Saltigo Renames Insect Repellant

To assuage concerns by members of the personal care industry, Saltigo, the fine chemicals arm of Lanxess, has renamed its Bayrepel active ingredient for insect repellent Saltidin.

Saltidin is available to all manufacturers of insect repellents rather than just to Bayer, as implied by the Bayrepel name—a legacy from when Bayer spun off much of its chemicals business into Lanxess. "The new name Saltidin is more clearly related to Saltigo," says Diana Rudolph, who has global responsibility for the Saltidin business.

However, the move also acknowledges the wariness of the cosmetics industry in adopting "chemical industry" terminology. Saltigo saw the need for a name change and nixed the "repel" lingo as the firm gears up to attract users in the personal care industry.

Potential applications include use in insect-repellent sunscreens. In chemical terms, Saltidin is 1-(1-methylpropoxycarbonyl)-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperidine, or icaridin. It is not an insecticide, but rather repels insects by disrupting their sense of smell.