this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2026
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The trial compared the catnip lotion against 15% DEET, so it's unknown how it compares against stronger formulas. However this is quite promising and I hope further studies are conducted globally! Catnip, as a member of the mint family, is quite a fast-growing, hardy plant, and could easily replace DEET for both home and commercial products if it continues to prove effective.
Most of the "effective as DEET" oils only last a very short amount of time because they evaporate too quickly. Which is why the CDC doesn't recommend them when traveling to locations with high mosquito disease transmission.
Curious if Catnip oil has the same issue, the article doesn't say.
edit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52715-y
Effective for 1-4 hours. Definitely better than most essential oil treatments, but not as good as DEET or picaridin.
So ... we just need to mix catnip/peppermint oil into a less volatile carrier to slow the evaporation, yes?