No one likes the feeling of insect repellent. I have vivid memories of being sprayed down with the stuff as a kid before venturing into the woods in northern Minnesota on family vacations and feeling like chemical warfare was being waged on all of my senses. I was willing to endure it because being covered in mosquito bites is even worse. Wearing repellent can save your life, protecting you against West Nile virus and Lyme disease, just to name a few of the pathogens mosquitoes and ticks can pass on.
“Insect repellents are designed to affect insects’ senses and prevent them from finding humans,” says Sonja Swiger, a professor at Texas A&M University’s Department of Entomology. “The use of these products provides protection to humans that cannot be achieved by anything else.” Essentially, environmental mosquito management programs can’t completely protect you from the bugs. If you’re going to be outside for a long period of time, especially in areas where biting bugs are common, applying repellent is a smart idea.
The good news is that there are way more products with different formulas available now than, say, when I was a kid. Protecting yourself doesn’t have to be a totally miserable experience. Here is everything you need to know about various insect-repelling chemicals, how to choose the right product for your needs, and our top picks for the best insect repellents on the market.
Check out some of our other outdoors-related buying guides like the Best Tents, Best Sunscreens, and Best Day-Hiking Backpacks.
Updated May 2026: We've added new recommendations from Avon, Off!, and Grand Tongo, and we've updated the FAQ, links, and prices.
What Chemicals Are Used in Insect Repellents?
There are four widely available topical repelling chemicals that have been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the CDC, and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which means there’s ample evidence that they’re safe and effective against mosquitoes and ticks. These are DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus (also called OLE and p-menthane-3,8-diol, or PMD, its synthetic form).
There’s also permethrin, a repellent you can apply to gear like tents and clothing, and it's approved by the EPA and CDC. Citronella oil, cedar oil, geranium oil, lemongrass oil, soybean oil, and peppermint oil lack robust research showing they’re effective repellents for ticks and mosquitoes. Though some folks may find them useful, they aren’t long-lasting or effective in environments with lots of bugs, according to the EWG. Below, you can find the pros and cons of the four aforementioned EPA-approved bug-repelling chemicals that you can apply to your skin.
DEET: N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, otherwise known as DEET, is probably the chemical you’ve heard the most about, as it’s been used since 1957 and widely studied as an insect repellent. “It’s the gold standard that all other products are tested against,” Swiger says. It’s one of the most effective options—studies in the EPA’s database show that, at varying concentrations, DEET can ward off ticks for two to 10 hours, and mosquitoes for two to 12 hours. Per an EPA-approved label, a product with 20 percent DEET can prevent bites from mosquitoes for 11 hours.
In most instances, 30 percent or less of an active ingredient will be sufficient for protection, Swiger says. Per the EPA, DEET can be used on children without any age restriction. The downsides are that DEET smells awful, is oily, and can damage anything with plastic in it, like synthetic clothing and camping gear.
Picaridin: This chemical hasn’t been in use as long as DEET, but it’s been shown to be just as safe and effective, and it has fewer downsides. A product with 20 percent picaridin can give you up to 14 hours of protection against mosquitoes and ticks, per an EPA-approved label.
A review from the Journal of Travel Medicine analyzed 11 studies that compared DEET and picaridin, finding that “the studies showed little potential difference between DEET and picaridin applied at the same dosage, with some evidence pointing to a superior persistence for picaridin.” Picaridin won’t ruin fabrics like DEET.
IR3535: Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate, or IR3535, isn’t quite as effective as DEET or picaridin against mosquitoes, but it’s more effective against ticks, per the EWG. Like DEET, it can damage plastics.
Oil of lemon eucalyptus: Oil of lemon eucalyptus enhanced with PMD may work as well as DEET against mosquitoes and ticks (at concentrations between 20 to 26 percent), per the EWG. In general, oil of lemon eucalyptus and PMD don’t last as long as DEET and the other options on this list. They won’t damage plastics. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is safe to use on children under three if the concentration is 30 percent or less, per the EPA.
Are Insect Repellents Safe?
To obtain EPA approval, a chemical goes through rigorous testing and evaluation of its efficacy, safety, and potential harm to the environment. But people still have concerns about the active ingredients in these products. Most of that worry revolves around DEET, due to reports of neurotoxicity. According to the EWG, “in very rare cases, DEET has been reported to impair the nervous system, with symptoms including seizures, tremors, and slurred speech—this most often occurs after exposure to high concentrations of the chemical.” This is extremely rare. The EPA has concluded that the rate of adverse reactions occurs on the order of 1 per 100 million persons.
