Best Mosquito Spray According to Science

Repel, OFF, Cutter, and EcoSmart are all different brands of mosquito sprays that claim to keep the bugs off of you, but which performs the best and lasts the longest? We have tried many different types of spray repellents and tried combining them with permethrin, wristbands, and candles. Turns out, scientists have already done the heavy lifting, testing the sprays recently in controlled environments against two types of mosquitoes: Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus.

Below, we share the top performers, and specifics on the studies that have actually measured the effectiveness of DEET and natural sprays. If you need a spray that’ll keep the bugs at bay outside, one of our picks will stop mosquitoes in their tracks.

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Contents (Jump to a Section)

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The mad scientists over at Repel thought ‘Why don’t we just make an entire bottle of our active ingredient?’ That turned out to be extremely effective. Scientific tests show that this is the one to beat, with it being effective on a huge range of insects (and mosquitos) with great longevity.

Here is what you get with this pump bottle:

• 4 ounces
• Active ingredient: DEET (98%)
• 10-hour effective time
• Pump spray

If you are simply looking for the best-of-the-best, Repel 100 Insect Repellent hits the mark.

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Deep Woods has been around for a long time, and scientific testing confirms what we expected: it works. With modest but effective DEET content, it is safe enough for everyday use and effective enough to protect you from biting insects.

Here is how the Deep Woods measures up:

• 6 ounces
• Active ingredient: DEET (25%)
• 8-hour effective time
• Aerosol spray

If you need everyday bug spray, the OFF Deep Woods Insect Repellent is what you’re looking for.

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The effectiveness of lemon eucalyptus as a viable spray option was first documented back in 1996, but that was well after DEET and other mosquito-repellent ingredients had become commonplace.

We were surprised that it performed so well in many of the tests and studies, making a non-DEET option that can rival the effectiveness of DEET itself for common mosquito species.

Here is how the spray bottle measures up:

• 4 ounces
• Active ingredient: Lemon eucalyptus oil (30%)
• 6-hour effective time
• Pump spray
• Made in the USA

If you solid mosquito protection regardless of DEET content, the Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent is what you’re looking for.

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Everything We Recommend

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What Sprays Were Tested?

While we may have our ideas on which works best, science is here to the rescue to show us factual data on which spray performs the best on its own. Here are the ‘best performers’ from the Oxford Journal of Insect Science:

The higher the number in the results, the more the mosquitoes were attracted to the subjects. It’s easy to see that all three mosquito spray types performed remarkably better than no spray at all.

Here is the full list of what was tested:

• Repel 100 Insect Repellent (98.1% DEET)
• OFF Deep Woods Insect Repellent (25% DEET)
• Cutter Skinsations Insect Repellent (7% DEET)
• Cutter Natural Insect Repellent (5% Geraniol, 2% Soybean Oil)
• EcoSmart Organic Insect Repellent (1% Geraniol, 0.5% Rosemary Oil, 0.5% Cinnamon Oil, 0.5% Lemongrass Oil)
• Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent (30% Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus which is 65% p-menthane-3-8-diol)
• Avon Skin so Soft Bug Guard (20% Oil of Citronella)
• Avon Skin so Soft Bath Oil Fragrance (Unknown Content)
• Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Fragrance (Unknown Content)
• Mosquito Skin Patch (Thiamin B1 300mg)

While it is interesting they tried a couple of fragrances to see how they perform, there is one oddity that stands out in these results. Victoria’s Secret Bombshell fragrance outperformed the Mosquito Skin Patch. The control in the experiment outperformed the Mosquito Skin Patch. The Mosquito Skin Patch looks from the results to attract mosquitoes rather than repel them, which is very ridiculous.

While some sprays are very effective immediately, many trail off in their effectiveness as time passes. DEET and eucalyptus appear to have the longest-staying power of the repellents. The Repel 100 has relatively good initial effectiveness and is the lowest of all options tested after four hours. It is worth noting that Repel 100 has 98.1% DEET content.

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Who Needs Mosquito Spray?

Bug spray is a necessary tool for the outdoors to protect against mosquitos and more.

Mosquitoes are a disease vector. They can carry Zika virus, malaria, West Nile virus, elephantiasis, many types of encephalitis, dengue fever, yellow fever, and even parasites.

Preventing mosquito bites is important, especially if one of these is common in your geographical area. Nets, sprays, clothing, and shelter should all be used to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Sources and References

All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best mosquito spray are useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical survival experience:

Rodriguez, S., et al. (2015). The Efficacy of Some Commercially Available Insect Repellents for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Insect Science. Volume 15. Issue 1. Page 140. (Source)

Mitra, S., et al. (2019). Efficacy of Active Ingredients From the EPA 25(B) List in Reducing Attraction of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) to Humans. Journal of Medical Entomology. Volume 57. Issue 2. Pages 477 – 484. (Source)

Watanabe, K., et al. (1993). New mosquito repellent from Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Volume 41. Issue 11. Pages 2164 – 2166. (Source)

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The Final Word

Mosquitoes are pretty nasty insects, and it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep them at bay.

Another insect to keep an eye out for is the tick. Check out why the CDC is pleading that Americans protect themselves from ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Here are some more guides and reviews our subscribers have found helpful:

According to science, picking up some Repel 100 Insect Repellent is the best way to protect yourself.

Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.

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