citronella candles: labeling guidance and marketing tips The way you label citronella candles matters. Learn what every maker should know about labeling citronella candles, plus marketing tips and inspiration.

The United States government regulates some, but not all, citronella candles as pesticides. But how do they determine which are pesticides and which aren't? They let you do it for them!  

How you label and market your products impacts how the government regulates them. Regarding citronella candles, this means that makers should avoid using pesticide claims unless they've registered their products as pesticides.  

In this section, you’ll learn what U.S. candle makers should know during citronella season and beyond.

In the United States, pesticides are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA defines a pesticide as “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.” This includes insect repellent candles, bug sprays, and insect incense.

Citronella candles are only regulated by the EPA if they’re sold using pesticide claims. If you suggest that your citronella candles repel insects, the EPA will consider them pesticide products.

With thoughtful labeling and marketing, you can control if your citronella candles will be regulated as pesticides.

What counts as a pesticide claim? To the EPA, a pesticide claim includes any language that implies your product can prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests. So more suggestive language like “bug off, fly away, or mosquito finito” in your labeling or marketing means the EPA classifies your product as a pesticide. They even consider images of a pest or pest habitat as implying pesticide purposes. Basically, if you can think of a way around it, the EPA has already thought of it...and still considers it a pesticide.

We don’t recommend that makers use pesticide language when promoting their products unless they have gone through the EPA’s registration process and received approval. We can’t advise on this process, other than confirming that it tends to be arduous! To find more information on pesticide registration in the U.S., check out the EPA’s resource here.

The consequences of selling unregistered pesticides can be detrimental to small businesses. Class action lawsuits for misleading claims—including successful settlements—have been filed against larger companies.

In addition to class action lawsuits, the EPA says: “There can be serious consequences for selling and distributing an unregistered pesticide. The Agency (EPA) has the authority to take appropriate enforcement action where unregistered products make pesticidal claims. These could include, but not be limited to, issuing Notices of Warning; Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Orders (SSURO); and Civil Penalties.” 

In plain terms, the potential consequences aren’t worth it. If you believe that you need to market your citronella candles as a pesticide, we encourage you to go through the proper process.

There are very specific conditions that must be met to market a pesticide under the Minimum Risk Pesticides exemption in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). If a product meets all of them, then the pesticide does not need to be registered with the EPA. 

To err on the side of caution, we don’t recommend using the Minimum Risk Pesticides exemption to bypass EPA registration. It can be difficult to confirm that all exemption conditions are met, which could create a scenario where someone believes their pesticide product doesn’t need to be registered with the EPA when it actually does. Additionally, states are not required to honor Minimum Risk Pesticide exemptions.

It’s up to you to decide if you’d like to explore this route. However, we cannot advise on whether a product qualifies under the exemption and you are fully responsible for ensuring all conditions are met. 

You can learn more about Conditions for Minimum Risk Pesticides here.

When state regulations are more strict, they overrule federal regulations. You should always ensure compliance on both federal and state levels. 

You can learn more about the pesticide regulatory agency governing your area here.

Don’t let pesticide regulations discourage you from making or selling citronella candles! With a bit of creative writing and clear labeling, you can safely and effectively market citronella products.

Citronella candles are still hugely popular in the summertime. If you or your customers enjoy burning citronella candles during outdoor gatherings, then they’ll likely be successful additions to your product line. 

Information in this article is intended for United States makers. Makers outside of the U.S. should review local laws and regulations pertaining to pesticide sales.