What started out as a homemade tick repellent blend made in a Springs kitchen has now soared to national heights: Demand for TickWise, the brand launched in 2018 by the 3 Moms Organics company, now owned by LJ Eggert and Kammy Wolf, is so strong that they’ve now had to hire an out-of-state manufacturing company to make most of their products. Sales have doubled each year they’ve been in business, to more than 37,000 bottles of the product last year. And this week, Ms. Eggert testified before a congressional committee on the tick epidemic and how important natural repellents are in a market where questionable, chemically based products are still being sold.
TickWise is now available for sale in all 50 states, having been approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
When she first launched the product with another partner, “My kitchen looked like an apothecary,” Ms. Eggert said, also recalling doing “tick drag” experiments to make sure the product worked. Ms. Wolf joined the business in 2022.
“There was trial and error. We had to be E.P.A.-compliant and register in every state,” she said. “Every word on our label is vetted by somebody in every state. We had to have efficacy data for both ticks and mosquitoes. It was like playing Monopoly — we’d get one state at a time those first two years.”
The formula includes natural substances such as citronella, cedarwood, geranium, and peppermint. It does not include permethrin, a synthetic insecticide that is also often used to control mosquitoes, but which has been shown to irritate the skin, eyes, and throat in some products. It also does not include DEET, another harsh and controversial chemical compound.
TickWise has its roots in Ms. Eggert’s own experiences with tick-borne diseases. Her husband, Christopher, was hospitalized for eight weeks with Lyme disease. She, too, had Lyme, but it was misdiagnosed as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and early-onset Alzheimer’s. Their family loves the outdoors, so they needed to find a solution that would allow them to keep enjoying camping and other activities.
Neither Ms. Eggert nor Ms. Wolf came to the company with a background in business. But they do have helpful expertise: Ms. Wolf has a master’s degree in entomology from the University of Wisconsin and worked for a time in East Hampton Town’s Natural Resources Department, while Ms. Eggert completed some college coursework intending to become a science teacher but wound up working in the restaurant industry.
“This is now our primary profession for both of us,” Ms. Wolf said.
The two women’s company name, 3 Moms Organics, might sound confusing, but they explain that the “third mom” is the consumer. “We always take our customers into consideration first. They are part of our team,” Ms. Eggert said.
With that in mind, they recently went with a new type of pump design, in response to a handful of Amazon reviews bemoaning the original design. (“They are extremely difficult to source at a reasonable price and really good quality,” Ms. Eggert noted.) Outside of those comments, TickWise has close to 600 five-star reviews on Amazon. Another website, Top10Best, puts TickWise at number one on its list of natural tick repellents for July of 2024.
It’s growing so popular that Jerry Simons, a physician assistant and assistant professor at Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus who lectures widely on ticks, likens Ms. Eggert and Ms. Wolf’s company to Tate’s Bake Shop, which also started out as a small local company and now has a brand presence across the country.
“There is a lot of scientific literature that says the components they are using in their products do effectively repel ticks, so there is science behind what they are doing, not just a mother’s protective emotion,” Mr. Simons said yesterday. Stony Brook Southampton can’t officially endorse a product, he said, but privately and in his independent lectures, he strongly recommends it. “I started trying it on me and my kids and mentioning it during my lectures. I’ve heard more positives than negatives over all.”
Ms. Eggert and Ms. Wolf say they are happy that their product has been so well received.
“I’m excited every day because with every bottle that we put in the mail, every bottle that’s sold on Amazon, I know those people may not get as sick as me because they are using the product,” Ms. Eggert said. “For me it’s a win every day. I’m always excited to start the day. I’ve never felt that before.”
“It’s very gratifying,” Ms. Wolf added. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know we’re providing a product that people can know is safe and effective.”