Study summary
Lavender, eucalyptus, and orange essential oils as repellents against Ixodes ricinus females
Kulma M, Bubová T, Kopecký O, Rettich F
Read the original paper- Study type
- Lab
- Year
- 2017
- Species tested
- Ixodes ricinus
- Published in
- Scientia Agriculturae Bohemica 48(2):76-81
- Evidence strength
- Limited evidence
How it was tested
Laboratory repellency bioassays of three essential oils against female castor-bean ticks.
Summary
A Czech lab bioassay comparing lavender, eucalyptus, and orange oils, all at 10%, against castor-bean ticks, with 10% DEET as a stable benchmark. All three faded fast, but lavender was clearly the best of them.
Key findings
Averaged over the test, repellency ran orange 11%, eucalyptus 39%, lavender 73%, and DEET 98%. All three oils started strong (65 to 85% at five minutes) but dropped off quickly: by 80 minutes lavender held 45%, eucalyptus 15%, and orange nothing, while DEET stayed near 95 to 100% throughout. Lavender comes out as the only oil with real promise for short outdoor use, and orange as essentially useless.
Limitations
An on-cardboard bioassay rather than skin, a short 80-minute window, and a single 10% concentration; the authors note treated clothing would likely last longer than the cardboard surface.