REGULATORY INSECT REPELLENTS
DEBUGGING SYSTEMS: BIOCIDE RULES & A DEET ALTERNATIVE
Thanks to decades of background work carried out by Merck, the supplier can offer customers DEET- free insect repellents via its IR3535 product. Here, Dr Daniel Neumann and Bettina Magsaam discuss Merck’s novel solution amid the regulatory red tape required to beat the bugs
F
or many, the end of lockdowns has rekindled an interest in outdoor activities. But as we rediscover our love of nature, insects are also rediscovering the
temptations of human skin for sucking out their meal of blood. That is why it is important to choose the right products for protection from itching bites – or even a potential infection with a vector-borne disease. An increasing number of companies are now using IR3535 (IR3535 is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) from Merck instead of DEET as an active insect repellent substance – for reasons that not only make sense for manufacturers, but also provide reassurance to discerning customers.
BUGS: A REAL THREAT TO HEALTH For some, mosquitoes are just pesky insects, or a nuisance when you’re trying to sleep. For others, they’re a genuine threat to health, alongside other kinds of creepy-crawlies that jump on board when you’re exploring woods and wildlife. Worse still, some pests even make it back home with you afterwards.
Depending on how old or big they are, ticks are not too difficult to spot on human skin. But just one bite from an infected tick is enough to transmit pathogens. These include a viral infectious disease called tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
In warmer climes, insects also transmit
life-threatening infectious diseases. Due to global warming, an increasing number of exotic mosquito
52 September 2022
Number of people killed by animals each year (above right)
species are also now being found in northern latitudes. Malaria, yellow fever, Chikungunya fever, dengue fever, Zika and West Nile fever are all diseases easily transmitted by mosquitoes. Worryingly, mosquitoes top the list of the ‘world’s deadliest animals’.
SHIELD, SPRAY OR LOTION? You have two options if you want to avoid such pests. You can literally build physical barriers with suitable clothing or mosquito nets, or you can tell pests to go away by using sprays or lotions to shield yourself. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that using efficacious repellents on exposed areas of the skin is an effective strategy for preventing insect attacks.
GROWING MARKETS, GROWING EXPECTATIONS With category growth expected to hit around 8% over the next decade, the demand for repellents is clearly rising.
“Not only are different customer groups entering the market, but they also now know more precisely what they want,” says Katarzyna Sztuka, Head of Regional Marketing EMEA at Merck Surface Solutions. “It’s a given that repellents should be
Repellent for sensitive & atopic skin The WHO categorises IR3535 as a Class U product, ie it is “unlikely to present acute hazard in normal use”. Formulations with IR3535 are well-tolerated – adverse effects such as skin redness, itching or dryness are very rare.
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