Sales of mosquito repellent go up and down – but over time the trend is clear: We buy more and more.
In 2022, just under 20 tons of mosquito repellent were sold, an increase of around 30 percent compared to the previous year.
The reason why we buy more mosquito repellent is difficult to determine, but more ticks can affect the sales figures, says Jenny Karlsson, inspector at the Chemicals Inspectorate.
– Many of these mosquito repellents can be used against ticks, and ticks are something that we know has increased a lot in recent years, she says.
Another explanation could be that companies market their products better, says Karlsson.
One product that is currently being heavily promoted on social media this summer is mosquito stickers. They are often marketed as “natural” and contain essential oils such as citronella oil or lavender oil that are supposed to repel mosquitoes, says Jenny Karlsson. But no mosquito stickers have currently been approved by the Chemicals Agency, which warns consumers against buying untested products.
– Just because a substance comes from the plant kingdom, it does not have to be non-toxic. They can, for example, have allergenic effects.
At the same time, she says that several companies would probably have had their products approved if they had applied for permission in the right way.
– The companies have not understood that it is a pesticide. They simply don’t know the rules, she says.