The Hindu Business Line : Dengue, chikungunya spur mosquito repellent sales

On the back of an increasing number of cases of dengue and chikungunya, the sales of mosquito repellents have seen a huge surge in the past few months.

Dabur's Rs 30-crore brand, Odomos, and leader in the cream and gel segment has reported a 63 per cent hike in sales in its second quarter results this year, compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.

Attributing the raise, primarily, to the spread of the two mosquito-related diseases, dengue and chikungunya, Mr V. S. Sitaram, Executive Director, Consumer Care Division of Dabur India Ltd, said, "Odomos has seen a significant growth in sales wherever there are health-related issues."

As per the State-wise sales increase, Punjab reported a growth of 180 per cent, Tamil Nadu 145 per cent, Gujarat 134 per cent, Karnataka 60 per cent and Delhi 57 per cent.

Explaining the reason for the hike in sales of Odomos, Mr Sitaram said: "There are many products in the market to protect people when indoors, but the problem arises once they step out.

"This is where Odomos scores hugely. By far, it is the only product that can protect when outside as it comes in the cream and gel format that people can apply before they go out and has no side-effects on skin."

Godrej Sara Lee Ltd, an old player in the category, with an estimated market share of 40 per cent, including its three brands - Goodnight, Banish and Hit, reported an over 25 per cent increase in sales on a month-by-month value over last year in Delhi alone.

An official said that though all the three brands had reported an increase in sales, Goodnight remained the most favoured.

Mosquito repellent coils

Mortein, from the Reckitt Benckiser family, with 36.1 per cent market share in terms of value, reported a sales increase of 24.97 per cent in the last 10 months. The brand, initially introduced as a coil, is now also available in the liquid electrical refill and aerosol variants. The company recently supplied 36,00 packs of Mortein Liquid to the resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to help them fight against the spread of infection.