Last month, Nootkatone received EPA registration. Nootkatone is a naturally-derived substance from cedar and grapefruit. Initial results from research trials show that Nootkatone is a promising alternative to DEET. What’s even better is that Nootkatone is not harmful to non-target species, such as bees. Nootkatone is also not harmful to humans. In fact, you may have drunk the substance – it can be found in drinks as a natural flavoring, including Squirt.
Nootkatone, which was originally assessed as a repellent for the main mosquito vector responsible for the spread of the Zika virus, has potential for use against Ixodes tick vectors of Lyme disease. The only problem is that, since the funding is currently catered towards products that repel mosquitos, there isn’t enough funding to make a soap product to repel ticks since soap has shown to not be effective in repelling mosquitos. Researchers are pushing that funding be made available for a soap product to be produced as a safe, effective way of reducing the exposure to tick-born diseases.
New York Times Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/10/health/tick-mosquito-repellant-nootkatone.html
