Saltigo: Record sales of insect repellent active ingredient

Saltigo, a subsidiary of specialty chemicals company LANXESS, sold more active ingredient for insect repellents last year than ever before. Sales volumes of Saltigo’s product Saltidin rose by around 20 percent in 2022.

Saltidin is the product name for the active ingredient Icaridin, which is contained in many well-known insect repellents that reliably protect against pests such as mosquitoes, ticks and co. The product has particularly benefited from increased demand in the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. ”Many customers are also looking for an alternative to diethyltoluamide (DEET), our biggest competitor active ingredient,” says Christoph Schaffrath, Head of Marketing and Sales at Saltigo. But demand has also increased in Europe. The reason for this is climate change, which means that even exotic mosquito species are now present here.

Saltigo manufactures Saltidin at its production plants in Leverkusen and Dormagen. The active ingredient is particularly skin-friendly and is also suitable for use in insect repellents for sensitive user groups such as allergy sufferers, pregnant women, and children.

Saltidin acts like an olfactory shield against insects and ticks. They perceive scents and smells from their blood hosts—that is, humans and animals. Saltidin forms a film on the skin which conceals the messenger scents. As a result, biting insects and ticks no longer recognize humans and animals as a food source.

_{Saltigo GmbH is one of the leading providers in the field of custom synthesis. The company, which is part of the specialty chemicals company LANXESS, belongs to the Consumer Protection segment, which recorded sales of EUR 2.366 billion in fiscal year 2022. Saltigo, which has its corporate headquarters in Leverkusen and production facilities in Leverkusen and Dormagen, employs around 1,300 people worldwide.}