Tick me Off! Tick Repellent Soap has a trademark pending with the USPTO. Formulated by a Ph.D. pharmaceutical chemist with 30+ years experience in the fields of organic and medicinal chemistry.
Background: Ticks are known vectors of human and pet diseases including Lyme disease (1). Untreated Lyme disease leads to persistent chronic illness. Recent research has proven that essential plant oils are effective tick repellents. These natural products are plant defense biochemicals believed to act through blockage of the invertebrate octopaminergic receptor, which is critical for normal invertebrate cellular functions including the beating of the insect heart (2). Turkeywoods Farm Tick me Off! Tick Repellent Soap (TM) was designed by a Ph.D. pharmaceutical chemist based on these principles. Safe for children and pets, Tick me Off! Tick Repellent Soap comprises a pleasantly aromatic blend of farm-grown mugwort with additional citronella, thyme, and lavender essential oils. While approved for safe human use, the all-natural combination provides a potent punch against nefarious crawling parasites (3).
The following is provided to comply with federal requirements with respect to insect repellents:
Citronella, thyme, and geranium oils belong to the list of minimum risk active ingredients that are exempt from the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) under the Minimum Risk Exemption regulations in 40 CFR 152.25(f), and that all other oils used in this formulation including lavender essential oil are classified as edible oils. To comply with US federal labeling guidelines, we declare that Tick me Off! Tick Repellent Soap is made with the following ingredients: olive oil, 28%; palm oil, 28%; coconut oil, 28%, sweet almond oil (6%), castor oil (6%), citronella (lemongrass) essential oil, 2.3%, lavender essential oil, 1.0%, thyme essential oil, 0.6%, geranium essential oil, 0.1%.
Usage Instructions: Ticks will often hide on the skin beneath clothing or within the hair, saving their dangerous bite for later (often while one is sleeping). For this reason, the USFDA recommends showering shortly after exposure to tick infested environments to remove these disease-ridden pests before they make their blood-sucking attachment. Tick me Off! Tick Repellent Soap is designed to increase the effectiveness of the shower. The base ingredient of Tick me Off! soap is organic mugwort extract harvested from wild plants occurring organically on Turkeywoods Farm. Additional ingredients include thyme, lavender, citronella, and geranium essential oils. Each of these natural ingredients have been shown to repel ticks and insects while being approved for safe human use. Tick Me Off! tick repellent soap is perfectly suitable for daily cleansing, and many use it this purpose because of the pleasing, uplifting scent. For further reading, see this link: Tick Repellent Essential Oils: Which Ones Work Best (healthline.com) and the references below. Thank you for reading.
(1) Recent progress in Lyme disease and remaining challenges. Bobe, J. R. et al. Frontiers in Medicine 2021, 8, 1-25.
(2) Insecticidal activity of essential oils: octopaminergic sites of action. Enan, E., Comp. Biochem. Phys. Part C 130, 2001, 325-337.
(3) Tick repellent efficacy of eleven essential oils against adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks. Stefanidesova, K. et al. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases 2017, 8, 780-786.