The best safe bug spray for the whole family

You’ve likely heard rumors and conflicting information about the safety and effectiveness of different bug spray chemicals. And if you’re like me, you just want to know the safest option that will still actually work! And it’s especially important to find the best choices for babies, children, and pregnant mothers.

The CDC, EWG, and medical professionals generally urge caution when exposing young children and pregnant women to chemicals. But when there’s a chance of exposure to West Nile virus or Zika, then they recommend DEET as preferable to the irreversible damage those viruses can cause to young children or an unborn child.

I’ve heard things for years about DEET being “unsafe” but I really didn’t know why. I just knew to steer clear. But when EWG stands behind it as low-toxicity, I knew I had to dive into this deeper to figure out what the concerns really were.

As an advocate of toxin-free living for mental, endocrine, reproductive health for women and children, I encourage everyone—whether you are in an area that is high or low risk for West Nile virus or Zika—to experiment with alternatives we’ll discuss below. And if if you are in a low-risk area, then there are legions of natural botanical options that can work wonders for many.

Buzzing to learn more? Then read on! (And check out my list of safer bug sprays on Amazon!)

Problems with DEET

Any Google search for the safety of DEET will likely turn up a pattern of statements along the lines of “there were concerns about it, but the danger of Zika and West Nile overshadows those.” It almost seems as though general media coverage has come to a consensus on this.

But if you want to know the “why” behind the concerns, it’s that DEET is a neurotoxin, so much so that it’s even banned in Europe. But trying to find this information about its neurotoxicity is laborious and almost impossible. I did find a recent peer-reviewed study after an hour of online sleuthing that explains the concerns as a neurotoxin.

DEET continues to be promoted as the gold standard of mosquito-borne disease prevention in the United States despite unresolved continued concerns about it’s safety, reports of harm from its use, and the availability of at least one chemical alternative shown to have greater efficacy than DEET with no reports of adverse effects.

Here are the issues with DEET:

• DEET is a neurotoxin.
• DEET was associated with seizures in children.
• Older studies have also associated it with brain toxicity in children.
• DEET may prevent the normal breakdown of acetylcholine, a nervous system chemical that triggers movement and muscle activity.
• After 6 hours, 9%–56% of the DEET dose applied can appear in blood circulation.
• The chemical crosses the placenta.
• There’s also been some concern that DEET mixed with sunscreen or other insecticides could promote health issues that haven’t turned-up in DEET-only research.

In 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) granted approval to two healthier alternatives to DEET—picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus—for protection from mosquitoes. So why the problems with DEET continue to be ignored when there are incredible alternatives without these problems, I do not know. But when you know better, you do better.

Picaridin, the safer chemical alternative

Picaridin was developed in the 1980s by German scientists at Bayer looking for safer alternative to DEET. It was finally available for sale in the US in 2005. It has very low inhalation toxicity, is not known to irritate skin, less likely to trigger allergies, and does not have a pungent odor like DEET. It evaporates from the skin more slowly than DEET or IR3535, and may repel bugs for longer periods.

An April 2016 study, published in the journal Clinical Toxicology, focusing on National Poison Data System data, found almost no instances of toxic effects stemming from exposure to Picaridin over a 15-year period. The EPA says that picaridin has not induced developmental problems in the offspring of animals exposed to it and that the chemical harmed young animals only when their mothers had been exposed to doses so high they were toxic. Exposures to DEET, meanwhile, led to over 52,000 issues in the same period.

Picaridin has not raised as many concerns about neurotoxicity as DEET, but it has also not undergone as much testing. EWG’s assessment is that it is a good alternative, with many of the same advantages and without the disadvantages of DEET.

In a 2018 NPR article, Dr. Dan Strickman, with the Global Health Program said that, “Picaridin is a little more effective than DEET and seems to keep mosquitoes at a greater distance,” he says. When people use DEET, mosquitoes may land on them but not bite. When they use a product containing picaridin, mosquitoes are less likely to even land.

In my opinion, Picaridin is the most effective and lowest-risk non-botanical bug spray ingredient for the entire family from from older babies (6+ months), pregnant women, and everyone else.

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Oil of lemon eucalyptus (also known as p-menthane-3,8-diol, or PMD) is derived from the leaves of lemon eucalyptus trees and chemically synthesized. Oil of lemon eucalyptus extract spray is not the same as the essential oil lemon eucalyptus essential, the latter which is not shown to be an effective bug repellant. 

This ingredient has become increasingly popular and it has showed excellent results in a 2015 study that compared its effectiveness to DEET. NMSU researchers found that a product containing oil of lemon eucalyptus was about as effective and long-lasting at higher concentrations as products containing DEET.

The advantage of Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is that it’s a plant-based bug spray that actually works in fending off mosquitoes. However, at lower concentrations such as 10% the protection only lasts about 2 hours. The US Food and Drug Administration has recommended that PMD not be used in children younger than 3 years and EWG recommends avoiding when pregnant also because of skin irritations. I do like the products I’ve used containing it but it has a stronger smell and can have a greasier feel on the skin.

Other natural alternatives

There are many botanical oils that have been shown to be effective against mosquitos. If bug-borne disease is not a concern in your area, they are definitely worth trying. For some quick playtime out in the backyard, many parents prefer using natural bug sprays for young children especially.

You must test botanical bug sprays in small patches before extended use. They can contain highly concentrated skin irritants and allergens. The effectiveness of different oils varies widely – experiment to find out what works best for you and your family.

Botanical oils used as bug repellents include the following (in no particular order):

• Lemongrass
• Cedar
• Lavender 
• Peppermint
• Geranium 
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Soybean
• Catnip
• Citronella

There are a huge amount of DIY recipes using combinations of these oils and products available for sale. I’ve linked a few that I really like in my Amazon store!

Usage reminders

Babies and Young Children

What to avoid

• Do not use bug repellents on babies under 6 months old.
• Do not use Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (PMD) on children under 3 years old.
• In my opinion, avoid the neurotoxins in DEET.

What to use

• Use physical barriers such as long sleeves and pants, fine mesh bug netting over baby carriers, and use clip-on fans with foam blades on car seats or strollers.
• Wash hands after applying repellent and wash or use wet wipes on repellent-coated skin at the end of the day.
• Use alternatives such as Picaridin or botanical blends if no allergies or skin irritations exist.

Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers

What to avoid

• Avoid Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus due to possible skin irritations
• Avoid daily use of DEET (or any use of DEET in my opinion)
• Do not use products containing allethrin (a pyrethroid), the active ingredient used in ThermaCELL and clip-on electronic bug repellant products. Studies have shown that these products should not be used for those trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy or during postnatal development.

What to use

• Fans, protective clothing, and screened-in areas are your best defense against mosquitos.
• Consider using picaridin at a 5 to 10 percent concentration if not in bug-borne disease areas, higher concentrations if there’s a disease risk.
• Botanical bug sprays after you’ve tested for skin allergies.
• Wash hands after applying repellent and wash repellent-coated skin at the end of the day.

I hope this has been helpful for your search for safe and effective bug sprays this summer. And to make that easier, don’t forget to check out my list of safer bug sprays on Amazon!

Whats your family’s go-to bug repellant? Any suggestions I should add to my list?