Still, that’s really scary. But more research points to DEET’s safety. A report from 2017 found that it’s unlikely that DEET causes neurotoxicity. A 2020 University of Florida study found there was no increased risk of negative health impacts for people who used DEET, and a 2003 report discovered no evidence of an increased risk of adverse toxic effects in kids.
Other chemicals on this list, like picaridin, don’t pose the same neurotoxicity concerns as DEET. Ultimately, the repellent you choose comes down to what you feel safe using and your level of concern about bug bites, which can lead to serious health conditions.
“These products are continuously evaluated to confirm their safety,” Swiger says. And the benefits of using repellents likely outweigh the risks. “The benefit is preventing biting by mosquitoes or ticks that carry disease-causing pathogens. Without the use of repellents, a person could be bitten by a tick or mosquito carrying a pathogen that can lead to a disease such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease, eastern equine encephalitis, or dengue.”
Is a Higher Concentration Better?
Not necessarily. DEET’s repelling effects, for example, tend to plateau at around 50 percent concentration, per the CDC. Again, a 20 to 30 percent concentration of DEET or picaridin seems sufficient for solid protection. Higher concentrations do have their place, though. “Some mosquitoes are not deterred by the lesser rates,” Swiger says. “Higher rates last longer time periods and work best against large floodwater mosquitoes.”
How Should You Use Insect Repellent and Sunscreen Together?
Swiger recommends applying sunscreen first, then insect repellent, and she says to avoid combo products, per the CDC’s guidelines. Since sunscreen should be applied more often than a repellent, products that include both could result in unnecessary exposure to the repellent chemicals.
Are Insect Repellent Sprays, Lotions, or Wipes Better?
What kind of formula you choose will really come down to personal preference. Sprays are easier to apply over clothes and skin. Lotions tend to feel less greasy and sticky. Wipes are great for travel and for times when you want to pack light, like during backpacking trips.
Best Dry Feel
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
Sawyer
With a wide, even, fine-mist spray, this product is easy to apply and doesn’t pool on your skin. It has a chemical smell a bit like rubbing alcohol, but the scent is much milder than that of any DEET products I tried. On my skin, the product feels a bit greasy and sticky, but again, much less so than DEET. Overall, I was pleased with the lightweight feel of the product and appreciated the locking lid on the bottle. Per the label, this spray contains 20 percent picaridin and can provide up to 12 hours of protection.
Best Spray
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Ranger Ready Repellents
This small spritz bottle provided thorough coverage, but the product did need to be rubbed in a bit. Despite its slightly sticky feel, this “scent zero” spray didn’t have an overwhelmingly strong insect repellent smell. The brand also makes scented versions of the product, with options like Night Sky and Ranger Orange. The 20 percent picaridin concentration will give you 12 hours of worry-free time outside, sans mosquitoes and ticks.
Best Lotion
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
I’d never tried a lotion repellent before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice they felt and how much less they smelled than the sprays. This one in particular seemed to have an even milder scent than other picaridin lotions, and left my skin feeling more hydrated than oily. It feels like it absorbs into your skin rather than sitting on top of it. It contains 20 percent picaridin and provides up to 14 hours of protection.
Best Wipes
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Avon
These wipes are large—9 by 5.5 inches—so you only need one or two to cover all your exposed skin. They miraculously lack that typical bug spray smell, and instead have a nice light, powdery scent. The 10-percent picaridin formula also contains moisturizing vitamin E and aloe (hence the Skin So Soft in the name); it feels like a lightweight body oil once it dries. The scent and the texture make this more like a skin care product than an insect repellent.
Best Smelling
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Grand Tongo
After testing nearly 20 different bug sprays (that pretty much all smelled at least a little unpleasant and chemical-y), this picaridin spray from Grand Tongo truly blew me away. I don’t know how the brand managed to do it, but this product smells subtly sweet and fresh, without a hint of harsh repellent smell. The brand also offers a citrus and sandalwood scent, but the green tea and mint was my personal favorite. There’s a fragrance-free option, which dries down to have zero scent on the skin. It feels like magic! The wide, even spray, shockingly beautiful bottle, and locking lid are nice touches. With 20 percent picardin, you should have 12 hours of protection.
Best for Travel
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Grand Tongo
This tiny spray bottle is perfect for travel—it’s TSA-friendly and can easily slide in a pocket or be thrown in a hiking pack when you don’t want to carry a whole bottle. Made with 20 percent picaridin and a lightweight formula that dries fast, this repellent won’t leave a greasy finish and actually smells great. Grand Tongo is known for pleasantly scented insect repellents, like the “best smelling” recommendation above, and the orangey citrus plus sandalwood scent is a winner. You won’t get any whiffs of bug spray with this product.
