Quick answers
- What is Permethrin used for?
- The Drug Facts label of Nix (Insight Pharmaceuticals LLC) lists these uses: treats head lice.
- Do I need a prescription for Permethrin?
- No, the products on this page are sold without a prescription. Other products with the same active ingredient need a prescription (often a higher strength or another form): see the prescription page.
- Is a store brand the same as the name brand?
- Products listed together below have the same active ingredient, in the same amount and the same form, as registered with the FDA. Inactive ingredients (such as colors, flavors and fillers) and package sizes can differ. Compare the “Active ingredient” box on both packages, and ask a pharmacist if you are not sure.
- Has Permethrin been recalled?
- No recall linked to these products appears in the FDA enforcement reports we use.
Also sold by prescription (often at a higher strength or in another form): Permethrin — prescription medicine
Drug Facts label
Every over-the-counter medicine must carry a “Drug Facts” box in the same order, set by FDA rules. Below is the label of one product for each common strength and form, quoted word for word. Your own package can differ (for example, children’s products have other directions): always follow the label on your package.
Nix · Insight Pharmaceuticals LLC
Permethrin 1%, rinse (topical)
Active ingredient
Active i ngredient (in each fluid ounce) Permethrin 280 mg (1%)
Purpose
Lice treatment
Uses
treats head lice
Warnings
For external use only
Do not use
on children under 2 months of age near the eyes inside the nose, ear, mouth, or vagina on lice in eyebrows or eyelashes. See your doctor.
Ask a doctor before use if
you are allergic to ragweed. May cause breathing difficulty or an asthmatic episode.
When using this product
keep eyes tightly closed and protect eyes with a washcloth or towel if product gets into the eyes, immediately flush with large amounts of water scalp itching or redness may occur Stop use and see a doctor if breathing difficulty occurs eye irritation occurs skin or scalp irritation continues or infection occurs If pregnant or bre ast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.
Keep out of reach of children
If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) right away.
Directions
Important: Read warnings before use
- Adults and children 2 month s of age and over: Inspect all household members should be checked by another person for lice and/or nits (eggs) use a magnifying glass in bright light to help you see the lice and nits (eggs) use a tool, such as a comb or two unsharpened pencils to lift and part the hair look for tiny nits near the scalp, beginning at the back of the neck and behind the ears small sections of hair (1-2 inches wide) should be examined at a time unlike dandruff, nits stick to the hair. Dandruff should move when lightly touched. if either lice or nits (eggs) are found, treat with Nix ® Creme Rinse Treat wash hair with a shampoo without conditioner. Do not use a shampoo that contains a conditioner or a conditioner alone since this may decrease the activity of Nix ® . Rinse with water. towel dry hair so it is damp but not wet shake the bottle of Nix ® well completely saturate the hair and scalp with Nix ® . Begin to apply Nix ® behind the ears and at the back of the neck. keep Nix ® out of the eyes. Protect the eyes with a washcloth or towel. leave Nix ® on the hair for 10 minutes, but no longer rinse with warm water towel dry hair and comb out tangles if live lice are seen seven days or more after the first treatment, a second treatment should be given Remove Lice/Nits remove nits by combing the hair with the special small tooth comb provided. Remaining nits may be removed by hand (using a throw-away glove), or cutting the nits out. use the nit comb provided and make sure the hair remains slightly damp while removing nits if the hair dries during combing, dampen it slightly with water part the hair into 4 sections. Work on one section at a time. Longer hair may take more time (1-2 hours). start at the top of the head on the section you have picked with one hand, lift a 1-2 inch wide strand of hair. Get the teeth of the comb as close to the scalp as possible and comb with a firm, even motion away from the scalp to the end of the hair. use clips to pin back each strand of hair after you have combed out the nits clean the comb completely as you go. Wipe the nits from the comb with a tissue and throw away the tissue in a sealed plastic bag to prevent the lice from coming back. after combing, recheck the entire head for nits and repeat combing if necessary check the affected head daily to remove any nits that you might have missed
Other information
read all the directions in the Consumer Information Insert and warnings before use. Keep the carton. It contains important information. store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F)
Inactive ingredients
canada balsam, cetyl alcohol, citric acid, FD&C yellow no. 6, hydrolyzed animal protein, hydroxyethylcellulose, isopropyl alcohol, methylparaben, polyoxyethylene 10 cetyl ether, propylene glycol, propylparaben, stearalkonium chloride, water
Questions?
Call 1-888-LICE LINE (1-888-542-3546). Monday to Friday, 9AM-5PM EST
— FDA label of Nix, Insight Pharmaceuticals LLC, effective October 23, 2025. See the official label on DailyMed →
Good Sense Lice Killing Creme Rinse · L. Perrigo Company
Permethrin 1 mg/100 mL, lotion (topical)
Active ingredient (in each fluid ounce)
Permethrin 280 mg (1%)
Purpose
Lice treatment
Uses
treats head lice
Warnings
For external use only
Do not use
- on children under 2 months of age
- near the eyes
- inside the nose, ear, mouth, or vagina
- on lice in eyebrows or eyelashes. See your doctor.
