Lifestyle

Shisha smokers turn to healthier alternatives

March 31, 2025, 12:55 PM

Healthier, vape-like electronic shisha that use electronic elements tend to appeal to female smokers

Vape-like e-shisha
Tech evolving
Not yet mainstream

In the same way that non-alcoholic drinks are now a regular feature in restaurants and bars in the UAE, hookah smokers are increasingly turning to healthier substitutes to satisfy their shisha fix.

“People are seeking alternatives that are better for their health yet do not impact lifestyle choices,” said Naim Madaad, a founding member of Dubai Restaurant Group.

Originating in the Middle East and South Asia, the shisha is a device used to smoke specially prepared, often flavoured tobacco mixtures. The smoking process, traditionally associated with social gatherings, involves passing charcoal-heated air through the tobacco and a water-filled chamber before inhalation.

The global shisha tobacco market was worth about $3 billion last year and is projected to grow roughly 50 percent over the next decade or so to $4.5 billion. It has been led by consumption in countries such as Turkey, UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to Verified Market Reports.

Health experts have said that shisha smoking carries significant risks. A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that smoke inhaled in one hour of shisha is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes.

However, this is debated by Stuart Brazier, CEO of Dubai’s Advanced Inhalation Rituals (Air), the world’s biggest producer of shisha molasses.

Waterpipes heat rather than burn shisha molasses at relatively low temperatures – typically at 190 degrees centigrade. By contrast, Brazier said, tobacco in a cigarette is combusted, burns at up to 900 degrees and is far more toxic.

Still, health conscious shisha consumers are taking more precautions, turning to the electric shisha — also referred to as e-shisha or e-hookah — that replicates the traditional shisha smoking experience using electronic heating elements rather than burning charcoal.

Like a vape it then heats laced liquid rather than tobacco to form an aerosol or vapour that is inhaled.

Brazier said that 10 percent of his sales in the UAE are of his tobacco-free Zodiac brand, while in Germany that figure is double.

“There is a demand for having the shisha experience without having the nicotine,” said Brazier, who plans to roll out his e-hookah in Saudi Arabia.

“Probably it’s more skewed towards women, who maybe were out previously with their husbands and weren’t keen on the tobacco element but can now be part of the sociable experience.”

Umid Ismailov, shisha manager at Grand Zor restaurant in Dubai, said the healthier alternative still has some way to go before becoming mainstream.

“The technology is evolving but most electronic shisha devices still fall short in delivering the depth of flavour, cloud production and overall experience the traditional shisha offers,” he said.