Best Dry Feel
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
Off!
This product has the distinct chemical-y, bug spray smell of DEET, but the feel is nicer than most DEET sprays. It’s not totally weightless, but it dries down really nicely and feels soft and only slightly greasy to the touch. The spray is even, but the lack of a locking lid makes me wary to pack it for a hike.
Best Spray
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Cutter
This DEET spray goes on evenly in a fine mist and dries down to a nice, only slightly oily finish. The locking lid stayed in place even when I hauled the bottle around in a backpack for a day. The smell was chemical-y, but not extremely strong. The product claims to be sweat-resistant, and it didn’t easily melt away on my hike or even later when I wiped it off with a wet washcloth. With a 25 percent concentration of DEET, it provides up to 10 hours of protection.
Best Lotion
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
The DEET stink is still there, but the lotion formula feels more pleasant and less greasy to me than most sprays. This product in particular contains DEET (at a 20 percent concentration) that’s encapsulated in a slow-dissolving protein, which means the DEET is released over a longer period of time, providing up to 11 hours of protection.
Best Wipes
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
These pocket-sized wipes are a bit wet and messy, but that also means one wipe goes a long way in terms of coverage. The smell is less intense than other wipes; it reminds me of rubbing alcohol. These are ideal for throwing in a hiking bag or getting through TSA. They have a 30 percent concentration of DEET, and the package claims up to seven hours of protection.
Best for Working Out
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Off!
Going for a run in a buggy area is truly the worst. Insects are attracted to sweat, so you really need an effective repellent if you don’t want to spend your workout swatting them away. The Off! Active Sweat Resistant Insect Repellent is made to stay put through exercise like hiking, running, and kayaking, and I found that it held up well during sweaty jogs around Denver. It sprays in a wide, even mist, and you can even spray it upside down, which makes it easy to apply quickly on the back of your body. It dries to a soft, nongreasy finish and has a slightly sweet albeit chemical-like scent. I was impressed by how light the scent was given it’s a DEET product.
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
Of all the sprays I tested, this was my favorite. It felt truly dry to the touch after a few minutes, unlike any of the DEET or picaridin sprays. It was also almost completely odorless, which won major points in my book. The spray isn’t as even and fine as I’d like it to be, but it wasn’t a huge barrier to application. Overall, I was really impressed by this one’s lightweight, barely-there feel.
Best Spray
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Photograph: Kristin Canning
This product uses a combo of p-menthane-3,8-diol and oil of lemon eucalyptus, with a 30 percent concentration. It’s very oily and does pool on the skin, so you need to really rub it in. It also has a very strong eucalyptus scent that’s pretty off-putting, but it does fade over time. It has a locking lid, and the packaging says it provides six hours of protection.
Best Smelling
Photograph: Kristin Canning
Murphy's Naturals
For a small spritz bottle, the spray is even and fine, and I only needed to rub this product in a little before it dried down, leaving a slightly greasy finish. The smell is less intense and more pleasant than other oil of lemon eucalyptus sprays I tried—once it dried, it was more fresh and citrusy than eucalyptus-forward. With a 30 percent concentration of oil of lemon eucalyptus and 65 percent concentration of p-menthane-3,8-diol, you should get six hours of protection from mosquitos and four hours of protection against ticks.
I used 27 products on hikes, runs, and nights outside near Denver, Colorado. All of them were effective in preventing bug bites, but given the dry climate where I live, I don’t encounter swarms of mosquitoes very often. In my research for this article, I’ve learned that an insect repellent that is considered effective for one person, in one environment, won’t necessarily be effective for a different person in that same environment, or a different person in a different environment.
Essentially, mosquitoes and other bugs choose who to bite based on overall smell, body heat, and sweat, and are obviously much more prevalent in wet and warm parts of the country. So rating these repellents on their effectiveness against bugs (based on my experience) doesn’t really give you much valuable information.
The only way to know if a repellent will work for you is to try it on yourself in your environment, against your bugs. (And keep in mind, a product that works well for you at home might not do it against different insects on vacation.) If your repellent isn’t working, you need a higher concentration of the repelling chemical, or a different repelling chemical. But, as I wrote above, starting with a lower concentration is the move—there’s no reason to expose yourself to more chemicals if the lower level can provide relief from biting.
All that said, I did take thorough notes on how well these went on, felt on the skin, and smelled, and these are my top picks for each chemical category, based on those criteria.
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