Volunteers inserting their arms into a cage of mosquitoes were bitten in under three minutes despite wearing a trendy repellent bracelet that boasted up to 300 hours of protection per band. The Pestects Mosquito Repellent Bracelets, costing £19.99 for 12 bands, were one of the most expensive products tested by Which? but offered virtually no defence.
Alongside them, Meadows Organic Citronella Spray at £6 for 100ml – marketed as a natural alternative with unrefined oils like citronella, lemongrass and peppermint – also failed within minutes, leaving subjects “exposed and bitten almost instantly”, the watchdog reported.
“Which? finds £19.99 mosquito bracelets fail in minutes while £4 Asda spray protects for 9.5 hours.”
In contrast, Asda’s own-brand Extra Strength Insect Repellent spray, priced at just £4 for a 125ml bottle, provided total protection for an “impressive” nine-and-a-half hours, making it the cheapest top performer. Which? found several other products that kept volunteers entirely bite-free for the full 9.5-hour test, but none matched the Asda price.
Products containing DEET – including Jungle Formula Maximum Aerosol (£7.20), Boots Repel Maximum DEET & PMD Aerosol (£9.10), Pyramid Trek 50 (£9.50) and Lifesystems Expedition Max DEET Mosquito Repellent (£9.00) – were all “highly effective”. However, testers noted that application was not always smooth and some odours were unpleasant. DEET can also act as a strong solvent, melting plastics and synthetic fabrics, and may irritate sensitive skin.
But Which? found that harshness is not necessary for effectiveness. Autan Insect Repellent, costing £5.65 and containing 20% Picaridin, kept mosquitoes away for the full 9.5 hours. Incognito Insect Repellent Pump-Spray (£13.99), which uses plant-derived PMD instead of synthetic chemicals, protected volunteers for nine hours and is safe for babies from six months old.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Whether you’re heading abroad or just enjoying your own garden this summer, avoiding nature’s most blood-thirsty critters shouldn’t break the bank. Our tests reveal that some pricy, fashionable repellents can be a complete waste of money, offering less than three minutes of protection. Crucially, you don’t need to pay a premium to stay safe – a £4 supermarket spray outperformed products costing five times as much.”