What’s in Bug Bite Relief? Ingredients Explained | Nomadic Healer
Every summer, millions of us reach for the same drugstore bite sticks and itch-relief products without a second thought.
I used to be one of them — before my training taught me to actually read what I was putting on my body.
I spent years in Chinese medicine practice and military medical service learning to look at the body differently. My approach has always been to support the body and the skin rather than simply silence every symptom.
So when I started looking closely at what’s actually in conventional bug bite relief products, I had questions.
I found ingredients designed to numb sensation, act as antiseptics, create cooling sensations, or provide temporary itch relief. Some are perfectly legal OTC drug ingredients when formulated and labeled appropriately. That doesn’t mean they’re ingredients I personally want to use on my skin — or formulate into a product carrying my name.
And I think you deserve to know what’s in them, too.
This isn’t about scare tactics. The safety information discussed below comes from FDA communications, federal health and occupational-safety resources, product Drug Facts labels, and published medical literature.
I’m not making this up. I’m just reading the label out loud.
1. Benzocaine — Numbing the Body’s Warning Signal
Benzocaine is a local anesthetic. Its job is to temporarily reduce sensation by interfering with nerve signaling.
In other words, you feel less.
But numbing the itch isn’t the same thing as supporting the irritated skin underneath it.
There is also an important safety issue associated with benzocaine.
The FDA has warned that benzocaine can cause methemoglobinemia, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition in which the blood’s ability to carry oxygen is reduced. The agency has reviewed hundreds of reported cases associated with benzocaine products over several decades, including serious cases and deaths.
Symptoms can include pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds; shortness of breath; fatigue; headache; lightheadedness; and rapid heart rate.
The FDA’s strongest restrictions have focused particularly on OTC oral benzocaine products in children younger than two, so I want to be clear about that distinction: this does not mean every properly formulated topical benzocaine product presents the same level of risk.
It does mean benzocaine is a pharmacologically active anesthetic with known risks.
And that’s enough for me to ask a simple question:
Is temporarily numbing an itch how I want to approach irritated skin?
For me, the answer is no.
That’s not something I want to put in a jar with my name on it.
2. Phenol — Old-School Antiseptic Chemistry
Phenol, historically known as carbolic acid, has a long history as an antiseptic and disinfectant. It became famous in the 19th century when antiseptic techniques began transforming surgery.
At sufficiently high concentrations or exposures, phenol can damage tissue and can be absorbed through the skin. Federal toxicology guidance describes serious effects associated with significant phenol exposure.
That does not mean the small amount of phenol in a properly formulated OTC product is equivalent to concentrated industrial phenol. Concentration and exposure matter enormously in toxicology.
What interests me as a consumer and formulator is something much simpler:
What does the actual product label say?
OTC products containing phenol carry Drug Facts directions and warnings telling consumers how and where they should be used. Depending on the product, those warnings can include external-use-only language, avoiding the eyes, limits on prolonged use, and instructions about accidental ingestion.
Those warnings don’t automatically make a product unsafe when used correctly.
But they do tell me I’m dealing with a drug ingredient, not a gentle botanical skin ingredient.
That’s an important distinction.
I don’t personally want antiseptic drug chemistry to be my first choice for an ordinary mosquito bite.
3. Camphor — “Natural” Doesn’t Automatically Mean Gentle
Camphor is an interesting one because it complicates the natural-versus-synthetic conversation.
Camphor can come from the camphor tree, and it has a long history of traditional use.
But natural origin does not automatically equal harmless.
Dose matters. Concentration matters. How something is used matters.
Camphor produces that distinctive cooling, warming, strongly medicinal sensation found in many topical products. In appropriately formulated OTC products, it has recognized topical uses.
But camphor can also be toxic when improperly used or ingested, particularly in young children. Pediatric camphor poisoning is well documented in the medical literature, and published case reports have also described toxicity following inappropriate or repeated topical exposure.
That’s why I’m careful about using the word natural as though it automatically means safe.
It doesn’t.
Plants are chemistry, too.
The difference in my own formulation philosophy is that I want to know what plant I’m using, why I’m using it, how much I’m using, and who I’m formulating it for.
That’s a very different conversation from simply saying, “It’s natural.”
4. Ammonia — Read the Drug Facts
Ammonia or ammonia-containing formulations are also found in some popular after-bite products.
And this is another place where context matters.
