With the arrival of the hot season, protecting children from annoying mosquito bites is a priority. However, it seems that not all Spray and repellents anti -media for children they really guarantee the promised protection. To say it is a recent test conducted by Altroconsumo Which has discovered how some products are not effective as stated on the label, while others may not be suitable for the delicate skin of the little ones.
Let’s find out together what emerged from the analysis and how to choose a safe and really useful repellent.
The test results
Altroconsumo has analyzed 85 repellent products, of which 31 specific for children. The result? . Many products dedicated to the little ones are not real repellents but cosmetics based on essential oils, not very effective against mosquitoes and potentially irritating for sensitive skin.
Often the wording “for children” on the packaging is used freely by the producers and is not regulated by official guidelines. This means that a product with this writing could be a fragrant cosmetic and not a real repellent. Only authorized products as “medical surgical garrison” or “biocida” guarantee, according to Altroconsumoeffectiveness and safety, and must clearly indicate the active ingredient and its concentration.
Other sprays contain effective active ingredients such as Deet, but experts advise against them as a precaution in children due to their aggression. In the end, Only a few products were suitable and safe for children from 2 years old.
The best anti -media repellent for children
The best product, according to the test of Altroconsumo, It is theAutan Kids Gela specific anti -media for children who uses Icaridine as an active ingredient and is the only one who has managed to obtain a Good score (60 points). It is presented in 100 ml gel format and the average price is around 8 euros.
Following the ranking sees, of medium quality:
From low qualityIn the end:
How the test was conducted
The test on skillful repellents for mosquitoes was carried out by evaluating Three main aspects: effectiveness, risk and ease of useincluding the completeness of the information shown on the label. The products, selected on the basis of their dissemination on the market (large retailers, pharmacies, etc.) and available in spray, lotion or wipes form, have been applied on the arms of volunteers to measure their duration of the protection.
The repellent efficacy, which weighs 60% on the final judgment, was tested according to the WHO-WHOPES guidelines (2009): the volunteers exposed the arm treated to a cage containing 100 female mosquitoes of the Aedes albopictus species, the tiger mosquito. The tests were repeated every half hour until the first puncture, thus calculating the duration of the complete protection.
The risk, which weighed 20% on the final judgment, was evaluated on the basis of the symbols of danger, warnings and security characteristics such as Chiusure and Bitrex. The remaining 20% of the judgment concerns the quality of the packaging and label, evaluated by experts in terms of readability, completeness and environmental impact of the packaging.
Finally, the consistency between the indications of use (for children or for tropical environments) and the real characteristics of the products was considered in the overall score, penalizing the products with unpublished claims.
When and how to use repellents for children
Under 2 years the repellents are not recommended. For the little ones, physical barriers such as mosquito nets, protective clothing and safe environments are suggested.
From 2 years up, on the other hand, it is possible to use repellents at low concentrations of safe active ingredients. It is better to prefer products in non -spray formats (wipes, gel or sticks) to reduce the risks of inhalation or accidental ingestion.
What active ingredients to choose (and which to avoid)
Second Altroconsumothe most suitable active ingredients for children are:
The concentration of the active ingredient is fundamental for the effectiveness of the product. Protections with less than 5% of the active ingredient are generally ineffective. For children it is advisable to use repellent with concentrations from 10 to 15%, avoiding too concentrated products (over 20%), which can increase the risk of skin reactions.
How to recognize a real repellent anti -media
A real repellent must report the wording “biocida” or “medical surgical garrison” and an authorization number of the Ministry of Health on the back of the package. It must also indicate the active ingredient and its concentration. If instead of this information there is only the list of ingredients (inci), then it is a cosmetic, without repellent efficiency, according to experts of Altroconsumo.
