Rospotrebnadzor announced the cessation of the sale of aroma inhalers in Russia

“We faced this situation very quickly and discovered that there are no reliable documents confirming the safety of these inhalers. The documents, I can say, are fake. And yesterday we contacted the Association of Internet Trading Companies to put an end to this type of trading on Internet platforms,” Popova said.

According to her, on the morning of December 12, the association’s management reported that “all Internet sites in the country have suspended the sale of these inhalers.” Rospotrebnadzor was convinced that these devices really cannot be purchased on any of the sites.

The day before, Rospotrebnadzor announced that it would take immediate steps to suspend the sale of aroma nose inhalers. The department highlighted that these products “are often accompanied by statements” about their safety, which are not confirmed by anything.

Rospotrebnadzor also noted that aroma inhalers “are increasingly popular among teenagers,” are sold for free online, and “have attractive packaging designs and varied flavors, <...> indicating its focus on a smaller audience.”

In early December, Rospotrebnadzor asked the first deputy chairman of the State Duma control committee, Dmitry Gusev, to check the devices for the presence of prohibited substances. The deputy, in particular, referred to messages from schoolchildren who call the devices “brain refreshers” and highlight the “effect they give to the head.”

Shortly after, the Wildberries market promised to conduct additional tests of aroma inhalers with essential oils. On December 10, the company announced that it would withdraw all aroma inhalers from sale.

On the same day, the director of the Safe Internet League, Ekaterina Mizulina, reported on Telegram that she had received a message from the Ozon market, which also decided to suspend sales of aroma inhalers.