Ammonia has extensive industrial applications, including refrigeration and cleaning-related uses. OSHA describes significant hazards associated with concentrated and anhydrous ammonia exposure, including irritation and corrosive injury at sufficient concentrations.
Obviously, the diluted formulation in a consumer bite-relief product is not the same thing as industrial anhydrous ammonia.
I don’t want to blur that distinction.
But once again, I think the most useful information is sitting right on the consumer product itself.
Look at the Drug Facts.
Read the warnings.
Products containing ammonia may instruct consumers to avoid the eyes, avoid certain damaged areas of skin, and discontinue use if irritation develops.
Those instructions exist because concentration, location, and exposure matter.
For some people, that’s a perfectly acceptable OTC approach to temporary itch relief.
It’s simply not the approach I chose for my own formula.
So What Do I Use Instead?
This entire conversation is one of the reasons I created Desert Guardian Bite Balm™.
I wanted something I would actually reach for myself.
No synthetic fragrance. No numbing anesthetic. No phenol. No ammonia.
Instead, I built the formula around plants and skin-supportive ingredients that make sense within my own approach to formulation.
A Quadruple Herbal Infusion
I slow-infuse calendula, plantain, yarrow, and comfrey into oil for weeks.
These aren’t ingredients I picked because they sound pretty on a label. They’re herbs with long histories of traditional topical use, and they’re part of the herbal tradition that shaped the way I learned to formulate.
Black Seed Oil + Tamanu Oil
I also use cold-pressed black seed oil and tamanu oil, two botanicals with long histories of traditional skin use.
They bring something very different to the formula than simply shutting down sensation.
Colloidal Oatmeal + Bentonite Clay
Colloidal oatmeal is included for its skin-soothing and protective qualities, while bentonite clay gives the balm its distinctive mineral component and texture.
Shea Butter + Beeswax
The base matters, too.
Shea butter and beeswax create a rich protective layer and help keep the botanical oils where I want them — on the skin.
Lavender + Tea Tree + Roman Chamomile
Finally, I use carefully selected essential oils including lavender, tea tree, and Roman chamomile.
No mystery “fragrance.”
No parfum.
No synthetic scent added simply to make the jar smell good.
I want to know exactly what’s creating the aroma in my formulas, and I want you to know, too.
My Point Isn’t That Everything at the Drugstore Is “Poison”
That’s an important distinction.
OTC drug ingredients have specific purposes. A properly formulated product used according to its Drug Facts label is very different from concentrated occupational or industrial exposure to the same chemical.
I don’t need to exaggerate that difference to explain why I formulate differently.
My point is much simpler:
Read the label.
Know whether you’re buying something designed primarily to numb sensation, act as an antiseptic, create a counter-irritant sensation, or support and protect the skin.
Then decide which approach makes sense for you and your family.
I’ve made mine.
When something carries the Nomadic Healer name, I want to understand every ingredient in that jar — where it came from, why it’s there, and what role it plays in the formula.
That’s how I formulate.
Rooted in nature. Guided by medicine. Made with intention.™
Shop Desert Guardian Bite Balm™
Discover Desert Guardian Bite Balm™ and the rest of my botanical Healing Balms at nomadichealer53.com.
Handmade in small batches in Vancouver, Washington.
References & Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Risk of serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething and mouth pain. FDA Drug Safety Communication.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA review and communications regarding benzocaine-associated methemoglobinemia.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR/CDC). Medical Management Guidelines for Phenol.
- DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Drug Facts labeling for OTC phenol-containing first-aid/itch-relief products.
- Clinical toxicology literature. Camphor poisoning and pediatric exposure.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Regulatory history concerning camphorated oil and OTC camphor-containing products.
- Ramya R, Harish N, Sundari S. A Case of Camphor Toxicity in a Toddler: All on Skin is Not Safe. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2023.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ammonia Refrigeration — Safety and Health Topics/eTool.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR/CDC). Medical Management Guidelines for Ammonia.
- Manufacturer Drug Facts labeling for OTC ammonia-containing after-bite products.
Educational Disclaimer
This article reflects my personal and professional perspective as a formulator and Chinese medicine practitioner and draws on publicly available FDA, CDC/ATSDR, OSHA, product-label, and published medical information available as of 2026.
It is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Everyone’s skin and health history is different. Follow product directions and warnings, and discontinue use if irritation or another unexpected reaction occurs. Seek appropriate medical care for severe reactions, signs of infection, difficulty breathing, significant swelling, or other concerning symptoms.