Insect Repellent Ingredients

DEET (diethyltoluamide) is the ingredient in most insect repellents. It is the best, most effective insect repellent that exists. The World Health Organization recommends that people use a repellent to protect themselves and their children from mosquito bites. DEET provides the best protection against mosquitoes, ticks and other blood-sucking insects.

Insect Repellent Ingredients

What are EPA-approved insect repellent ingredients?

EPA-registered active ingredients include:

• 2-undecanone
• Catnip oil
• DEET
• IR-3535
• Oil of Citronella
• Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus
• Picaridin
• q-Methane-3,8-diol (pmd)

The most commonly used ingredient in EPA-approved insect repellents is DEET, and we find it in more than 500 products.

What is DEET?

DEET is the term used for the chemical ingredient N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide that can repel mosquitoes and ticks that may carry harmful diseases.

DEET works by interfering with the receptors on a mosquito’s antennae making it harder for it to detect our presence, therefore they’re unable to find us to bite us.

DEET’s been in use since the late 1940s and has been studied extensively. Research shows it’s safe and effective when used as directed.

Why use DEET rather than other EPA-registered ingredients?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection (CDC) recommends the use of DEET products because extensive research shows DEET is safe and highly effective at preventing mosquito and tick bites. It’s also the most commonly used EPA-registered ingredient in insect repellent products.

Using safe and effective DEET containing insect repellent products helps prevent the spread of harmful insect-borne diseases like malaria, Zika, West Nile, Lyme Disease, and more. These diseases can cause severe illness, and the potential for contracting these diseases decreases with proper preventative measures, including using insect repellent.

How much DEET should I use?

DEET comes in many concentrations, from 4%-100%. The concentration determines how long the repellent properties last rather than how many bugs it will prevent from biting you. In other words, if you choose a product that contains a high concentration of DEET, you will not need to reapply it as frequently as a product that contains a low DEET concentration. The protection is the same. The duration is the difference.

While there are high concentration DEET products, research shows that there is little difference among products containing concentrations above 50% with respect to how long they remain effective.

The CDC recommends applying products with approximately 20% DEET concentration (1).

Is it safe to use? Even for children and pregnant and nursing mothers?

When used according to the directions, DEET is safe and even recommended for use by all populations who may be exposed to potentially disease-carrying mosquitos and ticks.

The EPA’s data shows it’s safe for all children regardless of age. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using DEET-containing products only on children older than two months of age.

We should never apply DEET-containing products directly to children’s hands or faces. Additionally, the AAP recommends that children wash off the DEET after it’s no longer needed.

Again, when used as directed, DEET-containing products are safe for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Can I have a reaction to DEET?

Although rare, DEET-containing products can cause some people to have skin irritation or reactions. In that case, you should wash the area to remove any product, discontinue use, and contact a medical professional if it is severe.

The good news.

It can be good for our health to spend time in nature, enjoying the outdoors. We know DEET-containing products are safe and effective when used correctly and can help us have fun outside with fewer bug bites

Insect Repellent Ingredients

The most important ingredient in insect repellent is DEET, which stands for N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide. It’s a chemical that was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1944 as a way to protect soldiers from mosquito bites. Later, it was found to be effective against ticks and biting flies as well.

Most products contain between 10% and 30% DEET. It doesn’t smell very good, but it’s effective at keeping bugs away from you.

DEET works by preventing insects from smelling you, so they can’t find you and bite you. The downside is that DEET can be toxic if it comes into contact with your skin or eyes. That’s why it’s important to use only products that are labeled “safe for children” and follow all directions carefully when applying them to your skin or putting them on your clothes or gear such as tents or sleeping bags.

Synthetic repellents tend to be more effective and/or longer lasting than “natural” repellents.

For protection against mosquito bites, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends DEET, picaridin (icaridin, KBR 3023), oil of lemon eucalyptus (para-menthane-diol or PMD), ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate and 2-undecanone with the caveat that higher percentages of the active ingredient provide longer protection.

In 2015, Researchers at New Mexico State University tested 10 commercially available products for their effectiveness at repelling mosquitoes. On the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the vector of Zika virus, only one repellent that did not contain DEET had a strong effect for the duration of the 240 minutes test: a lemon eucalyptus oil repellent. All DEET-containing mosquito repellents were active.

In one comparative study from 2004, ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate was as effective or better than DEET in protection against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Other sources (official publications of the associations of German physicians as well as of German druggists) suggest the contrary and state DEET is still the most efficient substance available and the substance of choice for stays in malaria regions, while ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate has little effect. However, some plant-based repellents may provide effective relief as well. Essential oil repellents can be short-lived in their effectiveness.

A test of various insect repellents by an independent consumer organization found that repellents containing DEET or picaridin are more effective than repellents with “natural” active ingredients. All the synthetics gave almost 100% repellency for the first 2 hours, where the natural repellent products were most effective for the first 30 to 60 minutes, and required reapplication to be effective over several hours.

Although highly toxic to cats, permethrin is recommended as protection against mosquitoes for clothing, gear, or bed nets. In an earlier report, the CDC found oil of lemon eucalyptus to be more effective than other plant-based treatments, with a similar effectiveness to low concentrations of DEET. However, a 2006 published study found in both cage and field studies that a product containing 40% oil of lemon eucalyptus was just as effective as products containing high concentrations of DEET. Research has also found that neem oil is mosquito repellent for up to 12 hours. Citronella oil’s mosquito repellency has also been verified by research, including effectiveness in repelling Aedes aegypti, but requires reapplication after 30 to 60 minutes.

There are also products available based on sound production, particularly ultrasound (inaudibly high-frequency sounds) which purport to be insect repellents. However, these electronic devices have been shown to be ineffective based on studies done by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and many universities.

List Of Insect Repellent Ingredients