With warmer weather and longer days, you may already be making plans for outdoor adventures like camping, hiking, or just hosting a barbecue to reconnect with friends ( vaccinated) . Even if you stay in your backyard, protection against the many diseases carried by ticks and mosquitoes is an important precaution.
A key component of personal protection is insect repellants . That’s where Consumer Reports’ insect repellent ratings come into play. This year, we have 45 repellants in our ratings, and 23 recommended, so it’s easy to find an effective way to beat bugs that’s right for you and your family.
The number of diseases transmitted by insects is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Not only are new diseases emerging – the agency says that since 2004, at least 9 new mosquito-borne diseases have been reported and ticks in the United States and its territories – but those already known are increasing in number. In a recent study, the CDC estimated that 476, 000 cases of Lyme disease occurred in the United States each year between 2010 and ; a significant increase in agency estimates of 329, 000 annual cases in 2005 to 2010. And there is always the possibility that previously unknown diseases, such as Zika, could re-emerge as generalized threats.
“We need our arsenal to control mosquitoes and ticks to continue to grow at a level. community, ”says Benjamin Haynes, spokesman for the CDC. “And personal protection will always be the most important thing.”
The good news is that you can choose from many insect repellants, such as sprays, lotions and wet wipes, which contain a wide range of Active ingredients, that is, the ingredients that make repellants work.
But these products are not equally effective.
“There is a mind-boggling amount options available, ”says Joe Conlon, a former Navy entomologist and technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association. “And it is extremely important to choose the right product because it will be your best defense against some very serious diseases “.
¿ What is the most important thing when buying an insect repellent? Our tests provide a clear picture: whatever the type of repellent, be it a spray, wipe or lotion products made with the active ingredient deet, in concentrations of the 15 to the 30%, have been shown to be more consistent in providing high levels of protection against biting insects. If you prefer not to use deet, lemon eucalyptus oil is a good alternative.
Here we present you 5 of our best repellants. (CR members can view the full ratings online here ).
How We Test Insect Repellants
In our insect repellent testing laboratory, a test day begins by applying a standard dose of repellent to a measured area of skin on the arms of our test subjects. Standard dose is determined from EPA Product Test Guidelines.
After minutes, these volunteers place their arms in the first two of the 4 cages with 200 mosquitoes without disease for 5 minutes. Our testers closely observe what happens inside the cage, and they count each time a mosquito lands on a subject’s arm, it uses its proboscis (its long mouth) to probe the skin in an attempt to find a capillary. , or bites the subject’s arm and begins feeding – which testers may notice when observing the insect’s abdomen turn from gray to red or brown.
After After 5 minutes, subjects remove their arms, then repeat the process by placing their arms in a second pair of cages of disease-free mosquitoes of a different species for another 5 minutes. Subjects then walk for approximately 10 minutes to stimulate sweating; This is to mimic a real world environment, where users could exercise while wearing repellent.
Half an hour later, this procedure is repeated once, then again every hour until a repellent fails our test, or until 8 hours have passed since it was applied. We consider as failure when there are two confirmed mosquito bites in a 5-minute session inside the cage, or a confirmed bite in each of two consecutive 5-minute sessions.
What the CR tests found
from our 23 Recommended insect repellants use deet as their active ingredient. Two are made with 20% picaridin, one is made with 000% picaridin, and 4 contain 30% oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE). Most of the vegetable oil-based products we’ve tested – including several containing citronella oil, peppermint oil, soybean oil, or others – haven’t worked as well. (OLE oil, although it occurs naturally in the lemon eucalyptus plant, is not an essential oil. It is chemically synthesized for use in commercially available insect repellants.)
Our ratings are primarily based on how long a product protects against mosquitoes for people participating in testing. Those with the best ratings protected for 6.5 hours or more; those with the lowest grades lasted 2 hours or less. We currently test repellants only against mosquitoes, but in the last few years of testing we found that repellants that work well against mosquitoes also work well against ticks. We also tested how well the product resisted, causing damage to materials that repellants are likely to come in contact with, such as fabrics, paint, and nail polish.
Our Evidence suggests that when it comes to effectiveness, what matters most is not the brand or whether it is a lotion, spray, or wipe, but the type and concentration of the active ingredient in the repellent.
For example, 3 wipes (Ben’s Tick & Insect Repellent Wipes, Off Deep Woods Insect Repellent Towelettes, and Repel Insect Repellent Mosquito Wipes), a brand name spray (Total Home Woodland Scent, sold by CVS), and a lotion (Sawyer Ultra 30 Insect Repellent) appear on our list of recommended repellants. They all contain deet.
Although we have found some sprays using the active ingredients picaridin or OLE that worked well, products made with deet consistently get most of our best scores. And among the lotions and wipes we tested, only those that contained deet were found to be highly effective. In a few cases in testing from previous years, we have found that products containing 20% picaridin scored well as a spray, but not in another form, such as wipes or lotion.
“We expect differences in formulation and the way it is incorporating the active ingredient into a repellent can make a big difference in how effectively it repels insects, ”says Chris Regan, CR insect repellent test project leader. “However, among the products we have tested, we have found that those products that contain deet at levels of 25 to 30% provide the most reliable protection against mosquitoes and ticks ”.
In addition, it is important to note that the so-called natural repellants, or products that we have tested whose active ingredients are essential oils, all obtained a Low rating for protection against mosquitoes. Consumers who want to avoid the use of deet have several reliable options in products with 20% picaridin or 30% OLE. However, the safety of deet has been extensively investigated by the EPA. When used according to label directions, it should not be harmful.
And according to the CDC, rare problems such as a rash or skin irritation from use of deet usually arise from using too much repellent or one with too high a concentration of deet. Consumer Reports does not test products with more than 30% deet for this reason, and our tests show that it is not necessary to be exposed to higher concentrations for reliable protection.
How to apply insect repellent correctly
For best results, follow the directions on the label and these 5 tips:
1. Apply a thin layer to all exposed skin, but avoid the eyes and mouth, and use sparingly around the ears. You can also spray repellent on top of clothing, but do not apply it under clothing.
2. Adults should put the repellent on their hands to apply it to children. Do not spray the repellent on children or apply it on their hands to prevent it from getting into their eyes or mouth, and avoid applying it on the irritated or broken skin. (Insect repellants with deet should not be used on children under 2 months.)
3. Reapplying repellent frequently is not necessary. Wash your hands after applying it and remove the repellent at the end of the day.
4. Don’t spray it directly on the face. Spray on palms, then apply to face.
5. When using wipes, be sure to use enough to cover all exposed skin with repellent.
Jeneen Interlandi and Catherine Roberts contributed information to this article.
From the advice box
In the television program “ Consumer 101 “, Consumer Reports experts advise presenter Jack Rico on how to get the most out of sunscreen, the best natural light for taking photos, and which insect repellants to use.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a just, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2021, Consumer Reports, Inc.