They say the ants go marching one by one. That may be so. But the flying, nibbling critters -- the mosquitoes, the gnats, and the flies -- come in swarms.
How to keep them at bay? Unfortunately, many of the insect repellents on the shelves today contain the chemical DEET. Developed by the U.S. Army for use in jungle warfare during World War II, DEET is considered a moderate chemical pesticide and a few studies have shown it to be toxic to some fish species. DEET also works as a solvent, dissolving some plastics, synthetic fabrics, leather, and painted or varnished surfaces. (And I'm supposed to apply this stuff to my skin? Yikes!)
Grist's Pick
Quantum Buzz Away Insect Repellent$5.99, 2 fl. oz.
nonaerosol spray
But potentially toxic chemicals aren't the only way to protect yourself from becoming a tasty buffet for the next mosquito swarm that comes along. Alternatives to DEET include a number of essential oils, including citronella (used in those tiki-torch candles) and eucalyptol (from the eucalyptus plant). These vary in effectiveness, and generally require more frequent applications than DEET-based formulas. Another option -- with quite the loyal fan base -- is Avon's Skin So Soft bath oil, which has a variety of uses but a chem-laden ingredient list (albeit phthalate-free).
So which of these solutions can keep the bugs at bay without leaving you smelling like a medicine cabinet? In order to find out, I gathered some DEET-free insect repellents from my local natural food co-op and my Avon lady and headed out in search of skeeters, gnats, see-ums, and no-see-ums.
Here are my results:
All Terrain Herbal Armor Insect Repellent
$4.99, 2.0 fl. oz. nonaerosol spray
Active ingredients: oil of citronella, oil of soybean, oil of peppermint, oil of cedar, oil of lemongrass, oil of geranium
Eco-claims: all natural, environmentally friendly, and supports environmental groups
This repellent had a strong, medicine-y lemongrass and peppermint scent that was certainly enough to repel me from wanting to use it again. It also goes on white, which requires a lot of rubbing into the skin, leaving an oily film that doesn't go away until washed off.
Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil
$12.50, 16.9 fl. oz.
Active ingredients: mineral oil, isopropyl palmitate, dicapryl adipate, fragrance, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, bht, carrot seed oil
Eco-claims: none
First things first, this stuff has some questionable ingredients -- including mineral oil, which is a petroleum by-product. As its name implies, this is a bath oil -- and it smells like one too, with an old-lady-perfume sort of scent to it. Unlike the sprays, Skin So Soft must be applied with a cotton ball or tissue, which, in addition to creating extra waste, is a bit of a hassle. It does, however, leave the skin feeling soft -- though quite oily.
Getting bit bites.
EcoSmart Insect Repellent
$5.99, 6 fl. oz. nonaerosol spray
Active ingredients: organic plant oils (rosemary, cinnamon leaf, lemongrass, geraniol)
Eco-claims: all natural, organic, non-toxic
New on the market this year, this spray had a strong but not unpleasant citronella scent -- though it did linger long after the initial spray. This product dries fastest of all the sprays tested, leaving fingers only slightly sticky when rubbed off.
Quantum Buzz Away Insect Repellent
$5.99, 2 fl. oz. nonaerosol spray
Active ingredients: citronella oil; also contains essential oils of cedarwood, peppermint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus
Eco-claims: none
This spray left me smelling like a human candy cane with its sweet pepperminty scent. It goes on clear, and doesn't leave an oily film.
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent
$5.99, 4 fl. oz. nonaerosol spray
Active ingredients: oil of lemon eucalyptus
Eco-claims: made from a renewable resource (oil from the leaves of the eucalyptus tree)
The lemony scent on this one was enough to prickle my nose hairs and make my eyes water, though this dissipated somewhat within a few minutes. The packaging suggests rubbing it into the skin, and the result is slightly oily to the touch. The convenient snap closure on the spray pump is a nice feature (as opposed to the detachable plastic caps on the other bottles).
The bottom line: All of the products performed fairly well when it came to keeping bugs away, but I did have to reapply as the effectiveness wore off after a few hours. In terms of overall experience, I recommend Quantum Buzz Away Insect Repellent for its sweet pepperminty scent and dry feel. A close second is EcoSmart, though you have to be willing to smell like citronella all evening.
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Comments
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lunadancer Posted 2:59 am
29 Jul 2008
Like ALL other natural bug repellants, for maximum effectiveness, reapply as needed. Reapplying doesn't really "bug" me though, since it smells so darn yummy. You can find it too, at http://medicineflower.com/inre.html.
Happy Buglessness! :-)
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Mugwomp Posted 4:04 am
29 Jul 2008
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konklarii Posted 4:59 am
29 Jul 2008
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John former Marine Posted 5:17 am
29 Jul 2008
EPA regulates insect repellants...all of them. Except for a small group that is exempt from regulation, the "25B" products. These products do not have to be registered, they don't have to submit efficacy data, and they can pretty much make whatever claims they want with nobody checking on them. It's a huge loophole in the law that allows a lot of bogus products onto the market.
Yet another fluffy article from Grist...why am I not surprised.
Look, eco-friendly products are great but a lot of them are total BS. You're better off eating a head of garlic every day.
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kateamon Posted 6:53 am
29 Jul 2008
MUST repel bugs!
Shouldn't poison YOU (DEET free, etc)
Smell shouldn't make you queasy
Two proven insect repellents I like very much are California Baby and Badger. Both pleasant smelling AND effective! That's why (full disclosure here) I sell just those two bug repellents at Kate's Caring Gifts. Have recently used the California Baby Bug Repellent on a scout camping trip. Kept my kids and me bite free, while another kid I didn't get a chance to spray (pump top, NOT aerosol) had lots of itchy looking bites. Had nice comments about the scent too. (Though garlic smells good too ;)
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paz Posted 12:38 pm
29 Jul 2008
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amnoelle Posted 5:16 am
30 Jul 2008
Oh, and I have used the repel lemongrass repellent. It does have a pretty strong odor and is a little oily (but not bad in my opinion). It also seems to work pretty well. I've stayed bite free. However, I think that I might try one of the others suggested in the other comments the next time around. Thanks for the suggestions!!
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rocklovingrrl Posted 7:51 am
30 Jul 2008
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splashy Posted 5:16 am
31 Jul 2008
It looks like those might address your issues, but I don't know enough about studies to know if they are good ones or not.
Personally, I'm going to give the Extreme version a try here in Arkansas, tick city in the woods. We have all kinds of bugs here to fend off. I'll try to report back on my experience.
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Storm Dragon Posted 4:39 am
06 Aug 2008
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stopgreenpath Posted 5:09 am
11 Aug 2008
there is more to being bitten than itch. lyme's disease, west nile, dengue, malaria and dozens of other serious illnesses, many incurable, are carried by biting insects, so more than the smell of a product must be explored before recommending it. i agree DEET is horrifying, but you need to compare it, bite for bite, so we know the facts and can make informed choices!
thanks...
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