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With the arrival of fine weather, tiger mosquitoes invade France. UFC-Que Choisir has conducted a comparative study of tiger mosquito repellents on the market to help you choose your protection better.
The UFC-Que Choisir association has analyzed 19 mosquito repellents against the tiger mosquito. The results were published on his website June 22, 2022.
An ambitious laboratory test
Four brave volunteers had to apply 1 gram of one of 19 chosen mosquito repellents to their forearms – whether spray, roll-on or aerosol – before introducing it (participants’ hands were protected with gloves covering enough to avoid getting bitten) in a cage full of mosquitoes. 1 gram is equivalent to approximately 6 to 8 sprays of a repellent.
The cage had 150 female mosquitoes locked up for 12 hours, and 75 males, to ensure their fertilization. Each participant had to place their forearm in the cage every 30 minutes, for 3 minutes.
The researchers then counted the number of mosquitoes that landed on the participant’s forearm, and those that began to bite. As soon as 2 mosquitoes landed on the individual’s forearm, the experts stopped the test. This is how they measured the duration of protection of a product.
Very variable efficiency
Depending on the products, the duration of protection varied considerably. It went from 30 minutes to 9 hours, before a participant was bitten. Six of the 19 repellents tested provide protection for several hours. Their common point? Their high concentration of DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide), from 25 to 50%.
The big winner of the UFC-Que Choisir comparative study is the repellent Insect Screen Infested Areas (50% DEET) with protection that would last between 9am to 10pm. The last in the ranking is surprisingly from the same brand as the first, but would only protect against mosquito bites for 30 minutes… This is the Repellent Insect Ecran Special Tropiques (25% icaridin). According to UFC-Que Choisir, “icaridin can be very effective but it all depends on the formulation of the product. Only the test can distinguish the good repellents”.
Check out the full reviews at Que Choisir magazine website ?
Slide: How to distinguish between different insect bites?