Buy only bug sprays approved by the EPA and sold with an EPA-approved symbol.
Buying Insect Repellents Overseas
If you are buying insect repellents outside of the United States, look for the same brand name repellent you recognize as being EPA approved in the US. Don’t forget to make sure you understand the application instructions and warnings on the labels as even repellents of the same brand may be formulated differently in different countries. Get someone to help you translate foreign language labels.
The following chemicals and substances are EPA-approved.
DEET is considered to be the most effective insect repellent around, but some people may show some skin sensitivity to this chemical.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is becoming a popular insect repellent, but only the derivative of the lemon eucalyptus plant, PMD, is considered to be almost as effective as
DEET. PMD is a good purchase for synthetic chemical phobes, but just because it comes from a plant does not mean it is harmless.
Picaridin is relatively new on the US bug spray market, but is gaining interest since it does not irritate the skin as much as DEET in some people. Picaridin is a good alternative for children and people who have skin sensitivities to
DEET.
Citronella oil comes from a plant and is commonly used in products labeled as natural insect repellents. The catch with citronella oil is that at a concentration of 10 per cent it only lasts for 20 minutes and no one knows the effects of applying citronella oil on the skin every 20 minutes.
