Do Natural Insect Repellents Work? Grove's Guide to Natural Bug Sprays & Mosquito Repellents

Natural insect repellents are as effective as their conventional counterparts, but read the active ingredient list and application recommendations — sometimes you have to pay a little more for the most effective bug bite prevention.

“If a natural bug repellent doesn’t work well, it’s because the brand didn't put a high enough concentration of repellent essential oils in its products,” says Freeman of Murphy’s Naturals. “These essential oils are costly, but effective repellency comes from using a high concentration of those repellent essential oils, plus applying a combination of various oils, rather than just one oil like citronella.”

Like insects, not all oils are the same, so the oil repellency impact varies depending on the insect. You’ll get a broader spectrum of insect repellency by using high concentrations of different oils in combination.

Solution: For kids who are sensitive to smells and prone to squirming, a bug repellent balm stick offers no-touch application with a less fragrant formula than most sprays (and the CDC advises against using oil of lemon eucalyptus on kids younger than three). Or try a mosquito-repellent wipe, which relies on essential oils, soybean oil, and vitamin E for insect bite prevention for up to four hours.

If you’re sending your little ones outdoors and dread the thought of having to tackle both sunscreen and insect repellent application, consider a two-in-one formula.

“The sunscreen base works as a great fixative for the repellent essential oils, so this is a long-lasting formula,” says Piedmont-Fleischmann.

Solution: Consider a combination of a candle and insect repellent incense sticks to create a “no-fly” zone. While they can be used independently of each other, the candle-stick combo is part of what Freeman calls the “point and perimeter” method.

“Our recommendation is to place the incense sticks in a perimeter around your patio to create a first-level barrier to mosquitoes, and then a candle at the point where you are enjoying the outdoors for those few mosquitoes that make it past the perimeter,” he says.

Solution: The Badger balms in tins can be used on some animals, like horses, dogs, or donkeys, but some essential oils aren’t good for cats.

For flea and tick protection, consider a spray like the one from kin+kind, which can be used before walks and hikes or sprayed weekly on your dog’s coat for general protection. You can also use the spray on bedding, but be sure to spot test a portion of the fabric first.

Solution: Both Murphy’s and Badger offer natural bug bite relief balms that help soothe the itch, and since both are plant-based, you can apply (and reapply) as much as needed — just make sure to test a small area first for any sensitivities to essential oils.

Though natural, essential oils may be too strong for sensitive skin types. Badger’s Bug Bite Relief Balm uses cooling peppermint oil for relief, plus a variety of antioxidant- and vitamin-rich oils to give your skin a boost.

Veteran owned, family operated, and a certified B corporation, Murphy’s Naturals started when founder Philip Freeman was looking for a natural mosquito repellent for his “mosquito magnet” wife. Eager to avoid DEET and other chemical-based products, Freeman tried alternatives, but found they were either ineffective or not as natural as they seemed.

“The lack of a readily available, highly effective plant-based repellent products was the ‘a-ha’ moment for me,” says Freeman. “I thought there must be a lot of people with the same challenge. After a lot of self-testing, I developed a plant-based formulation that worked.”

Murphy’s Naturals uses a high level of essential oils, plus natural waxes like soy and beeswax, for an all-natural and effective way to repel mosquitoes. “Our products are made from sustainable ingredients and our packaging is made with the purpose to reuse, recycle, and reduce materials,” says Freeman. “Many of our ingredients support local communities from where they are sourced, ranging from the Brazilian Amazon to the grasslands of Malawi.”

Another family-run B corporation, Badger was founded more than two decades ago by New Hampshire carpenter Bill Whyte, who wanted a balm to help soothe his cracked hands. His product was a hit with his construction friends, and soon spurred expansion into a whole line of products. Now run by his daughters, Badger produces all-organic body and skin care products that fit the brand’s rigorous natural standards for healthy agriculture, minimal processing, sustainable supply chain, and health-giving properties.

“Our insect repellents are formulated with all-natural and certified-organic ingredients, including essential oils that have insect-repelling properties,” says Piedmont-Fleischmann. On top of containing top-notch ingredients, the products work. Badger lab-tested its formulas to make sure they were effective: Anti-Bug Spray provides more than three hours of protection, just to name one superstar.

Okay, so it wasn’t created by an actual “aunt,” but Aunt Fannie’s founder Mat Franken named the company after his grandma, a “woman with enough life force and common sense to set this whole world straight,” he says in his interview with Grove. Franken started the company when his toddler’s health problems were traced back to autoimmune problems, and has since set out on a mission to let nature work how it’s intended by harnessing its cleaning properties into Aunt Fannie’s products.

Although best-known for its plant-based household cleaning supplies, Aunt Fannie’s also produces handy mosquito-repellent wipes and sprays, including a spray formulated with kids specifically in mind. The wipes can be used on children six months and older, and are made from a non-bleached material and biodegradable. Essential oil–powered and DEET-free, Aunt Fannie’s insect repellent products don’t just end at topicals; the brand also produces a line of household insect sprays and remedies, including a fruit-fly trap, ant remedy, roach remedy, and an all-purpose pest spray. And Aunt Fannie’s vets its products via third party standards and testing. Plus, the bottles and cans are recyclable.