<p>Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes remain a major challenge to global health and provide stimulus for global vector control efforts and sustainable vector control solutions. This review will address the concerns associated with synthetic mosquito repellent, including health and environment risks and explores plant-based repellent as biobased alternatives. This review discusses repellent mechanisms via disruption of mosquito olfactory receptors and compares the efficacy, duration and safety of synthetic and herbal repellent, along with their ecological impacts. It summarizes major phytochemical classes involved in mosquito repellency, including essential oils and other bioactive substances, and highlights the importance in plant defense. Commonly reported repellent plants such as lemongrass, basil, neem, eucalyptus and marigold are presented as representative examples. Various applications strategies (e.g., sprays, candles, and nano-enhanced formulations) are reviewed together with challenges related to standardization, stability and variable efficiency. The review also highlights recent advances in plant-derived repellent discovery and innovative delivery systems and briefly addresses consumer perception and regulatory considerations influencing the commercialization of plant-based mosquito repellents.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>