When buying a mosquito repellent, you are often guided by promises such as “protection for up to 8 hours” or “effective against tiger mosquitoes”. But how to understand if a product is really a repellent and how to interpret the information on the label?
To clarify it is Altroconsumo who, after publishing his recent comparative test on mosquito repellents, also explained what are the most important elements to check before purchasing. Three pieces of information are enough: verify that the product is authorised, know the active ingredient and check its concentration.
Is it really a repellent?
Not all products sold as “mosquito repellents” offer the same protection. The first check to do concerns the classification of the product.
Real repellents have the words “Medical Surgical Device (PMC)” or “biocidal product” on the packaging. It means that they have been authorized as repellents and can claim a specific effectiveness, for example against the common mosquito or the tiger mosquito.
As he remembers Altroconsumothere is no substantial difference between PMC and biocide: the first is the historical classification system used in Italy, while the second is that provided for by the European legislation on biocidal products.
However, if the classic list of ingredients (INCI) appears on the packaging, as happens with creams and cosmetics, you are faced with a cosmetic product. In this case it cannot boast proven repellent effectiveness, even if it contains plant ingredients such as lemongrass, lavender or geranium.
The active ingredient makes the difference
Once you have ensured that the product is an authorized repellent, it is useful to check which active substance it uses. Second Altroconsumothe active ingredient that generally guarantees the longest protection is DEET, effective already at relatively low concentrations and capable, in more concentrated formulations, of protecting for many hours.
Icaridin, IR3535, citriodiol and Citrepel are also widely used and can offer good protection, although the duration varies depending on the formulation.
The case of products based exclusively on essential oils is different: tests conducted by the consumer association have shown that their effectiveness tends to be decidedly more limited in time.
Check the concentration
The concentration of the active ingredient is always indicated on the label of authorized repellents, expressed as grams per 100 grams of product.
This value is important because, in general, a higher concentration corresponds to a longer duration of protection. It does not necessarily mean that the product is “stronger”, but simply that the repellent effect tends to last longer.
For this reason, two sprays containing the same active ingredient can offer very different protection times.
The hours of protection are indicative
Many products have indications on the label such as “up to 6 hours” or “up to 8 hours”. However, these are indicative values. As he points out AltroconsumoIn fact, the actual duration of protection can vary from person to person. Mosquitoes are attracted by numerous individual factors, including body heat, sweat, carbon dioxide emitted through breathing and skin odor.
For this reason it may be necessary to reapply the repellent before the maximum time indicated by the manufacturer, especially in case of heavy sweating or after swimming.
In summary, to choose a repellent in a more informed way it is best to check three fundamental aspects:
Reading the label carefully takes a few more minutes, but it allows you to distinguish a real repellent from a simple cosmetic and to choose the product best suited to your needs.
