On its site, Sawyer Products states that cats should not be exposed to wet permethrin, but that there is no risk once its dried. For clothing and gear (but not skin), Sawyers permethrin repellent is as effective as similar formulas at repelling ticks and mosquitoes, and its trigger spray is easier to control. Heres How to Protect Yourself and Prevent Bites. According to the NPIC, skin irritation due to picaridin is very uncommon, and the chemical is considered practically nontoxic if inhaled. Further, the EPA has approved the chemical for use in children as young as 2 months old. The fact is, essential oils make terrible bug repellents. Our Sawyer and Ranger Ready picks stood out for a number of reasons, but any other repellent with 20% picaridin should offer the same protection against mosquitoes and ticks for a similar duration of time. Here are the pest repellents and traps that experts agree can effectively keep bugs away. Our research led us to seek a spray with a 20% concentration of picaridina repellent chemical thats as effective as DEET, but without the drawbacks. Like DEET, DEET-free insect repellents formulated with the active ingredients we listed above are safe and effective, experts told us. But we dont think repellent lotions are the best option for general use, although they may work in your specific circumstances. We like that the Proven repellent has a completely clear bottle, which makes it easy to see how much is left. Both caps click in tightly, and its really difficult to pull them straight off. The upside of a lotion is that its effectiveness lasts longer than that of a spray. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn a commission. Mosquitoes transmit viruses through their saliva, which flows through a separate tube from that through which it imbibes blood. For a mosquito to transmit a virus, Conlon explained, the virus would have to replicate in the mosquito enough that it could attach to the gut wall, find its way into the body of the insect, and end up in salivary glands, where it could be injected into a host. Registration means that a product has passed safety standards, is approved for use as the directions on the label state and can be sold and distributed in the U.S. Not all insect repellents need to be registered with the EPA, though. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. The 4-ounce size is shorter and stouter than the 4-ounce bottles from other manufacturers, making it a nice fit for a backpack or a glove box. Its formulated with 30% DEET the company says that the liposome base in the formula works to slowly release the active ingredient to extend the effectiveness of it, with protection lasting up to 11 hours (liposomes can also be found in some cosmetics). Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. First, they cant be applied to clothing, so theyre less versatile. Everyone should avoid bug bites, which are annoying at best and debilitating (or even lethal) in worst-case scenarios. It leaves a lemon eucalyptus scent on the skin, but it isnt supposed to feel oily, according to Cutter. He has conducted mosquito-control operations or on-site consultations in 34 countries. Are there any overwhelming odors? The American Academy of Pediatrics says DEET is safe for children over 2 months oldin concentrations of no more than 30%and recommends washing off the repellent once children return indoors. Sprays, like those we recommend, are more immediately effective. It has the same 20% concentration of picaridin as the Sawyer repellent, so it provides the same amount of protection. Since DEET was the preferred active ingredient among the experts we consulted, weve included highly rated, EPA-registered DEET insect repellents first with up to 30% of the ingredient, per expert advice. Its earned an average 4.5-star rating over more than 850 reviews at Walmart. Swigers area of expertise is nuisance insects and their effects on humans and cattle. As we outlined above, this chemical has the most positives and the fewest negatives of any EPA-approved repellent. One preventative and protective measure you can take to avoid bug bites is applying insect repellent. It has a 4.3-star average rating from over 170 reviews on Walmart. Learn more. One good thing is that the spray works when the can is upside down, which cant be said for the pump sprays. Locking caps are a plus, prohibiting accidental sprays and providing one more barrier for a curious child to overcome. Independent tests prove that a 20% concentration of picaridin can repel mosquitoes and ticks for up to 12 hours. No, it isnt. