Study: Mosquitoes Really Hate Victoria's Secret Perfume
DEET-free repellents didn’t fare well in a study. (Image via Shutterstock)
Camping trip in your near future? Maybe skip the bug spray and prepare like you’re hitting the club instead. Popular Science reports a new study out of New Mexico State University found two fragrances—including Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume—work fairly well at repelling two common types of mosquitoes.
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Researchers compared eight insect repellents, two fragrances, and a vitamin B patch in order to figure out what worked best against mosquitoes, an important task because the bloodsuckers transmit diseases, according to the study published last month in the Journal of Insect Science.
“People need to protect themselves, especially if they travel to the tropics,” one professor says in an NMSU press release. “Insect repellents can be highly efficient, but you need to find out which work.”
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According to the press release, the three repellents that included the chemical DEET worked best. In fact, only one of the DEET-free repellents even came close, and most did absolutely nothing. It’s a huge knock against the “natural” repellents that have become more popular amid concerns about DEET, the study reports.
According to Popular Science, the most surprising result was that Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume and Avon Skin So Soft bath oil were actually effective against mosquitoes for approximately two hours.
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“There was some previous literature that said fruity, floral scents attracted mosquitoes, and to not wear those,” a research assistant says in the press release. “It was interesting to see that the mosquitoes weren’t actually attracted to the person that was wearing the Victoria’s Secret perfume—they were repelled by it.”
By Michael Harthorne
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This article originally appeared on Newser: Study: Mosquitoes Really Hate Victoria’s Secret Perfume
