Barrels don't smell: poppers sold in Russia are certified as plastic cleaners
Poppers sold in Russia — products for increasing sexual arousal — are certified as cleaning products made of rough leather and plastic, as well as as air fragrances, Izvestia found out. Manufacturers claim to sell a European product, but in fact, according to sources, they buy chemicals in Asia and bottle them in artisanal conditions, for example, in a residential apartment in Saratov. One of the active substances is isobutyl nitrite, a toxin that is listed in the Register of Potentially Dangerous Substances of Rospotrebnadzor. Relevant departments are discussing the possibility of including a group of similar substances in the list of narcotic, psychotropic substances and their precursors. How poppers are produced, distributed, and how dangerous they are is described in the Izvestia article.
"European quality" from Saratov
"Increased sexual sensations, increased desire. A brighter and longer orgasm," reads the advertisement for Werkenbij poppers, one of the most popular brands in Russia. Manufacturers indicate that the claimed effect is achieved by inhaling the contents of a vial of chemicals. And he specifically emphasizes that his product is made in the Netherlands.
However, according to the state registration data, the trademark belongs to the Russian Verkenbidzh LLC.Co.NL", which is registered in an apartment of a multi-storey residential building in Saratov, was confirmed by Izvestia. Moreover, in the Unified Register of Certificates of Conformity, this apartment also appears as a place of manufacture of poppers.
Werkenbij poppers have been certified not in Russia, but in Kyrgyzstan, and as household chemicals — "a means for deodorizing and aromatizing indoor air," which gives them the right to trade in the EAEU countries.
Several sellers, apparently affiliated with each other, sell such "imported" products on marketplaces (identical products of other categories are present in the assortment of stores). One of them, the Werkenbij lab store, offers more than 180 types of inhalers priced from 550 to 1980 rubles. In four years of operation on the marketplace, this store has managed to sell over 190 thousand units of goods, represented mainly by poppers, as indicated on its page.
In the product cards of these poppers, as well as on the websites of online stores, the composition usually contains "flavor", "aromatic ether poppers" or even just the word "ether", that is, there is not a word about alkyl nitrites, the substances on the basis of which these inhalers are made.
General Director of Verkenbidge.To.NL" — Roman Torgashin, a resident of the Volga region. Izvestia asked him about the production of poppers. No response has been received at the time of publication.
Poppers is a slang name for liquid inhalers, the composition of which is based on chemicals from the alkyl nitrite group — nitrites of amyl, butyl or isobutyl alcohol. When inhaled, according to the manufacturers, users may experience increased sexual arousal.
Due to the ability to rapidly dilate blood vessels and relax smooth muscles, alkyl nitrites have been used in cardiology to relieve angina attacks.
In the 1970s, they began to be actively used as "legal drugs" in the United States, and poppers gained particular popularity in the American LGBT community (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).
Money for a barrel
Izvestia managed to contact one of the active participants in the poppers market, who, on condition of anonymity, agreed to comment on some features of their trade.
— When they say that the product is made in Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the USA, in 90% of cases it is a fake made in the Moscow region, — said our interlocutor. — The buyer believes that if imported, it means high-quality.
According to the source, Europe and Canada have never been the main suppliers of poppers to Russia. At the dawn of the market, it was based on inhalers manufactured by large factories in Southeast Asia under a contract manufacturing scheme - Western manufacturers placed orders at Chinese factories. At the same time, players have recently appeared on the domestic market who claim to have mastered the "synthesis of the purest poppers" themselves.
— There is a lot of word manipulation here, when packing or bottling is called synthesis. In most cases, this is marketing or just a legend. Launching the synthesis of alkyl nitrites with a small volume of the poppers market is business madness. A lot of issues need to be resolved, from the purchase of chemical raw materials to building a sales chain. Therefore, conversations about synthesis, most often, are banal packaging of ready-made reagents from China. A barrel is 400 liters, a standard bottle is 10 ml, that is, 40 thousand bottles can be made from one barrel. According to current market volumes, this will be enough for one seller for about a year of work," the source told Izvestia.
Our interlocutor declined to comment on the cost of raw materials. Izvestia correspondents studied the available online offers of three Chinese industrial suppliers of isobutyl nitrite — Shanghai Zoran New Material, Shandong Zhi Shang Chemical and Hebei Chuanghai Biotechnology. The price range turned out to be very wide — $10-50 per kilogram of raw materials, that is, about $4-20 thousand per barrel of 400 kilograms, which is indicated by a market source. The cost is significantly affected by the purity of the product, as well as logistical costs.
Isobutyl nitrite is also marketed as a reagent for pharmaceuticals. In Russia, sales are carried out, in particular, by the capital's NPO EkoTek company. The price is 3.4 thousand rubles per 100 ml bottle. According to the company, supplies are carried out exclusively for laboratory use in accordance with ethical standards and legislation.
"Currently, the domestic use of isobutyl nitrite is limited due to potential health risks," the product page says.
