access to domestic personal protective equipment.
Reported
Advocate Aurora Health partners with Premier to invest in Prestige Ameritech[8]
Advocate Aurora Health announced a partnership with Premier Inc. to acquire a minority stake in Prestige Ameritech, as part of an initiative involving health systems investing in domestic manufacturing of medical products.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
PeaceHealth and Premier partner on drug supply[9]
PeaceHealth partnered with Premier Inc. to use Premier’s ProvideGx program to source drugs on the national drug shortage list and in categories with limited competition.
Sources9 sources
- 1Premier (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org
- 2Premier指定Marena为医疗服装供应商prweb.com
- 3Premier推出免费的会员价值评估服务professionalpensions.com
- 4AMCASE获得Premier集团采购协议prweb.com
- 5Med Center Health、DeRoyal与Premier成立隔离衣生产合资企业bgdailynews.com
- 6SourceMark获得Premier 2020年供应商多元化奖biospace.com
- 7McLaren Northern Michigan与PPE供应商建立合作9and10news.com
- 8Advocate Aurora Health与Premier合作投资Prestige Ameritechfox6now.com
- 9PeaceHealth与Premier合作保障药品供应vbjusa.com
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