From crop to commercial product – development of a new natural-product insect repellent

Iridoid monoterpenoids have been a recurring topic of interest to me across my career in science. These compounds, produced in both plants and insects, are generally repellent to many insect species. In the catmint plant they are made in glands decorating aerial surfaces, presumably to serve a defensive function towards herbivorous insects. This broad-spectrum repellency is the basis for the development
of a new on-skin insect repellent product, newly marketed under the nipt! brand in the US.

The active ingredient is hydrogenated catmint essential oil, enriched in the iridoid dihydronepetalactone. This ingredient is highly effective against mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks, yet safe enough to have no restrictions on repeat applications or application to young children, in contrast to some of the otherinsect repellent ingredients on the market today.

In this talk, I will show the results of efficacy testing of this material. I will touch on our current understanding of iridoid biosynthesis in plants and the new varieties of catmint entering production. I will then describe how improvements in extraction and hydrogenation of catmint essential oil have allowed our small startup, Entomol Products, to convert this sustainable feedstock into our new entrant into the insect repellent market.