The ingredients that actually repel bugs
A short list does the heavy lifting. EPA-registered synthetic actives like DEET and picaridin have decades of efficacy review behind them; minimum-risk botanicals like citronella and cedarwood oil skip that review but show up in plenty of “natural” sprays. Here’s every ingredient we actually evaluate, with the safety and evidence that matters.
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51 ingredients
Lemongrass oil
Oils, lemongrass
Yes. Lemongrass is among the stronger essential-oil repellents, with complete protection around an hour to ninety minutes at well-formulated concentrations. That's the top of the botanical class, and still a fraction of any synthetic.
Cedarwood oil
Oils, cedarwood
Against mosquitoes, the evidence is minimal. Against ticks, there's a genuine signal: cedrol, a cedarwood component, measurably repels ticks for short windows. Treat cedarwood products as brief, tick-leaning helpers, not mosquito protection.
Citronella oil
Oils, citronella
Barely, and briefly. Citronella is the most famous botanical repellent and one of the weakest performers in controlled testing, lasting under 20 minutes of complete protection in the landmark NEJM study. It repels mosquitoes; it just stops doing so almost immediately.
Peppermint oil
Botanical oil from Mentha piperita used in minimum-risk repellent formulations.
Rosemary oil
Oils, rosemary
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Geraniol
2,6-Octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (2E)-
Yes, and at the right concentration, better than most botanicals. Luker 2023 arm-in-cage tests found 10% geraniol in a lotion emulsion protected for over 60 minutes against both mosquitoes and ticks. López 2025 showed the dose-response has a steep cliff: below 4% it's nearly useless, but at 5% it reaches the same plateau as 10%. Products with 5%+ geraniol in a lotion base deserve a serious look; products at 1–3% do not.
Geranium oil
Oils, geranium
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Clove oil
Oils, clove
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Glycerin
1,2,3-Propanetriol
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Vitamin E
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Castor oil
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Soybean oil
Plant oil used as an active ingredient in minimum-risk insect repellent formulations.
Thyme oil
Oils, thyme
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Citric acid
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Cinnamon oil
Botanical oil used in minimum-risk tick and insect repellent formulations.
Sodium benzoate
Benzoic acid, sodium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Vanillin
Benzaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Beeswax
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Potassium sorbate
Sorbic acid, potassium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Stearic acid
Octadecanoic acid
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Eugenol
Phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(2-propen-1-yl)-
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Glyceryl stearate
Octadecanoic acid, ester with 1,2,3-propanetriol
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Isopropyl myristate
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Lecithins
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Xanthan gum
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Isopropyl alcohol
2-Propanol
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Lauric acid
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Soya lecithins
Lecithins, soya
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Almond oil
Oils, almond
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Aluminum magnesium silicate
Silicic acid, aluminum magnesium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Bentonite
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Calcium benzoate
Benzoic acid, calcium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Carnauba wax
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Cellulose
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Cocoa
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Corn oil
Plant-derived carrier/active oil used in some FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk botanical repellents. On the EPA 25(b) exempt active list.
Glyceryl monostearate
Octadecanoic acid, monoester with 1,2,3-propanetriol
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose
Cellulose, 2-hydroxypropyl methyl ether
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Myristic acid
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Palmitic acid
Hexadecanoic acid
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Polyglyceryl oleate
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Potassium oleate
9-Octadecenoic acid (9Z)-, potassium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Potassium stearate
Octadecanoic acid, potassium salt
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Sesame oil
Fats and Glyceridic oils, sesame
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Soap
Soap (The water soluble sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids produced by either the saponification of fats and oils, or the neutralization of fatty acid)
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Sodium bicarbonate
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Sodium chloride
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Sodium citrate
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt (1:1)
EPA Substance Registry Services (SRS) listed active ingredient for pesticide products.
Triethyl citrate
Citric acid, triethyl ester
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.
Wintergreen oil
Listed as an inert ingredient permitted in EPA minimum risk (FIFRA 25(b)) pesticide products.