Chemical Profiling, Sensory Qualities, and Bioactivities of Essential Oils Obtained from Aloysia citrodora and Bursera graveolens Ecuadorian Plants Against the Mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae)

The mosquito <i>Aedes albopictus</i> is a vector of several harmful viruses, necessitating the development of safer and more sustainable repellents than DEET. This study evaluated the potential of plant-based EOs extracted via steam distillation from <i>Aloysia citrodora</i> and <i>Bursera graveolens</i> plants harvested in Ecuador. <i>A. citrodora</i> EO exhibited a high sensory pleasantness with a citral-like aroma, while <i>B. graveolens</i> EO had lower sensory appeal due to off-flavors. At 200 µL L^-1, <i>B. graveolens</i> EO demonstrated strong ovideterrent activity, reducing egg laying by 64%, whereas <i>A. citrodora</i> EO displayed the highest larvicidal activity with an LC₅₀ value of 88.54 µL L^-1. Both EOs, applied at 0.20 µL cm^-2 on human skin, provided comparable repellency for over 45 min. The RD₅₀ values were 0.104 µL cm^-2 for <i>A. citrodora</i> EO and 0.136 µL cm^-2 for <i>B. graveolens</i> EO. When compared to DEET at 0.04 µL cm^-2, no significant differences in repellency were observed within the first 15 min post-application. These findings suggest that both EOs are effective alternatives to synthetic repellents, and <i>A. citrodora</i> EO emerges as a promising candidate due to its superior sensory attributes and larvicidal activity.