Why the water. Ninety-one and a half percent distilled water is the carrier. It is what lets three concentrated oils spread evenly across skin and dry without a film, and it is the reason Buggsy goes on as a fine mist rather than an oil. Oil and water separate on their own, so the sunflower lecithin and glyceryl monooleate are there to blend them — enough to hold while you spray, not forever, which is why every bottle says shake well. The vegetable glycerin is what keeps it from drying tight on skin.

All three actives appear on the EPA’s list of minimum-risk ingredients under FIFRA Section 25(b). Buggsy is not registered with the EPA; Gofora, LLC represents that it qualifies for that exemption.

Where we describe how these oils work, that description comes from published research on essential-oil components in the insect nervous system. Those studies test other formulations at other strengths; we make no claim their results transfer to ours, and we make no claim about hours of protection that we have not had tested.