Godrej Consumer’s New Anti-Mosquito Molecule Could Boost Home Insecticide Sales

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.’s new mosquito repellant molecule Renofluthrin is expected to ramp up growth in its home insecticide segment, taking the sales growth to double digits, according to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sudhir Sitapati.

In the last few years, the home insecticide category has not grown much because a lot of efficacious but illegal molecules were getting imported to India, he said. "We hope that with this molecule coming in, this will stop and growth will go back to double digits, where it should be," Sitapati told NDTV Profit.

Godrej Consumer Products launched the “first-ever” indigenous molecule in the home insecticide space, acquiring exclusive rights for the molecule for at least the next six to eight years. As per the rights, only Godrej Consumer will be able to use the molecule in its brand Goodknight.

Local manufacturing of mosquito-repellant molecules will reduce the dependency on exports of "potentially unsafe” molecules from countries such as China and boost the company’s home insecticide space, the company said.

Further, the efficacy of Renofluthrin is twice that of other similar formulations available in India. The company and its partner extensively invested in research and development for over 10 years to develop Renofluthrin and its formulations.

The molecule will be introduced in its Goodknight Flash liquid vapouriser, followed by other mosquito-repellant products under the brand. “The new liquid vapouriser will drive away mosquitoes two times faster and works for two hours even after being switched off," the company said in a press release.

“While Renofluthrin will be in India for now, we foresee great potential for this molecule in international markets where we operate," Sitapati said.

Currently, Goodknight Flash is priced at around Rs 100 for the complete pack (refill + vapouriser machine), with refills available at Rs 85 each. It is sold in small urban cities, towns, and rural areas across the country.

Sitapati also expects the rural demand recovery to pace up in the next few months. “Consumption in rural markets has been soft post-Covid, but I think it is cyclical." He also urged the government to stimulate domestic consumption, which should be on par with India’s GDP.