Revenues and Cost of Sales
Total revenues increased to $13,242,959 from $70,918, or by $13,172,041, for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the same period of 2022. Revenue increased primarily due to our acquisition of Legacy Molekule. Revenue primarily increased due to an increase in sales of purifiers (an increase of approximately $5,117,510), an increase in the sale of filters (approximately $9,635,273), offset by returns (approximately $717,920) and discounts and promotions (approximately $874,038).
Total revenues increased to $21,592,380 from $77,652, or by $21,514,728, for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the same period of 2022. Revenue increased primarily due to our acquisition of Legacy Molekule. Revenue primarily increased due to an increase in sales of purifiers (approximately $8,192,653), an increase in sales of filters (an increase of approximately $15,538,375), offset by returns (approximately $1,076,844) and discounts and promotions (approximately $1,187,612).
Cost of sales increased to $8,763,888 from $36,126, or by $8,727,762, for the three months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the same period of 2022. Cost of sales increased primarily due to our acquisition of Legacy Molekule. Cost of sales increased in line with revenues.
Cost of sales increased to $13,438,147 from $39,890, or by $13,398,257, for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to the same period of 2022. Cost of sales increased primarily due to our acquisition of Legacy Molekule. Cost of sales increased in line with revenues.
Operating Expenses
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) consist primarily of costs related to our employees, independent contractors and consultants. Other significant general and administrative expenses include accounting and legal services and expenses associated with obtaining and maintaining patents as well as marketing and advertising services and expenses associated with establishing our brand and developing our website, marketing materials and call center.
For the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $15,005,356 and $4,105,066, respectively, of SG&A expenses. The increase of $10,900,290 was primarily due to an increase in salaries and wages (approximately $3,522,059), stock-based compensation (approximately $1,193,165), marketing expense (approximately $64,280), legal fees (approximately $895,651), public company costs (an increase of approximately $1,011,866), rent expense (approximately $1,193,165), and digital advertising (approximately $1,874,668).
For the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $28,666,969 and $6,247,290 respectively, of SG&A expenses. The increase of $22,419,679 was primarily due to an increase in salaries and wages (approximately $7,133,140), stock-based compensation (approximately $2,025,052), legal fees (approximately $3,243,948), public company costs (an increase of approximately $1,234,716), rent expense (approximately $1,825,965), and digital advertising (approximately $3,045,805).
Research and Development Expenses
Since our inception, we have focused our resources on our research and development activities. We expense research and development costs as they are incurred. Our research and development expenses primarily consist of outsourced engineering, product development and manufacturing design costs. For the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $1,174,846 and $579,061, respectively, in research and development costs. Research and development expenses increased by $595,785 in the three months ended June 30, 2023, as compared to the prior year period. Research and development expenses increased for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to the research and development associated with the building of Molekule 360, our indoor air quality management solution platform, which was launched in July 2023.
For the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we incurred $1,422,625 and $1,110,544, respectively, in research and development costs. Research and development expenses increased by $312,081 in the six months ended June 30, 2023, as compared to