History

• In 2002, researchers at North Carolina State University announced the discovery of a product produced by tomato plants, which was dubbed IBI-246. Dr. Michael Roe, the man behind the discovery, applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hoping to gain approval for commercial use of the product.
  
  

Benefits

• DEET and other chemical compounds are safe for humans, but only in small doses, and they may cause serious health risks when overused. IBI-246, the tomato compound, is much safer than DEET, according to the original researcher. In addition, the cost of producing the compound is relatively even with the chemical counterparts.
  
  

Function

• Some tomato-based repellents have hit the market. For example, Hong Kong's Pearl's MosquitOut products contain wild tomato extracts and come in patch and spray forms. BioUD also contains ingredients derived from wild tomato plants and was approved by the EPA in 2007.