Our Story

The conversation between husband and wife that led to the creation of Shubug.

“Ouch! I’m getting eaten by these bugs up here, she exclaims! We need to carry some kind of bug spray.

After all the work we put into making our little country store seem wholesome, boutiquey and fun, you wanna put some chemical looking stuff on your shelves? He chuckles as he asks. And after surviving breast cancer, and all that you do to eat clean and avoid toxins, you want put that fake healthy stuff that doesn’t work on your skin?? He asks again, this time more seriously.

I know, she says sadly. Well, we need to do something-people need something! Maybe we should try and come up with something on our own…”

Our simple belief: Protection should be safe.

Co-founders, Mother and Son. Circa 2005. The little guy on the left is all grown up now and both wear a lotta hats today bringing the dream of healthy Shubug alternatives to life.

A brand-first approach.

Born from our own desire for a safer alternative–an all day, everyday solution, Shubug has you covered,” was the mantra story we wanted to be able to say about the product we would come out with. If we couldn’t honestly say it, we didn’t want to make it. We even came up with the brand before we had an actual product. We knew a nice, happy brand would help attract the science help we would need to develop formulations that were actually natural, and actually worked. We formed a little team and came up with Shubug! It wasn’t too long before the plan started coming together.

We found that even the naturals industry wasn't without its bummers.

So we set out to make something better. We wanted better-for-you and 10-14 hours of protection, ended up with better against bugs too! Our 100% natural oil base blends cosmetic-grade Coconut MCT and Walnut Oils - light, fast-absorbing, and entirely plant-powered. Used as directed, it’s clean, nourishing Skincare that Protects - exactly how nature meant it.

The First and Only Repellent Brand Certified by The Detox Project.

We're not into bad vibes - bugs are enough of a bummer, so we don't like to use bad words like hate. But they have some weird rules that don't allow us to talk about things we don't have in our products, so we just say how we hate bad stuff. If ever there were a reason to use bad words, glyphosate would be it. We’re the only insect repellent brand certified by The Detox Project. They're the leaders in the rebellion against bad stuff and we're stoked to be a part of it.

We use cosmetic grade MCT and Walnut Oil as our base and our Naturals provide over 10 hours of Mosquito protection.

The alternative was not hiding, it was there waiting. What we ended up with was so magical, it should never have been a secret.  As the first Certified Glyphosate Residue Free insect repellent, we’re happy to be The Original, and even happier to be the ones who get to share the good news. We hope our story helps people have more fun outside, and and we hope it inspires more stories like it! Enjoy nature, enjoy Shubug.