Do not inhale, but clean
One of the sellers of poppers, who claim to have mastered the "synthesis" of alkyl nitrites, is LCDcomp (Leather Cleaner Distribution Company, translated as "A distribution company in the field of skin cleansing"). In the name of the company, the "manufacturer" did not depart from the truth — these poppers, according to the documents posted on the company's website, are certified not even as air fragrances, but as a means of cleaning products made of rough leather and plastic.
The manufacturer of the products is an individual entrepreneur from Moscow, Mikhail Semenok. Certificates for the registration of these goods were also obtained in Kyrgyzstan, and the production itself is allegedly located in the Vsevolzhsky district of the Leningrad region. LCDcomp also controls four online stores. The Chemical Giant reports that it is engaged in a full production cycle.: "We do not use third-party raw materials, but produce them ourselves from the very beginning from basic elements. Therefore, we can confidently say that we have the purest product."
However, Izvestia failed to find any signs of production in the open data about the company, including the numerous videos it publishes. In correspondence with a correspondent, Mikhail Semenok stated that he represents an adult store and has nothing to do with production.
A direct threat
As the International Anti-Counterfeit Association told Izvestia, the sale of poppers of unknown origin under the guise of household chemicals is not just misleading, but also a direct threat to the life and health of customers.
— Sellers in the product description directly indicate the need for deep inhalation of the contents of the vial through the nose. But the product card does not contain the composition of what the consumer will inhale. As a confirmation of product certification, the seller applies a declaration of conformity for household chemicals. There is a direct contradiction between the official product declaration and its actual description on the site, misleading the consumer, and the attached documents do not confirm the promised properties. The goods sold in this way can pose a real threat to life and health, the association notes.
Some poppers contain ingredients that are prohibited for consumption in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries, they added. The most toxic is isobutyl nitrite, which in Russia is included in the Federal Register of Potentially Dangerous Chemical and Biological Substances of Rospotrebnadzor.
"Isobutyl nitrite belongs to recreational drugs," Khalidya Khamidulina, head of the Registry and editor—in-chief of the Toxicological Bulletin magazine, told Izvestia. — When inhaling it, headache, dizziness, confusion, blue lips, nails and skin occur.
Inhalation of isobutyl nitrite vapors primarily affects the respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as the liver and kidneys, she added.
Back in 2008, WHO issued a memo on the dangers and protective measures against isobutyl nitrite. In particular, it says that when inhaling this substance, lips, nails and skin turn blue, consciousness becomes confused, dizziness occurs, even loss of consciousness. When working with the substance, WHO experts recommend using respiratory protection equipment, as well as gloves and safety glasses.
Experts also point out that isobutyl nitrite has mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies the substance as group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans).
Isobutyl nitrite was registered in the Russian Register of Potentially Dangerous chemical and biological substances of Rospotrebnadzor on June 28, 2018, indicating the field of application — chemical industry. Personal protective equipment includes a respirator, gloves and goggles.
Interestingly, some manufacturers of isobutyl nitrite do not hide the purpose for which they supply poppers reagents to the market. Zhishang Chemical Co., Ltd. (Jinan, Shandong Province) is one of the largest suppliers. The product description on the company's page openly states that isobutyl nitrite is manufactured for use as an "inhalation drug." During its operation, the company has supplied the substance to more than 6 thousand customers worldwide.
In the United States, the sale of poppers for human consumption is formally prohibited by the American Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In June 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a memo with recommendations not to purchase or inhale poppers due to their increased health risks.
In 2025, the FDA raided the office of a major manufacturer of poppers, Double Scorpio, which eventually ceased operations. Online trading of a number of other popular brands was also closed. The main complaint of American law enforcement agencies against market participants is the trade in substances prohibited for human consumption under the guise of household chemicals.
In Russia, the control authorities were interested in isobutyl nitrite dealers only once. In the spring of 2007, Rospotrebnadzor initiated an inspection of retail enterprises, which seized poppers of Rush, Ram, Quick Silver, Pop rs, Locker Room, Liquid Aroma, Iron Horse, Heavy Bolt, Hardware brands. The results of the inspection and other similar events were not reported. Izvestia sent a request to the agency, but no comment had been received by the time the material was published.
— The issue of free turnover of poppers is certainly a matter of concern to us. Some work is underway to tighten market control, including the inclusion of alkyl nitrites in the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors. We have already reached an understanding on these issues with the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and other agencies," Khalidya Khamidulina, head of the Register of Potentially Dangerous Chemical and Biological Substances at Rospotrebnadzor, told Izvestia.
With a request to comment on the situation around the sale of inhalers with declarations for household chemicals, Izvestia sent a request to online platforms. Wildberries, in particular, noted that they strictly comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation and pay special attention to the safety and quality of the products presented on the showcase. Regarding the availability of poppers on sale, representatives of the site noted that "this category of goods is not prohibited by law for sale, but is a product strictly intended for persons over the age of 18." For categories including 18+ products, enhanced monitoring is in effect on the platform, and "in case of detection of prohibited goods, as well as goods with prohibited ingredients, the card of such goods is blocked."
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
