No one at dsm-firmenich thinks this kind of protection will be a silver bullet, but their hope is that, when combined with other proven tools like bed nets, people can significantly and sustainably lower their risk of catching deadly diseases like malaria and dengue. The idea is that you gain an added halo of protection without having to add any new steps to your daily routine or buy any new products. (They’re also thinking about other things like body lotion and body cream.) These products are already scented with a fragrance-what if that fragrance also helped keep mosquitoes away?

After doing extensive research into the household products used most frequently in places where mosquito-borne diseases are common, they decided to focus mostly on bar soap and powdered laundry detergent. The team’s goal is simple: Incorporate scents that repel mosquitoes into everyday products. Their latest efforts are focused on stopping mosquitoes, because the diseases they carry kill hundreds of thousands of people each year, most of whom are children in low-income countries.

Most of their products are used to make our food taste better and our household products smell more appealing, but they also have a history of using their scent expertise to fight disease transmission. The nutrition, beauty, and health company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of flavors and fragrances. I actually visited dsm-firmenich’s lab in Geneva back in 2016, when I checked out their innovative work to improve sanitation for the world’s poorest by reducing toilet odors.

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