Insect Repellent Brands and Links

Insect repellent resources

The National Pesticide Information Center has many articles about choosing and using bug repellents.

The Environmental Protection Agency provides information on the use and effectiveness of insect repellents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rovides recommendations for safely using insect repellents.

The American Academy of Pediatrics publishes its recommendations for safely using bug repellents containing DEET on children.

REI, the outdoor gear retailer, outlines the pros and cons of each type of insect repellent and how to choose a product to fit your needs.

University of North Carolina dermatology professor Mark Fradin provides information about the different types of insect repellents at eMedicine.com, but doesn't make any recommendations.

This article in the Daily Mail describes how certain smells can deter mosquitoes from finding blood.

In this June 2009 study of eight types of repellents in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, DEET does much better than picaridin and IR3535.

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension offers a well-organized overview of the advantages and disadvantages of various insect repellents, covering safety warnings especially well.

Cathy Wong, guide to alternative medicine at About.com, lists natural insect repellent ingredients and cites studies that demonstrate their effectiveness. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

The United States Department of Agriculture conducts scientific studies of insect repellents. One study on the effects of repellents proves that mosquitoes use their sense of smell to avoid clothing as well as skin sprayed with DEET, SS220 or picaridin. This is useful because it reinforces the idea that spraying clothing is effective in repelling insects.

An article by Meredith Knight on ScienceLine, a project of New York University's journalism department, tells why some people are more susceptible than others to insect bites--and what you can do to deal with it.

Findings of a 2001 animal study published in Duke University Medical News recommend caution when using the insecticide DEET, after the chemical caused "diffuse brain cell death and behavioral changes in rats after frequent and prolonged use."

The Entomological Society of America website summarizes the results of research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, which finds isolongifolenone, a compound found in South American Tauroniro trees, appears to be more effective than DEET at repelling mosquitoes and just as effective at repelling ticks.

New York Times article "The Secret of DEET?" gives an overview of a Rockefeller University study on how DEET masks odors that attract mosquitoes to humans.

Bug repeller brands

3M Ultrathon is made with encapsulated DEET as a lotion, aerosol spray and pump spray.

All Terrain makes natural insect repellents.

Avon makes insect repellents with picaridin or IR3535.

BiteBlocker by Homs is made with soybean oil as the natural active ingredient.

Bugsaway is ExOfficio's brand of clothing for men and women that's treated with the pesticide permethrin.

Burt's Bees makes one natural insect repellent spray with a blend of citronella, rosemary lemongrass and other oils.

Buzz Away Extreme is a natural mosquito repellent made by Quantum Health.

Cutter is made by Spectrum Brands, which also makes Repel brand insect repellents.

Natrapel is a picaridin insect repellent made by Tender Corporation.

Off! is made by SC Johnson, which makes many household brands, including Raid, Windex and Ziploc. The four Off! product lines are Active, FamilyCare, Deep Woods and Deep Woods Sportsmen. Off! FamilyCare products contain either DEET in varying concentrations or picaridin. The Off! brand also includes outdoor-area repellents.

Repel is made by Spectrum Brands, which also makes Cutter brand insect repellents.

Sawyer makes a controlled-release lotion with 20 percent DEET and a sunblock with DEET-free insect repellent. The company also offers MAXI-DEET, a 100 percent DEET spray for clothing, and a line of clothing insect repellents with permethrin.