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) states, While effectiveness varies, and there may be a few exceptions, most botanicals repel bugs for a short time, if at all.. Zoe Malin is a digital editorial intern for Select on NBC News. All 20% picaridin repellents should provide similar protection, but the Sawyer pump spray stands apart due to a couple of usability features. Many people are specifically concerned about mosquitos in the warmer months, and Markowski said theyre very good at finding a host during this time. The NPIC is a treasure trove of fully referenced repellent information, with comprehensive directories for every chemical and extensive links out to relevant EPA documents and peer-reviewed studies. Support our vendetta against deer ticks and Lyme disease by not getting bitten. To give your clothing and gear (but not your skin) an added level of protection against ticks, we recommend Sawyer Products Permethrin Fabric Treatment, a formula with 0.5% permethrin. We dont have a preference for either Cutters or Repels 15% repellent. If you cant find our pick, look for other brands with a 0.5% concentration of permethrin, like Ranger Ready Permethrin Spray, Bens Clothing and Gear Insect Repellent, or Coleman Gear and Clothing Insect Treatment. Out of the three types of insect repellents, DEET insect repellents are by far and away the most effective, Markowski said. DEET has gotten a bad reputation as being unsafe, but experts told us there are no health risks associated with using it. The natural repellent market can get especially complicated because some products with natural ingredients like clove and lemongrass oil are accepted as minimum risk pesticides, according to the EPA, but arent held to the same high standards as those that are registered to show that a product does indeed have the repellency effects that the label claims, Connally added. It has a 4.5-star average rating from over 3,200 reviews on Amazon. In addition to mosquitoes, the repellent is meant to ward off ticks, biting flies, gnats, no-see-ums, chiggers and fleas. At that point, the permethrin needs to dry fully before something is worn. All the experts we spoke to recommended finding an EPA-registered insect repellent. Sawyers picaridin spray also has two caps, which is a big winner, especially if you have kids. The pump spray is meant to protect against mosquitoes. Create a bug-free bubble outdoors with these spatial insect repellents. Using their guidance, we also rounded up a handful of products you can use to prevent bug bites. No, it isnt. Joe Conlon, technical adviser of the American Mosquito Control Association, Because they are classified as pesticides, the EPA approves for use not only all repellent chemicals but also every product that includes those chemicals. Each item needs to be fully treated, and that means it needs a thick coat of spray. We also like its compact bottle design and double cap. Mosquitoes are not flying hypodermic needles, Conlon said. Repellent lotions have two major downsides. Some manufacturers offer repellent lotions. Getting even coverage on an arm or a leg was easiest with the Sawyer repellentaerosol sprays are much harder to control and result in a lot more overspray. This one is available only in an aerosol can, which produced a dense and focused spray that we found harder to control than the others. Coleman SkinSmart DEET-free Insect Repellent relies on the active ingredient IR3535 and goes on dry with a light, floral scent. EPA approval: This requirement left us with a short list of skin-applied repellents focusing on picaridin, DEET, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus, or OLE (as well as PMD, its synthetic form). We Hate Ticks, Too. Permethrin should be used in addition to a skin-applied repellent, not in lieu of one. We made the mistake of giving it a single squirt in a closed room, and we could still smell it an hour later. I live in New Hampshire, and in the past 15 years, I have been treated for Lyme five times. The other permethrin sprays weve tested are reportedly just as effective. The regular Deep Woods is oily and smells pretty bad. Sawyer is our favorite, but any repellent with 20% picaridin should have the same effectiveness. It has a 4.4-star average rating over more than 33,200 reviews on Amazon. Bug zappers kill the wrong bugsto control bugs without a spray repellent, use a spatial repellent or a fan instead. (Thats more like shaking a can of whipped cream.). Subscribe now for unlimited access. Recognizing that some shoppers might want DEET-free options, weve also included a few insect repellents that dont use the ingredient, but are still EPA-registered and contain one of the active ingredients recommended by the CDC. We also relied on the National Pesticide Information Center, a joint effort by Oregon State University and the EPA. The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on environmental and health issues, also offers detailed, well-supported research on repellent chemicals, which we reviewed. This reduces both the waste of a tossed-out bottle and the cost of additional repellent. Texas A&M entomologist Sonja Swiger told us that community-wide vector control can still only control so much, so to get down to your personal space, you have to add to it.. It has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 1,000 reviews on Amazon. We dont recommend using any essential-oil bug repellents. A 24-ounce size is also available. Once applied, the Sawyer picaridin has minimal odor (well, theres a very slight odor if you put your nose right to your skin), and its not oily. The spray is meant to be non-greasy, too, according to Sawyer. After testing three new repellents and speaking with Sonja Swiger, an entomologist at Texas A&M University, weve updated this guide. Both the experts we spoke to and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend finding an insect repellent thats registered with the EPA and features one of the following active ingredients: Our experts told us that a higher percentage of an active ingredient does not increase your level of protection, though it does keep you protected for a longer period of time. Avery talked with us about DEET and plastic, in addition to answering some general questions about picaridin and the EPA-approval process. Do Bug Zappers Work? This is much harder to do with an aerosol can. DEET formulas work and are widely available, but they arent more effective than picaridin (they tend to smell bad and feel oily, too). In 2022 we interviewed Sonja Swiger, an associate professor in Texas A&M Universitys Department of Entomology, to get her thoughts on mosquitoes, ticks, and repellents. The EPA has an online search tool that helps you look up registered bug repellents, and we used it to check the registration numbers on each of the products we recommended. DEET (PDF), the most well known, is effective but tends to be oily and smelly. Yes, it is. This second cap also guarantees that the repellent wont accidentally be set off while stuffed in a backpack or beach bag. To prevent Lyme disease, the CDC recommends using products with 20% DEET, so these lower concentrations may not provide adequate protection against ticks. We test our picks for usability, as opposed to efficacy, because the variables of environment, physiology, and bug behavior affect performance. While approved for use, there havent been any applications for products with nootkatone-based repellents to hit the EPAs desk yet the only registered product with the ingredient in it is made for manufacturing use, an agency spokesperson told us. Natrapels bottle has a small viewing window along the side, but its not as easy to see how much repellent is in there. The need for a super-precise spray pattern is not as important here, because it gets sprayed on a large object instead of, say, your ankle, your wrist, or the back of your neck. Cutter is a 25% DEET formula, which the EPA-approved label says provides up to 10 hours of protection, but a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that a 23.8% DEET product had a mean protection time closer to five hours. Ranger Ready offers pump- and trigger-spray bottles in a variety of scents, as well as bulk refill bags to reduce waste (and lower your costs). The lemon eucalyptus in the repellent is meant to be non-greasy so your skin doesnt feel sticky when applying it, according to Repel. Deep Woods Dry is the better of the two, but the spray is thick, and it puddled on our arms. This repellent is available in a variety of scents (orange, night sky, and amber). A study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that subjects wearing permethrin-treated sneakers and socks were 73.6 times less likely to have a tick bite than subjects wearing untreated footware. High concentrations of permethrin, when wet, can be toxic to cats, but once it dries, theres no issue. Theres no question DEET is effectivedecades of tests and studies have established it as the gold standard in bug repellentsbut its no more effective than picaridin. Its kind of the gold standard, if you will.. Effectiveness: A 2018 review published in the Journal of Travel Medicine analyzed 11 studies comparing DEET and picaridin, and concluded that the studies showed little potential difference between DEET and picaridin applied at the same dosage, with some evidence pointing to a superior persistence for picaridin. According to the EPA-approved labels, a repellent with 20% picaridin can provide protection for up to 12 hours, while one with 25% DEET provides up to 10 hours. Its kind of the Wild West out there with natural products right now, noted Connally, who oversees WCSUs Tickborne Disease Prevention Laboratory. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning. Its pump spray is less likely than aerosol competitors to overspray or leave a puddle on your skin, and its secure, two-capped design prevents accidental leaks inside a backpack or other bag. The fact that mosquitoes can, indeed, transmit a number of pathogens is extraordinary., Instead, Conlon told us, the mosquito actually digests the coronavirus. Oil of lemon eucalyptus (PDF) (also available as the synthetic PMD) is an extract of the eucalyptus tree and not approved for use on anyone under the age of 3 (picaridin and DEET are both approved for babies as young as 2 months). Bens Tick Repellent Eco-Spray is marketed as a tick repellent, but the 20% picaridin formula is just as effective on mosquitoes, similar to other 20% picaridin options. A product remains registered as long as: In 2020, the