Luna Naturals
Luna Naturals Bug & Tick Repellent Spray (Lemon Eucalyptus Oil)
Spray · Not EPA-registered, and unlike the brand's citronella spray that is a real question rather than a formality: oil of lemon eucalyptus is not on EPA's 25(b) minimum-risk list, so a repellent relying on it cannot use the exemption and needs registration. No panel is published to confirm what the active actually is
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Pros
- Gentle on skin — low sensitization and irritation risk
Cons
- Active ingredient concentrations are not disclosed
- Sold without EPA registration despite actives that do not all qualify for the minimum-risk exemption
- Not recommended for children under 3
The full review
The second of the brand's two 120 mL sprays, sold in a green bottle banded Lemon Eucalyptus Oil. That phrasing matters more than it looks. Oil of lemon eucalyptus, in that word order, is the refined material at roughly 65 percent PMD that EPA registers and the CDC lists alongside DEET and picaridin. Lemon eucalyptus oil, the phrase on this bottle, is the conventional name for the unrefined essential oil of the same tree, mostly citronellal with PMD usually under one percent, which has not passed efficacy testing and is not recommended where mosquito borne disease is a risk. The brand's own web copy muddies it further by describing the formula as lemon and eucalyptus oil, two ordinary separate oils and a third possibility again. What we cannot tell you is which of the three is actually in the bottle. No ingredient panel for this variant is published anywhere we could find: not on the brand's site, not at any of the six retailers carrying it, and not in any of the product images, which are all front of pack. The one panel a major retailer does attach to this product is the other spray's formula, a citronella and cedarwood blend with no eucalyptus of any kind in it, which means shoppers at that retailer are reading ingredients that do not belong to the bottle they are buying. Duration matters here too: the listings promise up to six hours, which is roughly what registered oil of lemon eucalyptus products deliver and far beyond what a plain lemon plus eucalyptus blend would. Until the back label is published, the honest position is that the most important fact about this product is missing.
Scorecard
Expand any pillar to see exactly why it scored what it did.
Effectiveness45%10Mosquitoes: protection cannot be modeled because the active concentration is undisclosed. Ticks: protection cannot be modeled because the active concentration is undisclosed. Protection times are modeled from the actives, concentration, and format (see methodology). Scored on a saturating curve (each added hour counts less than the last), 65% mosquito / 35% tick, with lower confidence.
Mosquitoes: protection cannot be modeled because the active concentration is undisclosed. Ticks: protection cannot be modeled because the active concentration is undisclosed. Protection times are modeled from the actives, concentration, and format (see methodology). Scored on a saturating curve (each added hour counts less than the last), 65% mosquito / 35% tick, with lower confidence.
Evidence & honest claims25%18Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is well-supported by published evidence, weighted by how close its concentration is to the studied effective dose (base 43). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 0 moderate, 0 weak, 4 unsupported (-25).
Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is well-supported by published evidence, weighted by how close its concentration is to the studied effective dose (base 43). Of 4 marketing claims audited: 0 strong, 0 moderate, 0 weak, 4 unsupported (-25).
Safety15%86From published dermal toxicology (EPA/CIR/IFRA), scaled by each active's concentration against its leave-on limit: no notable sensitization risk; moderate irritation risk from Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (−6); not recommended for children under 3 (Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus) (−8).
From published dermal toxicology (EPA/CIR/IFRA), scaled by each active's concentration against its leave-on limit: no notable sensitization risk; moderate irritation risk from Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (−6); not recommended for children under 3 (Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus) (−8).
Transparency15%20This product publishes an ingredient list (+20); discloses 0% of active concentrations (+0); discloses 0% of all ingredient concentrations (+0); inert ingredients are not fully accounted for (0).
This product publishes an ingredient list (+20); discloses 0% of active concentrations (+0); discloses 0% of all ingredient concentrations (+0); inert ingredients are not fully accounted for (0).
Every pillar is scored from published rules. Read how we score.
How long it protects
Complete protection ends when the first bite gets through; partial protection keeps reducing bites as repellency decays. EPA label times are verified; the rest are modeled from the actives, concentration, and format.
Mosquito estimate basis (low confidence)
No protection time estimated — this product's label doesn't disclose the active ingredient's concentration, and protection depends on both the ingredient and its strength.
Tick estimate basis (low confidence)
No protection time estimated — this product's label doesn't disclose the active ingredient's concentration, and protection depends on both the ingredient and its strength.
Ingredient disclosure
This product publishes an ingredient list (+20); discloses 0% of active concentrations (+0); discloses 0% of all ingredient concentrations (+0); inert ingredients are not fully accounted for (0).
Only active ingredients are disclosed. The full ingredient list (inerts/carriers) is not published, so this may not be the complete formula.
Active ingredient concentrations are not published for this product.
- Oil of Lemon EucalyptusActive
Active repellent · concentration not disclosed
Claims audit
What the marketing says, versus what the evidence supports.
“Bug & Tick Repellent Spray, Lemon Eucalyptus Oil”
EfficacyUnsupportedRead the word order, because in this category it is not decoration. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is the refined material, roughly 65 percent PMD, EPA-registered and the only plant-derived active the CDC recommends. Lemon eucalyptus oil, the phrase printed on this bottle, is the conventional name for the raw essential oil of the same tree, which is mostly citronellal with PMD typically under one percent and has not passed efficacy testing. Those are different products with different performance, and this label uses the weaker phrasing while the price and the six hour claim point at the stronger one. No panel is published on the brand's site, at any of the six retailers we checked, or in any product image, so a buyer cannot resolve it.
“Provides up to 6 hours of protection per application”
DurationUnsupportedSix hours is the figure associated with registered oil of lemon eucalyptus products at around 30 percent active, and it is not attainable from a lemon oil plus eucalyptus oil blend, which would be measured in tens of minutes. Publishing the six hour number without publishing the active and its concentration invites the buyer to assume the registered kind of product while proving nothing. No testing is cited.
“Made with natural lemon and eucalyptus oil, proven to repel mosquitoes and ticks”
EfficacyUnsupportedRetailer copy describes the formula as lemon and eucalyptus oil, two separate ordinary oils, while the bottle is banded Lemon Eucalyptus Oil, which names a different and specifically effective material. Both cannot describe the same thing. The word proven is unsupported either way: nothing is cited, and if the formula really is lemon plus eucalyptus rather than oil of lemon eucalyptus, the evidence base behind it is thin and short lived.
“Safe for adults, children, and pets when used as directed”
Kid SafeUnsupportedRegistered oil of lemon eucalyptus products carry an explicit label restriction against use on children under three years old. A product marketing itself on lemon eucalyptus while telling parents it is safe for children, with no panel and no age guidance published, has the risk exactly backwards. The pets half carries the usual essential-oil caution around cats.
Safe around dogs & cats?
Worst case from this product’s active ingredients. Do not apply this or any human repellent to your pet.
Mainly from Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus.
Not veterinary advice. Full guide to repellents around pets →