Read the back of your bug spray. We'll wait.
Conventional bug sprays use synthetic pyrethroids the EPA classifies as possible human carcinogens, plus a synergist designed to overwhelm liver detox enzymes. Plant-based formulas use only EPA minimum-risk-list ingredients with names you can pronounce.
- Raid's actives include bifenthrin and cypermethrin — synthetic pyrethroid nerve agents.
- Piperonyl butoxide is a synergist whose job is overwhelming the liver's detox enzymes.
- Bifenthrin and PBO are both EPA Group C — possible human carcinogens.
- Our formula is castile soap + 6 essential oils, all on the EPA's minimum-risk list.
Go grab the Raid under your sink
Turn it over. Find the active ingredients. Read them out loud.
We’ll wait.
Bifenthrin. Cypermethrin. Piperonyl butoxide.
What those words actually mean
Bifenthrin is a synthetic pyrethroid — a lab-manufactured nerve agent that attacks the sodium channels in insect nervous systems. It’s also listed as a possible human carcinogen by the EPA and is classified as highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates. The label says keep away from water sources. There’s a reason.
Cypermethrin is in the same chemical family. Same mechanism. The EPA requires specific disposal instructions for containers because the residual is considered an environmental hazard.
Piperonyl butoxide isn’t even the insecticide — it’s a synergist. Its job is to overwhelm the insect’s (and your) liver enzymes so the other chemicals stay active longer. Also classified by the EPA as a possible human carcinogen under Group C.
You’ve been spraying this in the rooms where your kids play, on the baseboards your dog walks across, near the kitchen where your food sits.
Nobody is saying Raid is going to hurt you. The doses are small. The risk is probably low. But it’s worth knowing what you’re choosing when you choose it.
Now here’s ours
Castile soap. Peppermint oil. Clove oil. Cedarwood oil. Orange oil. Lavender oil. Rosemary oil.
Every ingredient has a name you can pronounce. Every one has been used in food, cosmetics, and medicine for centuries. Every one is on the EPA’s own list of minimum-risk pesticide ingredients — meaning they’re considered safe enough to be exempt from federal registration requirements.
You add water. You spray it on surfaces. It works.
The science behind why essential oils and castile soap kill insects is documented in the Journal of Medical Entomology, Environmental Entomology, Scientific Reports, and USDA Agricultural Research Service peer-reviewed studies. There is no trade-off being made here between effectiveness and safety.
You deserve to know what’s in the bottle you’re using in your home. That’s not a radical idea. It just hasn’t been the standard.
Until now.