Can You Use Vanilla Extract As a Bug Repellent?

Summer is here, and while that means sunny skies, warm breeze and outdoor fun, it also means unwanted critters—especially flying, stinging insects.

Mosquitos may take the spot for summer’s biggest red flag, but there are ways to prevent mosquito bites if you’re prone to getting bit. Bug spray is a prime example, but it has its flaws. The smell of bug spray can be a little overwhelming, and if you’re camping, sprays with DEET can damage your tent. So if you’re looking for an alternative, a pantry staple may be able to help you out.

We have been seeing the trend of using vanilla extract as a bug repellent across the internet for awhile now, and we’re definitely intrigued. But before you start dousing yourself in delicious-smelling vanilla, we asked experts if there’s validity to this trend, as well as what they personally recommend for a bug repellent.

Does Vanilla Extract Work As a Bug Repellent?

To answer this question, we talked to the technical advisor of the American Mosquito Control Association, Daniel Markowski, as well as the entomologist for the National Pest Management Association, Mike Bentley. Here’s what they have to say.

“Vanilla has been shown in limited research to have some detectable repellency to a few mosquito species,” Bentley explains, referencing research like a 2021 study that compared vanilla’s repellent effects to other extracts. “While this may sound promising, the challenge with vanilla and other essential oils is that any repellent effects are often very short-lived. Mosquitoes have evolved over millions of years to sniff us out over other competing odors in the environment. In the long term, these compounds can’t compete against human body odors or the CO2 we breathe out, which are the host cues that hungry mosquitoes use to find their next meal.”

According to the 2021 study, vanilla extract may only repel bugs like mosquitoes for 30 minutes, if that. This is merely an estimate and it can vary by person. Markowski further explains how mosquitos scope out their prey.

“Mosquitoes, just like most other blood feeding insects, use the carbon dioxide that we exhale out as a long distance attractant to bring them close to their hosts,” he says. “But once they actually get close to a host, they use a variety of other cues to finally hone in. These include visual components like shapes and colors (dark colors are not recommended in prime mosquito habitats because they stand out more) and other chemical cues that we exude out. These chemical cues include breath odors, microbiota byproducts on our skin, or other general human odors.”

Because of all of these factors, vanilla extract may work better for some people, but may not work at all for others.

“We are all different and these different combinations are more or less attractive to different mosquito species,” Markowski says. “For this reason, some people can use less concentrated repellents, while others need more.”

What’s the Best Way to Repel Mosquitoes?

Both experts had a list of recommendations for ways to repel mosquitoes that aren’t a trendy home remedy.

“For those that are prone to bites, we recommend using products with EPA-registered active ingredients recommended by the CDC,” Bentley suggests. “This includes DEET, IR 3535, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), Para-menthane-diol (PMD) and 2-undecanone. These active ingredients have been proven to be safe and effective when used according to label instruction.”

“There’s certainly research to show that the extracts from quite a few plants can offer some level of repellency to mosquitoes and other insects,” Markowski agrees. “Most notably, citronella plants (Cymbopogon nardus) and a few other geranium varieties, marigolds, lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), catnip (Nepeta cataria), certain types of mint plants, lavender and Lantana (Lantana camara).”

While not glamorous, these repellents are commonly found for a reason. Before you overuse any repellent though, Markowski has a few guiding rules he thinks everyone should follow:

Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants outdoors during peak mosquito activity periods along with a repellent for an extra layer of protection.
Apply repellent sparingly only to exposed skin, and use repellents on skin under clothing only when mosquitoes can pierce through the clothing.
Do not inhale or ingest repellents and be very cautious when applying them on your face so that you don’t get any into your eyes.
Avoid applying high-concentration products (more than 30% DEET) to the skin. Avoid applying repellents to children’s hands as it can result in contact with their eyes or mouth.
Pregnant and nursing women should minimize use of repellents. Also, be cautious with young children and babies. They often react differently than adults.
Never use repellents on wounds or irritated skin.

The Bottom Line

Overall, there’s no harm in rubbing vanilla extract onto your skin, and it may work better for some than others as a mosquito repellent. However, there’s minimal research proving that vanilla extract outperforms repellents on the market. It’s best to use a recommended bug spray that’s regularly suggested by experts over a home remedy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best DIY bug repellent?

“DIY solutions or at home remedies can be dangerous because they often involve the use of untested products and unverified methods,” Bentley explains. “If you’re going to spend time outdoors, the best way to protect yourself against hungry mosquitoes is to use protective clothing (such as pants and a long sleeve shirt) along with insect repellents that contain EPA-registered active ingredients recommended by the CDC.”

Can supplements prevent bug bites?

“There are certainly theories about supplements that could help,” Markowski says. “Principally Vitamin B12, and recently Vitamin A, supplements have been promoted by the popular media and even some pharmacists as effective home remedies for repelling mosquitoes. However, research to-date has not shown any supplements are able to reduce the attraction of mosquitoes to people.”

Why is it important to prevent mosquito bites?

“Mosquitoes are considered the deadliest animals on the planet because of their ability to spread a handful of potentially deadly diseases including malaria, dengue fever, west Nile virus and more,” Bentley says. “It’s important to use a repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient to provide long lasting protection against these dangerous insects.”