Non-DEET Insect Repellents Gaining Share of US Home & Garden Insecticide Market

A new Freedonia Group analysis projects demand for to rise an average of 2.5% per year to $1.5 billion in 2024, boosted by booming gardening activity amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Use of insect controls and insect repellents will continue to be supported by concern about insect-borne diseases, which will help to sustain an ongoing level of insecticide demand:

• The US is home to a variety of endemic but rare insect diseases, and periodic outbreaks of dangerous viruses tend to be highly publicized.
• Globalization and climate change also contribute to viruses from overseas occasionally gaining a foothold in the US.
• In recent years, the insect-borne diseases generating the most concern include West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Jamestown Canyon virus.

While DEET remains the most widely used active ingredient in insect repellents, DEET alternatives are rapidly gaining market share. In particular, oil of lemon eucalyptus products have performed well in recent years and are expected to continue posting fast growth. The strong health and environmental profile of oil of lemon eucalyptus repellents makes them popular for children and for backyard use.

Picaridin-based products have also become increasingly common since first becoming available in 2005. These products are popular by being odorless and effective, although they tend to carry a price premium over DEET products and are less attractive than oil of lemon eucalyptus to environmentally minded customers.

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Home & Garden Insecticides, a spin-off off Home & Garden Pesticides, is now available from the Freedonia Group. This report covers the US market for home and garden insecticides, which includes products used in residential settings by nonprofessional pesticide applicators.

Products include:

• household insect control products (e.g., for flying and crawling insects, fleas and ticks, other household pests such as mites and spiders)
• insect repellents (e.g., sprays intended for skin application, indoor repellents, insect repellents for use in outdoor living spaces)
• lawn and turf products, such as pyrethroids and neonicotinoids,
• garden care products

Demand is also segmented by formulation:

• liquids
• aerosols
• granules
• powders and dusts
• other formulation (e.g., gels, pastes, solid forms such as blocks and bars)

In addition, home and garden insecticide retail sales are analyzed with segments including:

• mass merchandisers
• home centers
• internet and mail order
• garden centers
• other retailers (e.g., hardware stores, feed and seed stores, drug stores, grocery stores, convenience stores)