[Objectives]  The olfactory responses of Plutella xylostella adults to intact and mechanically damaged Mentha spicata plants were compared in order to provide information to facilitate screening plant-volatiles repellent to this pest. [Methods]  The electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioral responses of adult male and female P. xylostella to intact and mechanically damaged M. spicata plants were studied using EAG and a Y-tube olfactometer. Oviposition by female adults on intact and mechanically damaged M. spicata to was measured in the field. [Results]  Both sexes of P. xylostella adults showed EAG responses to intact and mechanically damaged M. spicata plants but the EAG response induced by damaged plants was significantly higher than that induced by intact plants (P < 0.05); The results of indoor behavioral experiments show that damaged M. spicata were significantly repellent to adult male P. xylostella (P < 0.05, repellent index = 53.33%), and had an extremely significant repellent effect on female adults (P < 0.01, repellent index = 80%) A field oviposition selection experiment found that adult female P. xylostella had a highly significant aversion to laying eggs on damaged M. spicata plants (P < 0.01, oviposition index ≥ 71.32%). However, intact M. spicata did not significantly repel either adult female or male P. xylostella or oviposition by females (P > 0.05). [Conclusion]  Mechanically damaged M. spicata is strongly repellent to adult P. xylostella and could be a source of plant volatiles to repel this pest, or used as a repellent plant to control this pest.