ZERO DEET · THREE PLANT OILS
Nature Feels Better Without the Bites.
Plant-based repellent that works on a mosquito’s sense of smell — DEET-free, no chemical sting, made on our Michigan farm.
FROM
$12.99
4 FL OZ
✓
0% DEET
✓
OK for kids
✓
3+Family owned
ZERO DEET · THREE PLANT OILS
Nature Feels Better Without the Bites.
Plant-based repellent that works on a mosquito’s sense of smell — DEET-free, no chemical sting, made on our Michigan farm.
FROM
$12.99
4 FL OZ
✓
0% DEET
✓
OK for kids
✓
3+Family owned
WHEN IT MATTERS
Not a Spray. An Evening Outside.
THE REASON PEOPLE SWITCH
DEET-free isn’t a feature. It’s the reason Buggsy exists.
DEET works, and it has been the default for seventy years. It is also aggressive stuff. It can soften plastic watch straps, sunglasses frames, fishing line and synthetic fabric. It has a smell most people tolerate rather than like, and it is the thing parents hesitate over at the moment they are about to spray a four-year-old.
Buggsy does the same job from another direction. Its three plant actives work on the same thing DEET does — the scent trail coming off you — using compounds that are natural rather than artificial. You are not less findable because something got poisoned. You are less findable because the trail was masked.
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0% DEET. Not reduced. None.
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No synthetic fragrance. The scent is the oils doing the work.
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Easier on gear. Water-based, so it is not hard on plastics and synthetics the way DEET can be. Spot-test anything delicate, as with any spray.
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Every active on the EPA’s minimum-risk list under FIFRA 25(b) — the exemption that means a product like ours does not require EPA registration. Buggsy is not registered.
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Can be used on children 3+ as the label directs.
How three plant oils make you harder to find.
A mosquito hunts by smell. It picks up the carbon dioxide you breathe out, then the ammonia and lactic acid on your skin, and follows that scent trail to you. Buggsy works on the trail, not on the insect — published research on the aromatic compounds in plant oils shows they occupy the same smell-sensing channels those signals travel through, so the scent trail coming off you gets faint and hard to follow. Nothing gets poisoned. You just stop standing out.
DOES MOST OF THE WORK
Geraniol
The compound behind the scent of geranium and citronella. It acts on octopamine receptors — a nerve signal insects use and humans simply do not have.
WIDENS THE EFFECT
Lemongrass Oil
Mostly citral, a close chemical cousin of geraniol working the same pathway. Oils like these interfere with insect smell better together than either does alone.
ADDS A SECOND LINE
Peppermint Oil
Largely menthol, which acts on a different target again. The cool feeling is menthol on your cold receptors, not anything happening to the bug.
OUR STORY
Born on a Michigan farm.
The lavender rows that led to Buggsy.
This farm ran on eggs and beef long before it ran on lavender. When the generation ahead of us stepped back, we had to find the next thing to grow — and in 2013 that turned out to be organic lavender.
Distilling it is what taught us what plant oils can do. We started mixing our own repellent for family, for friends, for anyone who came out to the farm and got eaten alive — something that worked without the heavy smell and feel of a conventional bug spray.
We are still a small Michigan family business, still outside most evenings, and still aware that mosquitoes don't care whether you're camping, gardening, sitting around a bonfire, or just trying to enjoy your own backyard.
Cutting day. It comes in by the armful.
Wesley, supervising the haul. The help is not always helpful.
This farm ran on eggs and beef long before it ran on lavender. When the generation ahead of us stepped back, we had to find the next thing to grow — and in 2013 that turned out to be organic lavender.
Distilling it is what taught us what plant oils can do. We started mixing our own repellent for family, for friends, for anyone who came out to the farm and got eaten alive — something that worked without the heavy smell and feel of a conventional bug spray.
We are still a small Michigan family business, still outside most evenings, and still aware that mosquitoes don't care whether you're camping, gardening, sitting around a bonfire, or just trying to enjoy your own backyard.
FAQ
Everything you want to know.
Not identically, and we would rather say so than dress it up. DEET has seventy years of testing behind it, and a plant-based repellent asks more of you — you reapply sooner, particularly in heat or around water. What you get for that is a bottle you will actually reach for on a child’s arms, that does not smell like a hardware store, and that is easier on sunglasses and gear. If you are heading into the worst of it, take DEET. For an evening in the backyard, this is the one that gets picked up. We are not going to put a head-to-head number in front of you that we have not had tested.
Buggsy is water-based and contains no dyes, so it is not expected to stain fabric, tents, or gear straps. As with any spray, test an inconspicuous spot first on anything delicate or light-colored.
It's a fine mist, not an oil-based lotion — it applies light and dries without residue, which is why it works on hands, and on a face when you pat it on rather than spray it.
Yes, for children age 3 and up, apply directly to skin. For children under 3, apply only to clothing, not skin, and keep away from hands and face. Always avoid eyes and mouth, and keep out of reach of children when not in use.
Yes — spray onto your hands and gently pat onto your face, avoiding eyes and mouth. Never spray directly at the face.
In eyes: rinse cautiously with water for several minutes, remove contact lenses if present and easy to do, then keep rinsing. If irritation persists, see a physician. Swallowed: do not make the person vomit. Rinse the mouth, give a glass of water if they can swallow, and call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 or a physician straight away. Have the bottle with you when you call so you can read them the ingredients. The full first-aid statement is on the label page.
Reapply as needed, or after heavy sweating, swimming, or a few hours of continuous outdoor exposure — conditions like heat and water contact will shorten how long any repellent lasts.
Buggsy is formulated to help repel mosquitoes and flies, and that is what the label states. Geraniol, lemongrass oil and peppermint oil are studied against a range of biting insects, but we are only going to claim what our label claims. If you are heading somewhere with heavy biting-midge or black-fly pressure, cover up as well — no repellent of any kind is a substitute for long sleeves in the worst of it.
Buggsy is made for people, not for animals. Do not apply it to a pet. Cats in particular metabolize essential oils differently from humans and are more sensitive to them, so if you share your home with one, apply Buggsy outdoors or in a ventilated room, let treated skin dry before close contact, and keep the bottle where a curious animal cannot reach it. If you want something for your animal, ask your veterinarian for a product formulated and approved for that species.
That is a conversation to have with your doctor or midwife rather than with us. We can tell you exactly what is in the bottle — geraniol, lemongrass oil and peppermint oil, in purified water, with every percentage on our ingredients page — and that is the information your clinician will want. Bring the label to the appointment.
Botanical oils are more volatile than synthetic actives, so store Buggsy capped, out of direct sun, out of a hot car, and at room temperature. Stored that way, use it within a year of opening. If the scent has faded noticeably, the actives have too — time for a fresh bottle.
The bottle and the cap are PET plastic and go in curbside recycling in most of Michigan — rinse first and check your local program, since accepted plastics vary by hauler. The sprayer head has a metal spring inside it and should go in the trash unless your program says otherwise. We would rather tell you which part is which than print a leaf on the label and leave you guessing.
Buggsy is made by Gofora, LLC in Bad Axe, Michigan.
