Leverkusen – In January 2020, the Biocidal Products Committee of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published its opinion regarding the approval of the active ingredient Icaridin: the insect repellent that Saltigo GmbH markets under the trade name Saltidin should be approved for use in insect repellents (product type 19) without any age limit.

Approval of the active ingredient Saltidin (Icaridin) had already been requested under the previously applicable Biocidal Products Directive (Directive 98/8/EC). “The respective national approval requirements in the individual EU member countries applied to Saltidin (Icaridin) prior to the approval decision, i.e. the inclusion on the list of approved active substances,” explains Andreas Klein, Head of Marketing and Sales at Saltigo. The European Union (EU) aimed to standardize approvals for active ingredients such as repellents with the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) No 528/2012).

Dirk Sandri, Head of Sales at Saltigo, adds that “the EU has made safety requirements for repellent active ingredients much stricter in recent years. This makes it all the more encouraging that Icaridin is the first insect repellent active ingredient to garner a positive opinion for approval under these tighter conditions. It is therefore clear that our Saltidin fulfills the stricter requirements. In the future, these will also apply to other repellent active ingredients that will have to be reevaluated as of 2022.”

Globally established active ingredient offers effective protection

In formulations Saltidin reliably repels insects. This protects the user against bites from mosquitoes, biting houseflies and ticks for several hours. These are not only unpleasant or even painful, but can also go hand in hand with the transmission of dangerous diseases such as Zika virus and Lyme disease. In chemical terms, Saltidin is 1-(1-methylpropoxycarbonyl)-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperidine. The active ingredient with the non-proprietary name Icaridin has a neutral odor and does not irritate, sensitize or stick to the skin. Another advantage of the active ingredient is its compatibility with numerous materials. For instance, Saltidin does not affect plastics or textiles.

Icaridin, which Saltigo markets under the name Saltidin, is ideal for a very wide range of insect repellent formulations that are applied in a variety of ways and is used by numerous manufacturers of such products worldwide.

The first products to use this active ingredient arrived on the German market in 1998. The mosquito repellent active ingredient Icaridin was then launched in South and Central America and Africa in 2007. Its very successful Asian market launch began in May 2012. Insect repellent formulations based on Saltidin have now been approved in more than 40 countries, including the U.S.

The official approval requirements for insect repellent formulations vary from country to country. In most countries, an insect repellent formulation has to be approved before it can be brought to market. In some countries, it is also necessary to register the active ingredient.

 “Saltigo offers support to companies that aim to market insect repellent formulations containing Saltidin in Europe,” says Sandri. “We offer the same level of assistance to customers outside Europe and we are working on new approvals for our tried-and-tested active ingredient Saltidin.”Detailed information is available at www.saltidin.com.