Victoria's Secret Bombshell Perfume Also Doubles as Bug Repellent
Lily Aldridge and Adriana Lima with the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell fragrance, which also works as insect repellent. (Photo: Getty Images)
Victoria’s Secret perfumes are infamous for smelling like a gummy bear who got lost in a cotton candy machine after drinking a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, but you may want to invest in a bottle for yourself if not to smell like a cupcake, but to prevent mosquito bites. A new study published in the Journal of Insect Science demonstrates that Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume is almost as good as DEET, without the known toxins.
Scientists at New Mexico State’s Molecular Vector Physiology Lab wanted to find out which commercial insect repellents were most effective. In a statement, researcher Stacy Rodriguez said, “There was some previous literature that said fruity, floral scents attracted mosquitoes, and to not wear those. 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.” They studied eight commercial insect repellents, two fragrances, and a vitamin B patch. They found that the DEET-free products with citronella or geraniol that were marketed as “natural” were not effective in their repellency. The vitamin B patch was ineffective, too — in fact, statistically significantly more mosquitoes flew towards the hand with the patch!
The perfume that attracts bombshells and repels mosquitoes. (Photo: Courtesy of Victoria’s Secret)
They conducted these studies by putting two species of mosquitoes in a container with two tubes attached to it. On the other end of each tube was a hand — one hand was coated with the repellant and one that was untreated. When the flies were released from the holding container, they could fly towards either hand. The scientists also tested for efficacy over time, testing to see whether the repellents still worked after a few hours. The general results showed that repellents with DEET are the most effective, and the repellents without DEET were the least effective.
As noted in the study, mosquitoes use smell to aid in seeking long range hosts, and while DEET is actually considered a very safe repellent according to many scientific studies, there is still a fear of toxins and chemicals amongst general consumers. These fears have created natural, DEET-free repellants that use fragrant plant oils to repel mosquitoes to varying results. (We’ve written about a few ourselves.) But the study proves that you don’t have to seek out these artisanal repellants on your next camping trip — you can just use the “fruity floral” scent of Victoria’s Secret Bombshell (the only downside is that it is $52). In July 2015, one commenter, Kris113, on Makeup Alley gave this review of the product: “The packaging is really cute but the perfume itself smells like bug repellent and citronella.” Turns out, you don’t need to be a scientist to smell the results.
Related:
Make Your Own All Natural Bug Repellent
Bug Spray: DEET vs. Natural Repellant
The Surprising Treatment That Cures Swollen, Itchy Mosquito Bites
