I Tried Every Dermatologist-Recommended Bug Spray. This Is the Best One.

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I constantly get attacked by bugs. Everyone says this, but I actually mean it because I have a blood type that insects love (type O), so I want the best mosquito repellent on the market. I didn’t just look online and read reviews; I also spoke with an expert, entomologist Abby Lehner, to get her hot take on the best mosquito repellent that can save my skin this summer.

Lehner, who is better known as Entomology Abby on TikTok, says, “Mosquitoes are repelled by a variety of scents like those found in repellents (lemon eucalyptus oil, permethrin, DEET, and picaridin) as well as smoke.” The last option is free if you’re a campfire person, but that may not be the best way to prevent bites on the go because, sadly, campfires aren’t exactly portable. So until such a thing is available (and not as dangerous as it may seem), we’ll stick to sprays, mists, lotions, and candles to keep the bugs at bay. “While DEET is the most well-known active ingredient in bug sprays, it may not be the best fit for everyone,” Lehner explains. If you’re unfamiliar with DEET, it’s the main event in most drugstore brands and is often the most effective, but it’s an artificial chemical that has been known to cause severe skin reactions and, in rare cases, neurological issues.

Personally, I’ve been using DEET products since my childhood camp days in rural Maine with no harmful reactions, but to each their own. So if you’re on the hunt for an effective bug spray just in time for mosquito season (summer), you’ve come to the right place. As someone who doesn’t want to spend my free time scratching myself into misery, I tested every single product, so you can trust that this list is the real deal. Lehner also offers a few of her top picks.

Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Insect Mist

My personal favorite insect repellent is the Murphy’s Naturals lemon eucalyptus oil mist," Lehner suggests. "DEET should not be applied more than once a day, whereas non-DEET repellents can typically be re-applied as needed." So if you're going to be reapplying your bug spray throughout the day, you may want to stick to an all-natural one that doesn't have any DEET. The best part? It has a nice (albeit strong) smell. If you had to guess what it smells like without knowing the name, you would absolutely name lemon and eucalyptus. For anyone worried about DEET, you'll like this one. "Non-DEET based repellents may help encourage more people to protect themselves from mosquitoes and ticks," Lehner adds.

Active Ingredients: Lemon, eucalyptus, distilled water, and ethanol

DEET: 0 percent

Effectiveness: 4/5

Citronelle Lemongrass Candle

I got this candle out of curiosity because when I think of Diptyque, I generally don't think of mosquito repellents, but I was shocked to see this candle actually worked! It smells more like lemon than citronella, but there is enough of the latter ingredient to keep the mosquitos away. I used it on a balmy night in New York on an outdoor terrace, and, after a few hours, took a look in the mirror expecting to find at least a few bites. There were none! Not a single bite.

Active Ingredients: Lemon and citronella

DEET: 0 percent

Effectiveness: 3/5

Golden Hour DEET-Free Repellent

The active ingredients in this beautifully-designed spray bottle are citronella, lemongrass, and clove oils, all of which are scents that mosquitos hate. I was curious about this one because it seems a bit too good to be true, so I put it to the test under the most intense conditions: sunset on the water in Florida. Anyone prone to mosquito bites can attest that being on the water as the sun sets is like a free-for-all for flying bugs. Full disclosure: The mist wasn't perfect. I did go back inside about an hour later with a few bites on my arms, but I'm sure I would have had so many more without this beautiful repellent. So, my final verdict: This is not the best mosquito repellent I've ever tried, but it does deserve a spot on the list for specific occasions. If I'm going out to dinner and will be seated outside, I'd throw this in my purse and give my exposed skin a spritz. If I'm going to be sitting on the edge of a lake as the sun goes down in the Caribbean, I'd probably skip it and go for something a bit stronger.

