What is Bitrex?

We thought you might ask that. So here are lots of perfectly correct answers to that question.

Bitrex is...

• Denatonium Benzoate – to give it its full, technical name. Ironically, that’s a bit of a mouthful. So we call it Bitrex®.
• The bitterest substance known to man, woman or child. That’s according to The Guinness World Records.
• A substance that’s put into household, garden and automotive products to ensure that if a child or animal ever tried to swallow it, they would spit it straight out before they could be poisoned.
• Completely harmless if consumed. It just tastes really, really horrible.
• A lifesaver. Literally.
• The product of a happy accident. Bitrex was discovered in 1958 by a team of Macfarlan Smith scientists who were working on a new local anaesthetic. Our chemists realised immediately that they had found a remarkable substance – the world’s most bitter material – and quickly put it to good use...
• Helping to make accidental poisoning a thing of the past.

Bitrex is not…

A substitute for other common sense precautions for preventing poisoning, such as keeping chemicals out of a child’s reach, using safety closures properly and reading labels carefully.

But we pioneered this child safety additive precisely because we know what it’s like to be a parent. We understand that parents get harassed, tired, and up to their eyes. And that is why Bitrex is there. For the moments of inattention when most accidents happen.