The Science
Why “natural” doesn’t mean “weaker”
The default assumption is that any repellent which skips DEET must be the gentle, less-effective option. We built incognito® specifically to break that assumption — a plant-based formula put through the same laboratory tests as the harshest synthetics, and matching them.
Our spray, lotion, roll-on and SPF lines are independently tested at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and verified to deliver 100% protection for at least 4 hours against the Aedes mosquitoes behind dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever.
Every batch is built on plant-derived PMD, sourced from sustainably grown Java citronella and refined to tropical-grade strength. No DEET. No neurotoxic actives. No compromise on efficacy.
*Independently tested for 100% protection ≥4 hours against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
Mosquitoes hunt by smell. We switch off the signal.
incognito® doesn’t poison insects — it makes you disappear from their radar. The mechanism is mechanical, not toxic, which is exactly why it’s safe on skin from six months old.
The strongest PMD on the market — grown, not synthesised
PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol) reads like a synthetic, but the molecule is produced naturally by the Java citronella plant (Cymbopogon winterianus) — a more potent species than the common C. nardus. We pick the stronger plant on purpose.
A controlled extraction strips impurities and concentrates the active to laboratory-grade purity. The result is Citrepel® 75, the most refined PMD available, powering our entire biocidal range.
To qualify as tropical-strength, regulators demand a minimum 20% PMD — the threshold for protection against malaria-carrying Anopheles and dengue-carrying Aedes. Many “natural” products don’t come close. That’s why their results don’t either.
He caught malaria and dengue on one trip. Then he built the fix.
After contracting both diseases on the same journey — while taking anti-malarials — Howard set out to build the repellent that would have prevented either, and ended up co-founding incognito®.
He is now one of the UK’s most-cited bite-prevention specialists. He oversees every product test we run at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine alongside Professor James Logan, and lectures clinicians, expedition leaders and the public on insect-borne disease.
A Biology and Chemistry specialist who ran a QA/QC laboratory before launching incognito®, he also holds a University of London diploma in the Biological Basis of Human Behaviour and a Master NLP qualification. His work appears across national press and peer-reviewed journals, and he is an accredited BBC expert.
Every product runs on the same proven active
The bits worth understanding
The diseases mosquitoes still carry, what our packaging is grown from, and the plastic-free loofah that pairs with the system.
The diseases mosquitoes still carry
Malaria, dengue, Zika — and what to do about them
Malaria is in retreat — 44 countries are now certified malaria-free, Egypt the most recent, and deaths have roughly halved since the early 2000s. But 2023 still saw around 263 million infections and 600,000 deaths, so it’s far from beaten.
Dengue is the disease to watch. A record 14 million cases were reported in 2024 — almost certainly an undercount, as dengue is regularly mistaken for flu and underreported. Beyond it sit Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis, mostly spread by Aedes species — including Aedes albopictus, now established in southern Europe and detected in the UK.
Vaccines are not a substitute for repellent. The dengue vaccine has been withdrawn; anti-malarials top out near 90% efficacy — which is exactly how our co-founder caught malaria while taking them. The only protection that holds across all Aedes-borne illness is a properly applied repellent at 20%+ PMD or 30%+ DEET.
We are not medical professionals — speak to your GP or a travel clinic about anti-malarials, vaccines or pre-travel precautions.
Bottles made from sugarcane, not crude oil
Bio-PE · recycled blend
Conventional packaging is built from petroleum. Our bottles and tubes use bio-PE made from sugarcane instead — a plant-based polymer that performs identically to fossil plastic, but begins life capturing CO² as the cane grows.
We blend it with post-consumer recycled plastic to keep the carbon footprint low at both ends: less new fossil material in, less landfill plastic out. Same durable bottle — minus the petrochemicals.
A loofah grown, not moulded
Plastic-free exfoliation
Most exfoliating sponges are knitted synthetic fibres that shed microplastics into your bathwater. Ours is the dried, processed fruit of the luffa plant — fully natural, compostable, and gentle enough for daily use.
After harvest the fruit is dried, the skin removed, and the fibrous core cleaned and shaped into bath-ready scrubbers. The soft texture lifts dead skin and the body odours that draw insects in — pairing neatly with the rest of the repellent system.
Questions about the loofah or any product? Email info@incognito.eco.
What our customers say
“All-natural, no DEET, and somehow more effective than the chemical one I used to swear by. Brilliant.”
“The loofah is a quiet hero — skin feels properly clean, and I genuinely needed less spray after a week.”
“Ten years of trips to Thailand and this is the only repellent that actually keeps mosquitoes off me.”
“Took it to Borneo — not a single bite. The rest of the group was getting eaten alive.”
“Finally a repellent that works without the eye-watering chemical smell. The science holds up. So do the results.”
“Ten years of trips to Thailand and this is the only repellent that actually keeps mosquitoes off me.”
