DEET vs Picaridin: Best Insect Repellents (2026)

Every repellent worth putting on skin uses one of six active ingredients, and the one you choose matters less than the concentration, the form and who is wearing it. Hikers and anglers in tick country, parents with small children and anyone who has seen DEET mark a watch face will each end up with a different bottle. The ingredients, the label rules and which bottle fits which trip follow.

How we chose: we did not test these repellents; we picked from EPA-registered actives the CDC recommends, read each maker's label and listing, and kept only bottles sold by Amazon.com or the brand's own store and in stock on September 29, 2026.

The six ingredients the CDC recommends

The CDC's mosquito bite prevention page tells you to use an EPA-registered repellent with one of these actives:

• DEET, in more than 500 registered products, per the EPA.
• Picaridin, sold as icaridin or KBR 3023 outside the US.
• IR3535, in about 45 registered products, per the same EPA list.
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), a refined plant extract.
• PMD (para-menthane-3,8-diol), the compound that does the work in OLE.
• 2-undecanone, another plant-derived active.

Citronella and catnip oil are EPA-registered too, but they are not on the CDC's list. If a bottle's active ingredient is none of the six, it is not what the CDC means.

Five repellents side by side

Prices are Amazon's, as of the time shown, and subject to change. Details

The OLE percentage and age limit come from Cutter's product label; everything else is from the Amazon listings.

More percent means more hours, not a stronger repellent

The number on the front of the bottle is mostly a clock. The EPA says DEET repels mosquitoes for two to twelve hours and ticks for two to ten, "depending on the percentage of DEET in the product." Read that way, a higher percentage mainly buys time before you reapply.

That is why a 98% DEET bottle is overkill for an evening at the campsite, and why a 20% lotion that releases slowly can match a stronger spray on hours. Sawyer's controlled-release formula wraps its 20% DEET in a protein that dissolves over time, and the listing rates it for up to 11 hours.

To compare bottles on hours rather than percent, use the EPA's repellent search tool. You pick mosquitoes, ticks or both, the protection time you need and the active ingredient, and it lists registered products. The EPA notes that protection times vary with how the tests were run, so treat hours as a guide.

The same EPA page says makers may now print an optional repellency awareness graphic on qualifying labels, stating the hours against mosquitoes and ticks. It is voluntary, so a bottle without it is not necessarily worse.

DEET or picaridin?

Both work; the CDC puts them side by side. The practical differences are feel and what they do to your gear.

DEET is a solvent. Illinois' health department, repeating the standard label wording, says to avoid spraying DEET on plastics such as watch crystals and eyeglass frames, and on rayon, spandex, other synthetic fabrics, leather and painted or varnished surfaces, "because DEET can damage those surfaces."

Picaridin does not have that problem, according to its makers. Sawyer's listing says its 20% picaridin "won't damage plastics or synthetic coatings" and is safe on backpacks, watches, sunglasses, fishing line and firearm finishes. Ranger Ready says the same of its formula. Both are odorless and less greasy than most DEET sprays.

So for a rain shell, a fly line or a pack full of synthetic gear, we would pick picaridin. DEET still makes sense if you already own it and keep it off your gear, or if you prefer the slow-release lotion.

Oil of lemon eucalyptus is not the essential oil

Search Amazon for lemon eucalyptus repellent and you will see bottles of lemon eucalyptus essential oil for diffusers next to the repellents. They are not the same thing. The EPA lists Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus as its own registered ingredient, noting that it "contains pmd, but is a separately regulated pesticide chemical."

Cutter's aerosol shows what a registered OLE repellent looks like: 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus, about 65% of which is PMD, and a label that repels mosquitoes for up to 6 hours. It makes no tick claim, so it is a campsite and backyard repellent more than a tick-country one.

IR3535 and 2-undecanone are the two actives we could not put a card on. The IR3535 product we found sold by its maker, Avon, combines the repellent with SPF 30 sunscreen, and we would rather buy the two separately (see below). The EPA's ingredient list shows only one registered 2-undecanone product, and we did not find it sold by its maker or Amazon.com.

Rules for children

These come from the CDC and the EPA, and they override anything on a store shelf:

• Under 2 months: "Do not use insect repellent on babies younger than 2 months old," says the CDC's mosquito bite prevention fact sheet. Cover the stroller or carrier with mosquito netting instead.
• Under 3 years: the CDC says not to use products containing OLE or PMD. Cutter's label says the same.
• DEET: the EPA says it is approved for children with no age restriction and no limit on percentage.
• Picaridin: follow the bottle. Ranger Ready's listing says its spray is for kids 1 year and older.

However old the child, the CDC says to spray repellent onto your own hands and rub it onto their face, and never on a child's hands, eyes, mouth, cuts or irritated skin. That is where a lotion is easier than a spray.

Sunscreen first, then repellent

"If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second," says the CDC. Let the sunscreen soak in, then put repellent over it.

That order is why we skip two-in-one lotions. Sunscreen and repellent wear off on different schedules, and a combined bottle forces you to reapply both whenever you need one. Sawyer's DEET lotion listing says it works alongside a separate sunscreen.

The EPA's safe-use advice adds three habits: apply only to exposed skin or clothing and never under clothing; spray your hands, not your face; and wash treated skin with soap and water once you are back indoors.

Which one we would buy

Buy the Sawyer 20% picaridin spray if you want one bottle for most trips. It covers mosquitoes and ticks for up to 12 hours per Sawyer, and you can spray it near your gear without worrying about it.

Buy the Sawyer controlled-release DEET lotion if you prefer DEET, need the hours, or put repellent on children's faces. The lotion goes on from your hands.

Buy the Ranger Ready picaridin if you fly with carry-on only. The 3.4 oz bottle fits the liquids bag.

Buy OFF! Deep Woods if you want to sweep DEET over sleeves and pant legs in a few seconds, and keep it off your synthetics.

Buy Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus if you want a plant-derived active for adults and older children around camp.

Repellent is one layer. For long days in tick country, add permethrin-treated clothing, and when black flies or no-see-ums get into your eyes, a head net does what no spray can.

Related: Sawyer vs Ranger Ready for the two picaridin brands head to head, area repellers for a campsite or patio and tick removal tools.

If you find an attached tick, remove it and watch for a rash or fever in the following weeks; the CDC says see a doctor if either appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put repellent on under my clothes?

No. The EPA's safe-use page says to apply repellent only to exposed skin and clothing and "do not use under clothing." Treat the clothing itself with permethrin instead.

Does picaridin work on ticks?

Yes, if the label says so. Both picaridin sprays here list ticks: Sawyer and Ranger Ready each give 12 hours against mosquitoes and ticks. The CDC's tick prevention page lists picaridin among the actives to use.

Is lemon eucalyptus oil from a diffuser bottle a repellent?

Not a registered one. The EPA regulates oil of lemon eucalyptus as its own pesticide ingredient; an essential oil sold for aromatherapy has not been through that registration.

How often can I reapply Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus?

Cutter's label says to reapply once as needed and not more than twice a day, and to wash it off when you return indoors.

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