EPA Proposes Registration of Nootkatone, A New Active Ingredient in Insect Control

For Release: July 1, 2020

EPA is seeking public comment on the proposed registration of a new active ingredient called nootkatone, which was discovered and developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can be used as an insect repellent. The agency’s proposal adds a new active ingredient that can be used to protect people from biting insects and ticks. 

Nootkatone is a naturally occurring substance found in minute quantities in Alaskan yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin. It is responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of grapefruit and is widely used in the fragrance industry to make perfumes and colognes. Nootkatone is considered a biopesticide, or a pesticide derived from nature.

EPA currently has no applications to register consumer products containing nootkatone. Companies interested in developing insect repellents or insecticides with it as the active ingredient will be required to submit a registration package to EPA for review. Based on registration timeframes under the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, new products using nootkatone could be available as early as 2022.

To read more about the proposed registration of nootkatone, see docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0122 in regulations.gov. The public comment period will be open for 15 days, closing on July 14, 2020.