![]() ![]() It’s refined and concentrated (or sometimes synthesized chemically) for use in commercial bug repellents. OLE, although it occurs naturally in the lemon eucalyptus plant, is not an essential oil. Most plant-oil-based products we’ve tested-including several containing citronella oil, peppermint oil, soybean oil, or others-have performed poorly. Three are made with 20 percent picaridin, one is made with 10 percent picaridin, and four contain 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE). Putting Active Ingredients to the Testįourteen of our 22 recommended insect repellents use deet as their active ingredient. We also test whether repellents damage materials that repellents are likely to come into contact with, including the polycarbonate of eyeglass lenses, a leather belt, cotton, and polyester. We currently test repellents only against mosquitoes, but in past years we’ve found that repellents that worked well against mosquitoes also worked well against ticks. ![]() Our highest-rated repellents protected for 7 hours or longer our lowest-rated ones lasted 2 hours or less. Our ratings are primarily based on how long a product protected test subjects against two species of mosquitoes. We consider a failure to be two confirmed mosquito bites in one 5-minute session inside the cage, or one confirmed bite in each of two consecutive 5-minute sessions. Half an hour later, this procedure is repeated once, and then again once every hour after that until a repellent fails our test, or until 8 hours have passed since it was applied. That’s to mimic a real-world situation in which users might exercise while wearing repellent. The subjects then walk around for about 10 minutes to stimulate sweating. Our testers watch closely to see what happens inside the cage, and they count every time a mosquito lands on a subject’s arm, 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 to feed-which the testers can tell by watching for the insect’s abdomen to turn from gray to red or brown.Īfter 5 minutes, the subjects withdraw their arms, then repeat the process by placing their arms into a second pair of cages of disease-free mosquitoes of a different species for another 5 minutes. The standard dose is determined from the Environmental Protection Agency’s product testing guidelines.Īfter 30 minutes, these volunteers then place their arms into the first two of four cages of 200 disease-free mosquitoes for 5 minutes. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent2 Pump (2-pack $13.99 on Amazon)Īt our insect repellent testing lab, we begin by applying a standard dose of repellent to a measured area of skin on our test subjects’ arms. 5 Top-rated Repellents from Consumer Reports: Other active ingredients in our recommended products, if you prefer not to use deet, are picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus (more on those below). ![]() “However, among the products we’ve tested, we have found deet, at levels of 25 to 30 percent, to afford the most reliable protection against mosquitoes and ticks.” “We expect that differences in formulation, and how the active ingredient is incorporated into a repellent, can make a large difference in how effectively it repels insects,” says Chris Regan, test project leader for insect repellents for CR. One factor that matters significantly: a product’s active ingredient. This year we have 53 repellents in our ratings and 22 recommended ones, so it’s easy to find a way to beat the bugs that’s right for you. Consumer Reports testing-which involves brave volunteers putting their arms into cages of mosquitoes-can help you find one that works. ![]() To fight off the annoyance of buzzing mosquitoes, prevent itchy bites, and reduce your risk of serious bug-borne diseases like Lyme and West Nile, you need an effective insect repellent. ![]()
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