Yes, but you need to understand their limitations.

"Essential oil pest repellency" is very popular on social media, but scientific research shows their effectiveness is far inferior to repellents containing DEET or Picaridin.

Citronella oil is the most widely used natural mosquito repellent ingredient — its repellent effect has been confirmed in multiple studies, but the protection time is usually only 30–60 minutes (compared to 10% DEET, which provides 2–3 hours, and 20% DEET, which provides 4–5 hours).

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (PMD) is one of the few effective natural repellent ingredients recognized by the CDC — providing protection lasting 2–4 hours, but it is not recommended for children under 3 years old.

Lavender oil, peppermint oil, and tea tree oil have some preliminary evidence of repellent effects, but research data is limited and still insufficient to serve as a primary pest repellent method.

Another issue with essential oils: concentration and purity vary enormously — commercially available essential oil products lack standardized regulation, and the repellent efficacy can differ significantly between brands and batches.

"Natural" does not equate to "absolutely safe" — certain essential oils at high concentrations can cause skin sensitization, photosensitivity, and even toxicity (e.

, contact allergy to tea tree oil in some people).