Insect Repellent Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentEditors at ConsumerReports.org test 10 products containing DEET, picaridin, lemon eucalyptus oil or IR3535; which are the four bug repellents approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. The lineup also includes natural products containing other plant oils. Bug repellents are tested with two species of mosquito common in the U.S. as well as with deer ticks. Four volunteers expose their treated arms to cages full of 200 mosquitoes at five-minute intervals. Effectiveness is measured by the average length of time it takes for the mosquitoes to bite and ticks to crawl onto the testers. Six of the products provide protection for seven hours or longer and have equivalent ratings for likely causing damage to certain materials they come in contact with. Editors provide a description of the odor and feel of the best insect repellents, but don't weigh those factors into the overall ranking.

Our AssessmentThe National Institutes of Health provides a database of bug repellents where you can look up ingredients and check the health rating on specific brands. Unfortunately, the majority of the products are Cutter or Repel brands. Product information includes a material safety data sheet with a health rating (from 0 to 4, the lower the better). It's interesting that Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent has a health rating of 2 (moderate), while DEET insect repellents range from 2 down to 1 (slight).

Our AssessmentResearchers enlist 15 volunteers to test 16 mosquito repellents, including seven botanical products, four DEET repellents and three repellent wristbands. Because each product is tested three times on all 15 volunteers, the average duration is quite a bit more credible than other tests. The study reveals that products containing DEET provide the longest protection and that higher concentrations increase the protection time. Off! Deep Woods Insect Repellent with 23.8 percent DEET was the most effective, lasting an average of five hours. Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent lasted four hours, and Off! with 6.65 percent DEET (now called Off! FamilyCare Insect Repellent IV Unscented) lasted two hours. Off! with 4.75 percent DEET (now called Off! FamilyCare Insect Repellent III Tropical Fresh) lasted about 90 minutes, one-third the duration of Off! Deep Woods. Two repellent wristbands containing 9.5 percent DEET and one containing 25 percent citronella failed to work for even a minute.

Our AssessmentWriter Sarah van Schagen compares five natural insect repellents, but emphasis is on scent and feel. She says "all of the products performed fairly well when it came to keeping bugs away." She picks Quantum Buzz Away Insect Repellent for its peppermint scent. EcoSmart dries fast and is a close second for its "not unpleasant citronella scent." She dislikes All Terrain Herbal Armor Insect Repellent, Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil and Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent. We give this review a lower ranking since only a single person's opinion is weighed on the physical properties of these bug repellents, and they appear to be tested only on a single subject.

Our AssessmentThis is a useful comparison test of 15 mosquito repellents. The tests use a standard protocol (with a cage of mosquitoes, measuring time to the first bite), but the downside is there is only one test subject. The review is still helpful, however, because it evaluates other factors, such as scent and skin feel, as well as effectiveness. Sawyer MAXI-DEET and 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent were effective for six hours, and Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent lasted four hours. The 12 repellents lasted three hours or less.

Our AssessmentEditors at Which? magazine in the U.K. test 19 mosquito repellers. 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent 12 Lotion lasts longer than any of the other products and is one of the few tested products available in the U.S. One drawback to the test is that only a single person's arm is used. The two wristbands and one patch product fall near the bottom of the chart in effectiveness.

Our AssessmentDrugstore.com publishes ratings and reviews submitted by users of approximately 70 insect repellents. A few natural insect repellents have been reviewed by at least 10 people. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent receives an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars from 55 users who say it works, but the strong smell is tough for some to tolerate. It seems less effective on no-see-ums. BiteBlocker Organic Xtreme Insect Spray receives 3.5 stars from about 20 users who mostly agree it's effective, but about half say the smell is unpleasant. Nearly all of the dozen reviews of Buzz Away Extreme, which contains citronella and soybean oils, say the odor is strong or too unappealing. Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent averages 3.5 stars from 88 users who are mostly happy with it. It seems to smell better than other natural products, but some say it feels greasy.

Our AssessmentThe outdoor gear retailer REI.com sells a variety of bug repellents for extended outdoor activities. 3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent 12 Lotion receives an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5 from nearly 20 users. Reviewers say it's effective but expensive and greasy feeling. Sawyer Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent receives an average rating of 4.5 stars from about 15 users who say it keeps mosquitoes and ticks off clothing and tents.

Our AssessmentThis is one of the few studies we found that tests insect repellents against dog ticks. A Ph.D. candidate at North Carolina State University conducts a study comparing the effectiveness of Off! Active IV (25 percent DEET) with Quantum Buzz Away Extreme, a soybean oil insect repellent that also uses geranium oil and other plant oils as ingredients. Rather than using human subjects, the tests observe whether or not ticks stay away from treated cloth. The study concludes that Buzz Away Extreme is more effective. The reliability of the study isn't clear, since it's published on the manufacturer's website.

Our AssessmentFaith Lawless, About.com's Makeup Guide, gives OFF! FamilyCare Insect Repellent I Smooth & Dry a perfect 5-star rating after applying it on herself and testing its effectiveness in her garden. She praises the "nice, fresh scent" and says it kept all flying insects away. She was pleased to see this bug repellent didn't mar the self-tanner she had applied the day before. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)