Natural mosquito repellents don't do the job

Natural mosquito repellents don’t do the job Natural mosquito repellent sprays made with plant oils, such as citronella, lemongrass, and rosemary, often have labels that talk a good game, with claims such as “proven effective” or “repels mosquitoes for hours.” But don’t believe it. Unlike insect repellents with chemically synthesized ingredients (including picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus), plant-oil products are exempt from scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s because the EPA considers them “minimum risk.” But none of those natural mosquito repellent products we tested lasted more than 1 hour against aedes mosquitoes, aggressive biters that can transmit chikungunya virus, and some failed almost immediately. In addition, the names of two products—Babyganics Natural  and EcoSmart Organic—imply that they’re organic. But neither contains certified organic ingredients or bears the Department of Agriculture organic seal. Find out how to win your battle with bug bites, and find safer insect repellents that did best in our tests.  Wristbands are a bust They’re marketed as being safer, because you don’t have to rub anything into your skin. But when our testers stuck their arms into a cageful of mosquitoes while wearing one of two wristbands—the Coleman Naturals Insect Repellent Snap Band (containing citronella oil) or the Super Band Wristband (containing geraniol oil)—the bugs started biting immediately. Given those results, we’ve rated them as poor performers and recommend that you skip them. In February the Federal Trade Commission charged another maker of repellent wristbands, Viatek, with deceptive marketing of its Mosquito Shield Bands,  which the FTC says contain mint oil. The company’s claim that the bands protect against mosquitoes wasn’t backed up with scientific evidence, the FTC says. The case will be decided by a U.S. District Court; the FTC is seeking penalties and consumer refunds. This article also appeared in the July 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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