Picaridin: an effective DEET alternative

The short answer

Picaridin is a highly effective mosquito repellent that works about as well as DEET. At the same concentration, a picaridin product keeps mosquitoes off your skin for roughly the same number of hours as a comparable DEET product (4). It has become a popular alternative for one practical reason: it does not carry the plastic-damaging, greasy feel that many people dislike about DEET, and it has little odor (3).

If you want strong, long-lasting protection but have found DEET unpleasant to wear, picaridin is a well-tested, EPA-registered option. It has been sold for skin use in the U.S. since 2005 (1).

How it works and how it compares to DEET

Picaridin does not kill insects. It repels them and makes them less likely to bite, and it appears to work by blocking a mosquito from sensing and recognizing you as a host (1). DEET works in a broadly similar way, by interfering with the biting insect’s ability to locate you.

In head-to-head field and laboratory testing, picaridin and DEET perform comparably when compared at similar concentrations. A review of traveller studies found that a 20 percent picaridin product and a 20 percent DEET product both provided 90 percent or better protection for up to and including 5 hours in one field trial, and that picaridin and DEET each gave complete protection for up to and including 10 hours in another (4). The same review noted that where only lower-concentration DEET (30 percent or below) is available, it is reasonable to offer DEET or picaridin as a first choice, because the evidence puts them on similar footing (4).

Concentration and protection time

How long a repellent lasts depends mostly on how much active ingredient it contains. For picaridin, the commonly cited figures are:

20 percent picaridin: effective against mosquitoes and ticks for about 8 to 14 hours (3).
10 percent picaridin: effective for about 3.5 to 8 hours (3).

A 20 percent product is the usual choice when you want several hours of coverage from a single application. Real-world protection varies with sweat, water exposure, rubbing, and how heavily biting insects are present, so treat these as planning figures rather than guarantees, and reapply according to the label when protection fades.

Safety

Picaridin has a favorable safety profile. It is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which means it has been reviewed for human safety and effectiveness when used as directed (3). In humans, less than 6 percent of the picaridin applied to skin is absorbed (1).

Skin reactions are uncommon, though some people have reported irritation, and picaridin can irritate the eyes if it gets into them (1).

For children, standard guidance is that no insect repellent of any kind should be used on infants younger than 2 months; for younger babies, use netting, clothing, and shaded or screened areas instead (6). Picaridin can be used on children 2 months and older, and unlike some DEET products it does not carry a specific concentration-based age restriction on its label (3). There are currently no data to suggest that children are especially sensitive to picaridin specifically (1). As with any repellent on a child, apply it yourself rather than letting the child do it, and keep it off their hands, eyes, and mouth (2).

On pregnancy, EPA-registered repellents may be used during pregnancy and while breastfeeding (2). Picaridin has not been formally studied in human pregnancy, but only low amounts are expected to reach the bloodstream through the skin, and no effects on pregnancies or fetuses were found in animal studies in which animals were fed picaridin or had their skin treated with it (2, 5).

How to apply

Apply only to exposed skin and the outside of clothing, and use just enough to cover exposed skin. Avoid over-applying (2).
Do not apply picaridin under clothing (2).
Do not spray it directly on your face. Spray it on your hands first, then rub it onto your face, keeping it away from your eyes and mouth (2).
To treat a child’s face, spray it on your own hands and carefully rub it on, going lightly around the ears. Do not apply repellent to a child’s hands, since young children put their hands in their mouths (2).
Wash treated skin with soap and water when you come back indoors, and wash treated clothing before wearing it again (2).
Always follow the specific product label, which is the legally binding source for how much to use and how often to reapply (1).

Pros and cons vs DEET

What picaridin does better:

It does not damage plastics, synthetic fabrics, or gear coatings the way DEET can (3).
It has little to no chemical odor and a non-greasy feel, which many people prefer for everyday wear (3).
It does not carry the same neurotoxicity concerns associated with DEET (3).

Where DEET still has an edge:

DEET has a much longer and larger real-world track record, having been in wide public use for decades; picaridin has only been available for skin use in the U.S. since 2005 and has not been used as extensively (1, 3).
In some field trials against certain mosquito species, higher-concentration DEET (in the 30 percent and above range) outlasted 20 percent picaridin, so for the longest single-application coverage a high-concentration DEET product can still edge ahead (4).

For most people in most everyday situations, picaridin at 20 percent is an effective, pleasant-to-wear choice that stands up well against DEET.

Sources

National Pesticide Information Center, Picaridin General Fact Sheet (how picaridin works, less than 6 percent skin absorption, available in the U.S. since 2005, children’s sensitivity, follow the label). https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PicaridinGen.html (accessed 20 July 2026).
National Pesticide Information Center, Insect Repellents Fact Sheet (application guidance, use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, applying to children, animal pregnancy studies). https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/repellents.html (accessed 20 July 2026).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Yellow Book, “Mosquitoes, Ticks, and Other Arthropods” (EPA registration, 20 percent picaridin effective 8 to 14 hours and 10 percent effective 3.5 to 8 hours, advantages over DEET including no odor, non-greasy feel, and no damage to plastics and clothing, no age restriction). https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/environmental-hazards-risks/mosquitoes-ticks-and-other-arthropods.html (accessed 20 July 2026).
Frances S.P. and colleagues, “Mosquito repellents for the traveller: does picaridin provide longer protection than DEET?”, Journal of Travel Medicine, 2018;25(Suppl 1):S10 (field study comparisons of 20 percent picaridin versus DEET). https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/25/suppl_1/S10/4990399 (accessed 20 July 2026).
MotherToBaby, Insect Repellents fact sheet (picaridin and pregnancy, low expected skin absorption). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582767/ (accessed 20 July 2026).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mosquito bite prevention and repellent guidance (do not use insect repellent on infants younger than 2 months; use netting and clothing instead). https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/media/pdfs/2024/05/repellents_2015.pdf (accessed 20 July 2026).

Educational note: This page is a general reference and is not medical advice. Repellent product labels are the legally binding source for use directions; always read and follow the label, and talk to a healthcare professional about your specific situation.

Last reviewed 20 July 2026.