Our organic hydrosol insect repellent ‘anti-moustique’ is made from the steam distillation of rosemary and lemon balm, we add a little peppermint and lime essential oils for added protection, making a natural combination the insects will steer clear of without harming your family.
The main base of our insect repellent is lemon balm but what makes lemon balm a good insect repellant?
lemon balm contains phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that are responsible for its alluring scent. They’re also the chemicals responsible for many of the medicinal benefits of lemon balm.
Lemon balm is comprised of 4 main essential oils:
- Citral (a strongly lemon-scented oil that has pheromonal repellant effects on insects)
- Pheromones are hormone-like chemicals that act as channels of communication between species. Some serve to attract, as in mating, but others serve to repel or warn.
- Citronellal (a lemon-scented component of an essential oil from Cymbopogon species (like lemongrass) used in citronella candles that has been officially registered as a safe insect repellant in the United States since 1948)
- Geraniol (a rose-scented component of an essential oil that is commonly used as an insect repellant, especially for mosquitoes)
- Linalool (a lavender-scented component of essential oil found mainly in mint family plant species and often used as an insecticide and may help to also repel mosquitoes)
Together, these essential oils make up the incredible aroma and flavour that lemon balm offers. And to answer the question of why lemon balm can be an effective insect repellant: while we may find the scent of lemon balm to be absolutely divine, the bugs do not.
Simply put, the bugs do not like the smell of lemon balm, the smell the essential oils are responsible for, and it encourages them to steer clear. It’s the same principle that the citronella candles rely on. It’s the same with the rosemary, lemon and peppermint. Together they make a powerful combination that the bugs just don’t want to be near.
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