Mosquitoes are the main vectors of transmission of diseases such as zika, dengue and chikungunya, causing more than 700,000 cases per year. The use of repellents, mainly topical formulations, is one of the best protective measures to reduce and/or prevent the transmission of many insect-borne diseases. In this work, we formulated DEET/oil-in-water emulsions for the controlled release of repellents as a strategy to develop repellent formulations with a protection time greater than 6 h. We investigated the effects of the HLB value on the stability and viscosity of the emulsions, using a blend of surfactants (Span 80 and Tween 80) to formulate emulsions in an HLB range between 4-14. We also evaluated droplet size, rheological behavior, mixing method and emulsion stability index. The developed DEET-oil-in-water emulsions containing N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) were stabilized using two positively and negative charged nanomaterials, silica nanoparticles (SiNP) and cationic cellulose nanofibrils (CCNF), and a blend of food-grade nonionic surfactants to prevent precipitation by electrostatic aggregation. The results indicate that at HLB 10, this mixture can stabilize the emulsions regardless of the type of oil (mineral or vegetable), and the emulsions present Newtonian behavior regardless of the mixing method. The formulations were stable for more than four months at room temperature, showing to be strongly resistant to destabilization by centrifugal and thermal stress when using nanomaterials in combination with surfactants. The CCNF and SiNP kept the droplet size distribution stable due to the increase in the viscosity of the continuous phase. The combined action of these materials in stabilizing the DEET-containing oil phase significantly decreased the rate of active compound release compared to non-emulsified DEET, producing a sustained release of DEET within the first 6 h.