EPA registered a new active ingredient, nootkatone, the first one approved in over 11 years it smells like grapefruit. Proven is available in both 2-and 6-ounce versions. We did test for usability, looking at different competitors bottles and comparing design details that we noticed when applying (lots of) bug spray firsthand. Compared with other pump sprays, the Sawyer offers the most even cloud of repellent. We zeroed in on Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent in particular because its smart, compact bottle design makes it easy to apply evenly and accurately. We did not test for efficacy of the individual repellents, for a few reasons. (Natrapel Tick & Insect Repellent Eco-Spray can spray upside down, too.). You dont really gain additional repellency from a product with a 70% or 100% concentration of active ingredients, but you are putting a lot more of the actual chemical on your skin, he said. The term insect repellent might seem broad there are a lot of insects in the wild but insect repellents, also commonly called bug sprays, usually cover mosquitoes, ticks or both, experts told us. This sweat-resistant repellent features 25% DEET in its formula, which the company said protects you for up to 10 hours. A company applies for registration and the EPA determines whether the product actually works and weighs the products benefits against its risks, the organization told us. Which bucket a product falls into may impact what active ingredients its made with. But if you are bitten, dont panic. It lasts up to eight hours, according to 3M, and is splash- and sweat-resistant. The trigger spray on the Sawyers pump bottle is very even and easy to control. Concentrations can range anywhere from 10% to 100%, and according to Machtinger, repellents will generally work the same for the first couple of hours after theyre applied. First, there are simply too many variables to consider to make any sweeping statements on repellency. But theyre not all equally effective, and they dont all have comprehensive data or research to support their claims. Its a complex process, taking a great deal of time for the viruses to adapt to their vectors and hosts, he said. On two of those occasions, I had to undergo a four-week course of the antibiotic doxycycline, which is awful in its own right. An insect repellent works by essentially jamming an insects radar, thus altering the insects ability to find a host. Our editors selected these deals and items because we think you will enjoy them at these prices. Instead, this odorless spray is used to treat clothing and pieces of gear, like a tent or backpack. YeahAbout As Well As Any Other Indiscriminate Wildlife Slaughter. DEET formulas arent our first choice because they smell bad, feel oily, and can damage plastic and synthetic fabrics, but weve heard of some people having rash reactions to picaridin repellents. All registered repellents offer protection against mosquitoes, but only some work against ticks. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.. Ranger Ready also offers bulk refill bags, which not only reduce waste by letting you reuse your existing bottle, but also give you additional repellent at a much better price per ounce. It comes in either a pump- or trigger-spray bottle, the latter of which emits a nice, even clout of repellent. We looked at Offs Deep Woods Insect Repellent V and Deep Woods Insect Repellent VIII (Dry), and, for a DEET option, neither is as good as Cutter Backwoods Dry. Prior to his retirement in 2020, Conlon had been a medical entomologist since 1981, during which time he published dozens of articles and presented more than 350 invited papers to various universities, public health associations, and mosquito-control groups. The pump spray also comes in a 24-ounce size for the biggest jobs. The lotion may also be easier to apply to difficult areas, like the forehead or the back of the neck, or on a particularly squirmy child. If the first step of preventing bug bites is buying an effective insect repellent, the second step is applying the product correctly, experts said. From sprays and lotions to rubber bracelets and stick-on patches infused with essential oils, there are many products on the market that claim to repel insects. Once dried, it offers protection for up to six washings (or about six weeks). The best repellents have a nice, even spray that is easy to apply. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. In fact, according to the EPA website, this labeling is legally enforceable In other words, the label is the law., Store shelves are loaded with repellents that are not approved by the EPA. Available dry formulas remedy this some, but another issue with DEET is that it can damage some synthetic fabrics, as well as watches, fishing line, cameras, glasses, and anything else made of plastic. Aside from the bottles superior spray, we also like how compact and durable it is. Off Defense Insect Repellent 1 With Picaridin is available in both an aerosol can and a pump-spray bottle (we generally prefer the latter).