The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Picaridin (icaridin) (CAS 119515-38-7)
- Chemical class
- Synthetic repellent modeled on piperine; it repels insects but does not kill them.[1]
- Mode of action
- Repellent: appears to block mosquitoes from sensing their host; it has no IRAC insecticide group[1][3]
- Signal word
- Sawyer Premium Insect Repellent, 20% Picaridin (base registration EPA 54287-23): Warning[2]
How to apply it
Apply an even, thin layer to skin and do not exceed two applications per day; the label says not to apply it under clothing, to excessively sunburned skin, or on lips, cuts, wounds or irritated skin, and to use it sparingly around the ears.[2]
Using picaridin on children
Do not let children handle the product or apply it to their hands; put it on your own hands first and then onto the child, avoiding the mouth and eyes.[2]
Where it is used
The label lists protection from mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, black flies, gnats, chiggers, sand flies and biting midges for up to 8 hours.[2]
Picaridin is one of the active ingredients in EPA-registered skin-applied repellents, alongside DEET, IR3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus.[3]
Products and registrations
| Product | Registrant | EPA Reg. No. | Active % | Formulation | Signal word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawyer Premium Insect Repellent, 20% Picaridin (base registration EPA 54287-23)[2] | Sawyer Products (distributor) | 54287-23 | 20.0% | lotion | Warning |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- No gear is needed: it goes on skin. This lotion carries a WARNING because it can cause substantial but temporary eye injury, so keep it out of your eyes and off your clothing, and wash with soap and water after handling.[2]
2. Before you spray
- Don't put it on lips, cuts, wounds, irritated skin or badly sunburned skin.[2]
- Don't let children handle it, and don't put it on their hands: rub it into your own hands, then apply it to the child, avoiding mouth and eyes and going light around the ears.[2]
3. Mixing
- No mixing: shake well before use.[2]
4. Applying
- Spread it evenly on exposed skin in a thin layer; don't apply it under clothing.[2]
- For your face and neck, spread a small amount in your palms first and apply, avoiding your eyes and going sparingly around the ears.[2]
- Use it no more than twice a day; heavier or more frequent applications shouldn't be needed. The label claims up to 14 hours against mosquitoes and ticks and up to 8 hours against biting flies, gnats, chiggers and no-see-ums.[2]
5. After you spray
- Wash your hands with soap and water after applying it, and before eating, drinking or using the toilet.[2]
- Stop using it and see a doctor if irritation or a rash develops.[2]
First aid
- In the eyes, hold them open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15 to 20 minutes, removing contact lenses after the first 5 minutes, and call a poison control center or doctor.[2]
- If swallowed, call a doctor or poison control center, have the person sip a glass of water if they can swallow, and don't induce vomiting unless told to; the label also lists 1-800-356-7811 (weekdays 9 to 5 Eastern).[2]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store it in a cool, dry place out of children's reach, away from heat, sparks and open flame; the label says not to use or store it above 122°F.[2]
- Put an empty bottle in the trash or recycling; for a partly full one, call your local solid waste agency, and never pour it down a drain.[2]
From the safety data sheet
- Sawyer's safety data sheet for its picaridin lotion (material numbers SP561 through SP569, issued April 2023) prints EPA Reg. No. 54287-23-58188, Sawyer's number for this registration. It lists 20% picaridin and 7.74 to 8.22% ethanol, uses the GHS signal word Warning, and gives three hazard statements: highly flammable liquid and vapor, harmful if swallowed, and causes eye irritation.[4]
- Along with that flammable-liquid statement, it says to keep the lotion away from heat, sparks, open flame and hot surfaces, with no smoking. Its physical-data section, though, gives a closed-cup flash point of 142°C (287.6°F), its HMIS and NFPA ratings put flammability at 1, which the sheet defines as slight, and it lists the lotion as not regulated for shipping under DOT, IMDG or IATA rules.[4]
- For picaridin itself, the toxicology section reports rat oral and dermal LD50 values above 5,000 mg/kg and a 4-hour rat inhalation LC50 above 4.364 mg/L, the highest concentration that could be produced. Picaridin didn't sensitize the skin of guinea pigs, the sheet calls it not a dermal irritant, and its eye result is substantial but temporary eye injury. For cancer, mutagenicity, birth defects, developmental effects and fertility it lists no known significant effects or critical hazards.[4]
- Its ecology figures for picaridin are a 96-hour LC50 of 169.4 mg/L for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a 48-hour EC50 above 103 mg/L for Daphnia magna, a 72-hour IC50 of 87.3 mg/L for the alga Desmodesmus subspicatus, and a 32-day no-effect concentration of 3.14 mg/L for zebrafish (Danio rerio). It calls picaridin not readily biodegradable, with a 28-day BOD result under 1%, and rates its bioaccumulation potential low (log Pow 2.11).[4]
- The sheet's storage range is 32 to 86°F (0 to 30°C): keep the lotion in its original, tightly closed container, out of direct sunlight, in a dry, cool, well-ventilated spot away from food, drink, and oxidizing or reducing agents.[4]
- Soak up a spill with a non-combustible absorbent such as sand, earth, vermiculite or diatomaceous earth, and keep it out of drains, sewers and waterways. The sheet says the product, discarded in its purchased form, would not be a hazardous waste under federal RCRA rules.[4]
- Its exposure-control section is written for people handling the material at work: rubber gloves, goggles, long pants and long sleeves, good general ventilation, and an air-purifying respirator with organic vapor cartridges as an option to reduce exposure.[4]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
This 20% picaridin label's signal word is WARNING: it causes substantial but temporary eye injury, so keep it out of eyes. Skin irritation from picaridin is very uncommon, and EPA concluded picaridin is not likely to cause cancer based on long-term skin studies in rats and mice.[2][1]
Pets
NPIC's fact sheet gives no pet-specific poisoning data for picaridin, and this product's directions are for application to human skin only; keep pets away from it.[1][2]
Bees and pollinators
Picaridin is applied to skin, and this label carries no bee-hazard statement.[2]
Fish and water
Picaridin is moderately toxic to fish and may build up in some fish tissue; it slowed the growth of green algae in tests and is considered nontoxic to birds.[1]
Common questions
- Does picaridin kill mosquitoes?
- No. Picaridin repels insects and makes them less likely to bite, apparently by blocking mosquitoes from sensing their prey; it does not kill them.[1]
- How often can I reapply picaridin?
- The 20% lotion label says not to exceed two applications per day and that heavier or more frequent use should be unnecessary.[2]
Sources
- National Pesticide Information Center, “Picaridin General Fact Sheet.” npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PicaridinGen.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “20% picaridin lotion label, EPA Reg. No. 54287-23 (EPA-stamped, Feb. 15, 2022); sold by Sawyer as 54287-23-58188.” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/054287-00023-20220215.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA, “Skin-applied Repellent Ingredients.” www.epa.gov/insect-repellents/skin-applied-repellent-ingredients (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Sawyer Products, “Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent Lotion Safety Data Sheet (Sawyer Products, version 1A, issued April 17, 2023; material numbers SP561 to SP569; EPA Reg. No. 54287-23-58188, Sawyer's distributor number for the page's 54287-23 label).” cdn.prod.website-files.com/61549f9352f3558157a226ea/69fb7bacf6a224547c75a178_Sawyer-Picaridin-Lotion-Safety-Data-Sheet-EDIT-2023-resource-download.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)