Permethrin is a non-systemic insecticide with contact, stomach and repellency action. It is a photo-stabile, highly active insecticide belonging to the synthetic pyrethroid group. It controls most flying and crawling insect pests and is widely used in wood preservation to control wood destroying insects and in public health to controls mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs, ticks, lice, mites, beetles, moths and woodborer. In animal health it is used as an ectoparasiticide to control pests of large and small animals. It is widely used in a variety of formulations, including: wettable powders, dusting powders, granules, emulsifiable concentrates, ready-to-use products, aerosol formulations including ultra-low volume (ULV) space sprays.

It can be used on its own or in combination with other pyrethroids and the synergist piperonal butoxide that enhances the activity of an insecticide and assists in overcoming metabolic (detoxification) resistance.