Active Ingredients: Citronella, lemongrass, and clove oils

DEET: 0 percent

Effectiveness: 3/5

On-Body Mosquito and Tick Repellent

I had no idea Zevo made a bug spray because I've only ever known the brand for its extremely effective plug-in flying insect trap that zaps any bug that gets near it. If you can't tell, I have this in every electrical outlet in my apartment, and I love it. So I had high hopes for the spray. In terms of a good bug spray, this works. I sprayed it all over my arms and legs for another evening out in Florida, and I had only one or two in places I missed with the spray. That said, it's marketed as odorless, which I didn't find to be true. It has a very light scent, but it's definitely noticeable. It smells more like a cleaning product than it does a traditional bug spray, though, so it's not necessarily bad. It's definitely not sticky, so the bottle is right about that. In terms of the eight-hour protection, I can't attest to that (yet) because my evening lasted only two or so hours.

Active Ingredients: Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535)

DEET: 0 percent

Effectiveness: 4.5/5

FamilyCare Insect & Mosquito Repellent Spritz

This bug spray does, in fact, have DEET, which I am okay with. Back when DEET was the only option, I used this all the time and have had no adverse side effects, so I am happy to report that this really does work. That said, based on other people's fear of DEET, I don't think I'd use this everyday. Instead, I'd use it only when I know I'm going to be in a mosquito-heavy setting, like a camping trip or a barbecue. I used it over Memorial Day Weekend on a hike in Maryland, and I loved it. It leaves a bit of a sticky residue on the skin, but it's not marketed as a moisturize or skincare product, so that didn't necessarily bother me. I just wanted something that worked, and this did.

Active Ingredients: DEET

DEET: 7 percent

Effectiveness: 5/5

Insect Repellent

Back to the DEET-free stuff: This Public Goods spray comes in beautiful packaging and is made with lemongrass essential oil, water, glycerin, castor oil, vanilla, lecithin, and vitamin E—all ingredients you can pronounce and are likely at least somewhat familiar with, which is comforting, right? I would put this in the same school as the Kinfield one because it's pretty, it smells nice, and it's all-natural, but it's not the mosquito repellent you'd want to bring on a camping trip. It works well enough to earn a spot on the list, but it's not going to save you from all mosquitos.

Active Ingredients: lemongrass essential oil

DEET: none

Effectiveness: 3.5/5

Deep Woods Insect Repellent

Anyone born in the 20th century is definitely familiar with this OFF! product. It's like the OG bug spray. In fact, it was one of the brand's first releases back in 1957 and has sold pretty consistently since then. Yes, it has DEET, and yes, it really works. The big difference between OFF! spray and the one higher up in our list is the amount of DEET: The earlier one contains 7 percent DEET and this one contains 25 percent DEET, so break this out only when you desperately need it. This is not a product you'd want to casually spray during an alfresco dinner for an hour or two. It's sticky and smells absolutely putrid—especially when you first spray it. Here's why we included it, though: It works. The only reason I have this is because I wanted something on hand for times when I really need it. Because it's basically failproof at its job, it doesn't really bother me that it smells bad or feels sticky. As soon as you wash it off, your skin feels and smells normal, so it's definitely worth it.

Active Ingredients: DEET

DEET: 25 percent

Effectiveness: 5/5

How We Tested

House Beautiful associate shopping editor Jessica Cherner consulted an entomologist to help her curate a list of the best mosquito repellents and bug sprays. After the list was finalized, Cherner tried every single product on her own skin in mosquito-infested conditions: Florida at sunset, New York City at night, and Maryland in the woods. Cherner used the repellents, headed outside, and stayed there for at least two hours.

Why Is DEET Bad?

DEET isn't actually bad. Yes, some people have had skin reactions or neurological issues that are potentially linked to DEET products, but it's not like nicotine, whose negative and sometimes carcinogenic effects have been proven in various studies. DEET gets a bad rap because of the few people who have had bad reactions, but that's a possibility with any manufactured chemical. Luckily, the EPA has ruled DEET completely safe in certain products and for specific uses.

Why Trust Us?

Not only did our associate shopping editor actually try and test each of the products on our list herself, but the list was partially curated by Abby Lehner, a professional entomologist. Each product on our list is one that we personally recommend for specific outings and occasions, so you can trust that these are worth it.

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