Written by Joe Ballenger

So…I was on Twitter, and this tweet came across my feed.

Sitting on the deck swatting away flies or mosquitos is a situation that can be dealt with non-toxically. https://t.co/ff22sYfFIr

— goop (@goop) 29 de agosto de 2017

I’m familiar with GOOP and had a pretty good idea of what I was in for when I clicked the link…and I was actually happy to see that they were selling something that looked like it could be useful.

…and then I looked at the price and freaked out a bit.

You should not be paying $30 for a bottle of bug spray.

Is it Effective?

So…first, let’s talk efficacy. Lemon Eucalyptus bug spray does work against mosquitoes. It doesn’t work as well as DEET; it doesn’t appear to repel ticks…but it’s the best choice for a “natural” product for light yardwork or something like that.

If you’re going on the woods, choose DEET or Picaradin because both of these repel ticks.

Modified from Rodriguez et. al, 2015.

As we can see above, Lemon Eucalyptus insect repellent works fairly well. It repels mosquitoes for about 4 hours. It’s not as strong as DEET, but offers some protection.

Home Economics

For me, the sticking point here is the pricetag.

There’s a very good reason bug spray is so cheap, compared to other toiletries. You’re not using very much of it, but you also tend to lose it a lot. I usually buy a few bottles every year, because I have a tendency to misplace the stuff. Most folks do, which is factored into the cost. Even though people don’t use a lot of it (which tends to drive up the price), most folks buy a few bottles every year.

A comparable product, such as Repel or Cutter, should set you back $5. The organic stuff isn’t that much more expensive. A bottle of bug spray that will likely be lost at some point shouldn’t cost you as much as a nice meal.

The Bottom Line

If you would prefer to use “natural” products, you shouldn’t let people take advantage of you. Do your homework, and shop around. Demand a reasonable price.

Works Cited:

Katz, T. M., Miller, J. H., & Hebert, A. A. (2008). Insect repellents: historical perspectives and new developments. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 58(5), 865-871.

Rodriguez, S. D., Drake, L. L., Price, D. P., Hammond, J. I., & Hansen, I. A. (2015). The efficacy of some commercially available insect repellents for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Insect Science, 15(1), 140.