Ask a doctor before use if
you are
- allergic to ragweed. May cause breathing difficulty or an asthmatic episode.
When using this product
- keep eyes tightly closed and protect eyes with a washcloth or towel
- if product gets into the eyes, immediately flush with large amounts of water
- scalp itching or redness may occur Stop use and see a doctor if
- breathing difficulty occurs
- eye irritation occurs
- skin or scalp irritation continues or infection occurs
If pregnant or breast-feeding
ask a health professional before use.
Keep out of reach of children
If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away. (1-800-222-1222)
Directions
Inspect
- all household members should be checked by another person for lice and/or nits (eggs)
- use a magnifying glass in bright light to help you see the lice and nits (eggs)
- use a tool, such as a comb or two unsharpened pencils to lift and part the hair
- look for tiny nits near the scalp, beginning at the back of the neck and behind the ears
- small sections of hair (1-2 inches wide) should be examined at a time
- unlike dandruff, nits stick to the hair. Dandruff should move when lightly touched.
- if either lice or nits (eggs) are found, treat with the creme rinse Treat
- wash hair with a shampoo without conditioner. Do not use a shampoo that contains a conditioner or a conditioner alone since this may decrease the activity of the creme rinse. Rinse with water.
- towel dry hair so it is damp but not wet
- shake the bottle well
- completely saturate the hair and scalp with the creme rinse. Begin to apply the creme rinse behind the ears and at the back of the neck.
- keep the creme rinse out of the eyes. Protect the eyes with a washcloth or towel.
- leave the creme rinse on the hair for 10 minutes, but no longer
- rinse with warm water
- towel dry hair and comb out tangles
- if live lice are seen seven days or more after the first treatment, a second treatment should be given Remove Lice/Nits
- remove nits by combing the hair with the special small tooth comb provided. Remaining nits may be removed by hand (using a throw-away glove), or cutting the nits out.
- use the nit comb provided and make sure the hair remains slightly damp while removing nits
- if the hair dries during combing, dampen it slightly with water
- part the hair into 4 sections. Work on one section at a time. Longer hair may take more time (1-2 hours).
- start at the top of the head on the section you have picked
- with one hand, lift a 1-2 inch wide strand of hair. Get the teeth of the comb as close to the scalp as possible and comb with a firm, even motion away from the scalp to the end of the hair.
- use clips to pin back each strand of hair after you have combed out the nits
- clean the comb completely as you go. Wipe the nits from the comb with a tissue and throw away the tissue in a sealed plastic bag to prevent the lice from coming back.
- after combing, recheck the entire head for nits and repeat combing if necessary
- check the affected head daily to remove any nits that you might have missed
Inactive ingredients
abies balsamea (balsam canada) extract, anhydrous citric acid, butylparaben, ceteth-10, cetyl alcohol, ethylparaben, FD&C yellow no. 6, fragrance, hydrolyzed animal protein, hydroxyethyl cellulose, isopropyl alcohol, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, propylene glycol, propylparaben, purified water, stearalkonium chloride
Questions?
1-800-719-9260
— FDA label of Good Sense Lice Killing Creme Rinse, L. Perrigo Company, effective November 21, 2022. See the official label on DailyMed →
This page is not medical advice. Read the label on your package, and ask a pharmacist or doctor if you are not sure a medicine is right for you, for your child, or with your other medicines.
Same medicine, other brands
Each group lists the products that have exactly the same active ingredient, in the same amount and form, as registered with the FDA (NDC Directory). A store brand in the same group has the same medicine as the name brand; inactive ingredients, flavors and package sizes can differ. Each product links to its own official label.
Permethrin 1% · rinse (topical) · 2 products
Drug Facts for this strength and form ↑
| Brand or product name | Company on the label | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Nix | Insight Pharmaceuticals LLC | DailyMed |
| Nix Lice Killing Creme Rinse | Geodis Logistics LLC | DailyMed |
Permethrin 1 mg/100 mL · lotion (topical) · 2 products
Permethrin 1% · lotion (topical) · 1 product
| Brand or product name | Company on the label | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Kakshal Permethrin | Kakshal | — |
Companies that sell this medicine
The company named on the package (maker or distributor), as listed in the FDA NDC Directory, with its number of over-the-counter products of this medicine.
- Insight Pharmaceuticals LLC1 product
- Kakshal1 product
- Topco Associates LLC1 product
- Geodis Logistics LLC1 product
- L. Perrigo Company1 product
Recalls
No recall linked to these products (by their NDC code or label) appears in the FDA enforcement reports.
Sources
- Drug labeling (SPL, openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- NDC Directory (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 30, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- Drug recall enforcement reports (openFDA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), FDA data exported October 27, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026
- FDA rule for the Drug Facts label (21 CFR 201.66)
Only medicines marketed under FDA rules for nonprescription drugs (an FDA monograph or an FDA approval) are listed. Homeopathic products are not listed: the FDA does not evaluate them for safety or effectiveness.