What is Valencene?

Like many other citrus smelling terpenes, valencene is commonly used in bath products, beauty supplies, cleaning supplies, as well as food and beverages. Valencene’s use goes far beyond just giving products an improved smell and taste, it has also been shown to have insect repellent properties. The book “Essential Oils in Food Preservation. . .”, claims that nookatone, which valencene is the precursor to, is toxic to fleas and ticks. The author also states that nookatone is a strong cockroach repellent. Many scientists are starting to turn to valencene as an alternative to traditional pesticides because it is safer and less harmful to humans.