Mint-Rosemary Oil Pest Control Composition for Odor-Efficacy Balance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing insecticide and insect repellent compositions have unpleasant, harsh, and lingering chemical odors, compromising their efficacy when reduced chemical concentrations are used to mitigate these odors.

Innovation Solution

A pest control composition comprising a synergistic blend of mint oils (spearmint, peppermint, or cornmint) and rosemary oil, along with a carrier, solvent, and dehydrate, providing a pleasant fragrance while maintaining high insecticidal and repellent efficacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If chemical concentrations are reduced to mitigate harsh odors, then odor pleasantness is improved, but insecticidal efficacy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveodor harshnessVSAvoidinsecticidal efficacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple essential oils (mint oil and rosemary oil) in a synergistic formulation to achieve both pleasant odor and high insecticidal efficacy. This merging of natural components allows the composition to maintain effectiveness while providing a comfortable fragrance, resolving the contradiction between reducing chemical odor and maintaining efficacy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent optimizes the concentration parameters of essential oils within specific ranges (mint oil: 0.1-11 wt%, rosemary oil: 0.05-5 wt%) to achieve the desired balance between odor quality and insecticidal activity. By carefully controlling these parameters, the formulation maintains high efficacy while providing a pleasant fragrance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If chemical concentrations are reduced to mitigate harsh odors, then environmental safety is improved, but pest control effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenvironmental damageVSAvoidpest control effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs essential oils as natural, biodegradable active ingredients that break down easily in the environment. These natural components provide effective pest control while being environmentally safe, eliminating the need for persistent synthetic chemicals that cause environmental damage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the natural fragrance properties of essential oils into a beneficial feature that masks harsh chemical odors while maintaining pest control effectiveness. The natural compounds provide both odor pleasantness and insecticidal activity, turning potential drawbacks into advantages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If essential oils are used to mask harsh odors, then odor pleasantness is improved, but composition complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveodor pleasantnessVSAvoidcomposition complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and isolates specific active components from natural plants (mint and rosemary oils) to create a focused formulation. By using purified essential oils rather than complex plant extracts, the composition achieves odor pleasantness while maintaining relative simplicity in its ingredient list and formulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20250295122A1Oil-based insecticidal and insect repellent compositions
Publication Date: 2025.09.25 SC JOHNSON & SON INC

AI summary

A pest control composition, in one embodiment the composition including an active component that includes between about 0.1 wt. % and about 11 wt. % of a mint oil and between about 0.05 wt. % and about 5 wt. % rosemary oil. The composition may further include a carrier or a solvent, and a dehydrate, where all weight percentages are percent by weight of the total composition. In one embodiment a weight ratio of the dehydrate to the mint oil is preferably greater than 1.