What Is Citrepel® 75 and Why We Use It Instead of Synthetic Actives

Key takeaways

• Citrepel® 75 is a trade name, not a mystery chemical. It is the plant-derived repellent active used in incognito® formulas, and its working ingredient is PMD (para-menthane-3,8-diol).
• PMD is the only plant-derived active that the CDC and the US EPA list alongside synthetics such as DEET, picaridin and IR3535.
• Our PMD comes from Java citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) — a distilled plant oil, refined into a single, measurable active.
• Published reviews report protection comparable to DEET at lower concentrations, without DEET’s habit of softening plastics and synthetic fabrics.
• It is not a force field. Any repellent, plant-derived or synthetic, has to be reapplied and covering every patch of exposed skin matters more than the brand on the bottle.

If you have ever read the ingredients on an incognito® bottle, you will have met the name Citrepel® 75. It is the plant-derived active we use instead of DEET or another synthetic — and the single biggest reason our sprays behave the way they do on skin, on clothing and in the environment. Here is what it is, where it comes from, and why we build the range around it.

What is Citrepel® 75?

Citrepel® is a commercial name for a refined, plant-derived insect repellent active. The molecule doing the work inside it is PMD, short for para-menthane-3,8-diol. PMD occurs naturally in small quantities in certain aromatic plant oils; for repellent use it is concentrated and standardised so that every batch delivers the same, predictable dose of active.

That standardisation is the point. Raw essential oil varies with the harvest, the soil and the still; a refined active does not — which is why regulators can assess PMD as a defined substance rather than a variable botanical extract.

And the 75? It is a grade marker for the raw material — the concentration of PMD in the ingredient as it arrives at our production facility, not a statement about how much active ends up in your finished spray. For the concentration in a specific product, the product label is always the authority.

Where our PMD comes from

Most PMD on the world market is derived from lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora). Ours is not. The PMD in Citrepel® 75 is produced from Java citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus), the same grass family behind the citronella oil in our soaps and incense sticks. Same active molecule, different botanical route — which is why we describe our active as PMD or Citrepel® and never borrow another company’s ingredient name for it.

It is worth separating two things that get conflated constantly: citronella oil and PMD are not the same. Neat citronella oil smells wonderful and repels mosquitoes for a short window before it evaporates — we have written honestly about that in our piece on whether citronella actually repels mosquitoes. PMD is a refined, longer-lasting active. One is a fragrant oil; the other is a registered repellent ingredient.

How PMD works

Repellents do not kill insects or create a physical barrier — they interfere with how a mosquito or tick finds you. Biting insects home in on a plume of carbon dioxide, body heat, lactic acid and skin bacteria compounds. A vapour layer of PMD just above treated skin disrupts that signal: the insect either cannot resolve where you are, or finds the surface unpleasant to land on.

Two practical consequences follow:

• Coverage beats quantity. Untreated skin stays attractive. An ankle you skipped is an ankle that gets bitten.
• Time and conditions erode the layer. Sweat, swimming, towelling and high heat all shorten protection, which is why reapplication intervals exist. We go into detail on this in how long insect repellent lasts and when to reapply.

Citrepel® 75 versus synthetic actives

Here is how the main skin-applied repellent actives compare on the points people actually ask about.

If you want that comparison in more depth, we have a dedicated breakdown of picaridin vs PMD vs DEET.

Why we use it instead of a synthetic active

Choosing an active is a trade-off, and we made ours deliberately.

1. It is recognised, not fringe. The CDC and the EPA list PMD among the actives they consider effective. That matters: we did not want a plant-based product that only works in marketing copy.
2. Comparable protection at lower concentrations. The published review literature on plant-based repellents — notably Maia and Moore’s review in the Malaria Journal — reports PMD giving protection comparable to DEET, at lower concentrations. We say comparable, not better.
3. It behaves better on the things you own. DEET is a solvent that can craze sunglasses, tent zips, watch straps and technical fabrics. PMD does not carry that risk, which is why it suits travellers and hikers.
4. It is biodegradable and vegan. The active breaks down rather than persisting, and nothing in the formula is animal-derived — our reasoning is set out in why we are DEET-free.

What Citrepel® 75 does not do

Three honest limits, because trust is worth more than a sale:

• It does not last all day from one application. Nothing applied to skin does.
• It does not protect skin you did not cover, and it does not work through clothing you sprayed instead of skin.
• It is not a medicine. It reduces bites; it does not treat disease. If you are travelling somewhere with malaria or another vector-borne disease, repellent sits alongside medical advice, not instead of it.

How incognito® helps

Every skin repellent in our range is built on the same plant-derived PMD active — there is no ‘strong synthetic version’ hiding behind the natural one. The everyday choice for adults is the insect repellent spray 100ml, which is DEET-free, clinically tested, vegan and biodegradable, and is recommended against both mosquitoes and ticks. For younger skin, the kids insect repellent spray uses the same approach in a formulation labelled for children — check the label for the age it is cleared from, and follow it rather than a rule of thumb you read online.

FAQs

What is Citrepel® 75?
Citrepel® 75 is the trade name of the plant-derived repellent active used in incognito® products. The working ingredient inside it is PMD (para-menthane-3,8-diol), a refined, standardised active rather than a raw essential oil.

Is Citrepel® 75 the same as citronella oil?
No. Our PMD is produced from Java citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus), but the refined active and the neat essential oil behave very differently. Citronella oil evaporates quickly; PMD is a longer-lasting repellent active.

Does the 75 mean the spray is 75% active?
No. The number refers to the grade of the raw ingredient as supplied, not to the concentration in a finished bottle. Always read the product label for what is in the specific product you are holding.

Is PMD as effective as DEET?
Published reviews report protection comparable to DEET at lower concentrations, and both the CDC and the EPA list PMD among effective skin-applied actives. Reapplication and full coverage matter more than which of the two you pick.

Does Citrepel® 75 work against ticks?
Our repellents are recommended against mosquitoes and ticks. With ticks, repellent is one layer: covered ankles, light-coloured clothing and a careful body check after being outdoors do the rest.

Can children use a Citrepel® 75 repellent?
We make a dedicated kids formulation, and the age it is cleared from is stated on the label. Follow the label rather than generic advice, and apply it to a child yourself rather than letting them spray it.

Sources

• CDC — Preventing Mosquito Bites
• CDC — Preventing Tick Bites
• US EPA — Skin-Applied Repellent Ingredients
• ECDC — Protective Measures Against Mosquitoes
• NHS — Insect Bites and Stings
• Maia & Moore (2011) — Plant-Based Insect Repellents: A Review, Malaria Journal

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Always follow the product label, and speak to a pharmacist or doctor about repellent use in pregnancy, for infants, or before travelling to an area with vector-borne disease.