When it comes to bug bites, a lot of companies have been promoting natural products, claiming that they are the best harm-free repellants for bugs. However, not all natural products are active, and some of them are ineffective. The active ingredient of the repellent is important. For instance, OLE (oil of lemon eucalyptus) and picaridin are repellants that are derived from plants, and they are very active.

However, the concentration of the active ingredient is critical. For instance, picaridin is ineffective in low concentration. Some plant-based repellants do not prevent bugs. For example, lemongrass, citronella, cedar, soybean, etc. are natural products that have been proven not to prevent bug bites

Natural products proven not to prevent bug bites

Table of content

1. Soybean

2. Citronella

3. Peppermint

4. Rosemary

5. Geraniol

6. Lemmon grass

The problem with natural repellents is that these plant-based repellants are regulated differently compared to the other repellents. Since they are natural, EPA considers them safe thus their effectiveness is not evaluated. For this reason, there is no proof of efficacy for these products from the companies that market them. These natural products have been tested and proven that they do not work.

1. Soybean

Soybean or soya bean-based insect repellant has not been EPA tested because it is deemed harmless. It is a natural repellant, but it is ineffective because it only prevents bug bites for approximately thirty minutes to two hours. It, however, has low dermal toxicity thus it is considered safe.

2. Citronella

It is an essential oil extract, and it is used as a natural ingredient for mosquito repellants. It is also not very effective in bug-bite prevention as it protects a person for about two hours. It rapidly evaporates thus reducing its effectiveness as a repellant. Therefore, even the citronella candles are not effective.

3. Peppermint

This is a natural repellant for bugs, and it falls under botanicals/plant-based repellant. It is, however, less effective as it can only repel insects for less than two hours. EPA considers it safe because it does not cause allergies or skin irritations, but its effectiveness is not something to depend on.

4. Rosemary

Rosemary is among the natural plant oils that act as plant-based/natural bug repellants. Nevertheless, since it can only repel mosquitoes for two hours maximum, it falls under the category of natural repellants that do not work.

5. Geraniol

The botanical repellant Geraniol has also not been tested by EPA under the assumption that it is natural hence harmless. However, most users have found it to be ineffective because it rapidly evaporates and its effect can only last up to two hours. It is therefore not the best choice as a repellant.

6. Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a non-synthesized plant oil that is not registered by EPA. It repels bugs for 30 minutes to 2 hours maximum thus it is not as effective as the naturally occurring OLE. Therefore, lemongrass is also a natural repellant that is ineffective an even if it is safe to use, it cannot prevent one from bug bites.

These plant-based repellants lasted less than two hours when they were tested against certain mosquitoes like the Aedes aegypti. This mosquito can spread dengue virus, yellow fever, zika virus, and chikungunya. Therefore, the above repellants should be avoided because they will not prevent you from mosquito bites. In fact, they will expose you to infections. Thus, when buying a repellant, make sure you know the ingredients and the active-compound concentration.