One of the things that has always fascinated me about citronella is that we don't just sell it in summer.
Of course, sales rise as the weather warms and people begin spending more time outdoors. Gardens come back to life, patio furniture reappears, and somebody inevitably discovers that mosquitoes seem far more interested in them than everybody else.
But that's only part of the story, every year we also send citronella to customers heading to Scotland for golf. To France for camping holidays. To fishermen preparing for long weekends beside lakes and rivers. To caravan owners, motorhome enthusiasts and travellers heading much further afield.
In January it may be travelling to Africa, in September it could be heading for the Highlands, in May it might simply be helping somebody enjoy an evening in their own garden.
Different people, different countries, different seasons, yet all looking for exactly the same product. That raises an interesting question. Why does citronella travel so well? There is nothing particularly fashionable about it and every year there seems to be a new answer to biting insects: A new brand, a new formulation, a new format or a new gadget.
The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of many of the traditional products we sell: Traditional Savon de Marseille, Aleppo soap, Alum stone, Soap flakes.
These haven't survived because of clever marketing campaigns, they survive because people continue to find them useful and effective. Citronella belongs firmly in that company.
Why Am I Always The One Who Gets Bitten?
If you've ever sat outside with a group of friends on a warm evening, you'll probably recognise the scene, one person enjoys the entire evening completely undisturbed, another spends the night waving insects away while everybody else insists they haven't seen a single mosquito. I am the person that's bitten countless times before most people have even poured a drink.
Scientists believe mosquitoes are influenced by a surprisingly complex combination of factors including body temperature, skin chemistry, carbon dioxide output and even genetics. Some people simply seem easier for insects to locate than others.
Which explains why conversations about citronella can be so varied: for somebody who rarely gets bitten, citronella may seem unnecessary. For somebody who appears to attract every mosquito within a five-mile radius, it can become an essential travelling companion.
Why Do Travellers Keep Packing It?
Travel is probably where citronella becomes most interesting. People often associate it with summer gardens, but our customers use it in far more varied ways than that.
Some pack it for camping holidays, others keep it in a golf bag, some carry it in a caravan or motorhome throughout the year. Others are travelling thousands of miles and want a products they already know and trust.
What starts as a holiday purchase often becomes a permanent resident in a wash bag, glove box or travel cupboard, Citronella has earned that trust over generations.
Is All Citronella The Same?
One of the assumptions people often make is that citronella is citronella. In reality, products can vary considerably. Some contain citronella alongside water, alcohol, fragrances or other ingredients, others use citronella as only one part of a much larger formulation.
Our own citronella spray takes a very straightforward approach, the ingredient list contains a single ingredient: Java Citronella Oil (Cymbopogon winterianus).
Nothing else. No added water. No added alcohol. No additional fragrance.
Just citronella oil.
This is not a lightly fragranced body mist that happens to contain a little citronella.
It is citronella.
Fresh, green, citrus-like and unmistakable. Strong enough that there is never any doubt what you are using, and simple enough that there is no need to explain a long list of additional ingredients.
Interestingly, many customers are surprised to discover that it is technically a dry oil. While most buy it for outdoor use, it also leaves a healthy-looking sheen on the skin. The fragrance, however, leaves no room for doubt. This is unmistakably citronella. Fresh, green, citrus-like and wonderfully strong.
Is Citronella Just A Repellent?
This is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of citronella as most people encounter it because of insects yet many people genuinely enjoy the fragrance itself.
Its aroma sits comfortably alongside other familiar Mediterranean scents such as lavender, rosemary, thyme and verbena, fresh, aromatic and closely associated with outdoor living.
That may help explain why citronella appears in soaps as well as repellents.
Our range includes a traditional goat's milk soap made with citronella essential oil, alongside citronella-scented soaps that celebrate the fragrance rather than its practical purpose.
The fragrance may not repel insects in the same way as a pure citronella oil spray, but it demonstrates that Citronella is not simply a functional ingredient, it is also a fragrance people actively choose to live with.
What Happens If You Forget To Use It?
Every citronella user has a story.
You look around. Nobody else appears bothered. The insects don't seem too bad. Surely you'll be fine. Then comes the first bite. Followed by another. And another. Suddenly you're trying very hard to look relaxed while quietly wondering whether an ice cube might help.
Not me.
One of the oldest pieces of practical advice I know is to rub Traditional Olive Savon de Marseille soap directly onto an insect bite. Just another reason we call it the most versatile soap in the world. I won't pretend it makes the bite disappear but it certainly soothes and calms them down.
I always travel with both, the citronella is there because I know I will probably need it. The Marseille soap is there because, every now and then, I convince myself I won't.
And that's probably why we don't just sell citronella in summer.
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UPDATED: May 2026