It’s a sad fact of nature: There are tons of creepy-crawlies that can spoil your time in the great outdoors. But, by arming yourself with the best bug sprays, you can dodge mosquito bites, prevent vector-borne illnesses like Lyme disease and West Nile virus, and actually enjoy your hike, park hangout, or barbecue.
There are sprays and lotions that can keep insects at bay—but also plenty of pretenders. To separate the products that really work from the ones full of empty promises, we spoke with experts to get a clearer idea of what makes a bug repellent truly effective and learn their top picks to bring on your next outing.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent, $11 $10
- Best DEET Formula: Cutter Backwoods Dry Insect Repellent, $7
- Best Lotion: Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent, $8
- Best for the Whole Family: Off FamilyCare Insect Repellent, $8 $6
- Best for Clothing and Gear: Ranger Ready Permethrin Spray, $19
In this article
Shop the best bug sprays
Below, check out the best mosquito and tick repellents, according to a dermatologist and an entomologist. Take them for a spin the next time you’re heading outside (and don’t forget to do a thorough tick check when you get back indoors!).
Best Overall: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent
Sawyer
Picaridin Insect Repellent
This Sawyer repellent won a SELF Outdoor Award in 2022. At the time, Zenovia Stephens, founder and CEO of Black Kids Adventures, told SELF it was her favorite bug spray for hikes and backpacking trips, adding that she used it on herself and her kids.
It also comes recommended by Brendan Camp, MD, FAAD, a dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York, because it’s quick-drying and won’t damage fabrics (so you can spritz a little onto your clothes or backpack, if you wish). Bonus: It’s fragrance-free and available in both a pump spray bottle and a continuous spray can.
Key ingredients: 20% picaridin
Best DEET Formula: Cutter Backwoods Dry Insect Repellent
Cutter
Backwoods Dry Insect Repellent
In addition to mosquitoes and ticks, this dry-to-the-touch, DEET-based spray from Cutter can repel gnats, fleas, no-see-ums, and biting flies. It’s formulated to hold up in sweaty, damp, and humid conditions, so you don’t have to worry about reapplying for up to 10 hours.
Also nice to have? The convenient locking mechanism on the can, which makes this spray easy to pack without risking a leak.
Key ingredients: 25% DEET
Best Lotion: Sawyer Controlled Release Insect Repellent
Sawyer
Controlled Release Insect Repellent
Here’s another one of Dr. Camp’s go-tos. It’s formulated to gradually release its active ingredient, DEET, onto your skin for an extended period of time. If you’re interested in more lotion-style options, Sawyer has a picaridin-based version too—Neeta Connally, PhD, a medical entomologist at Western Connecticut State University’s Tickborne Disease Prevention Lab, tells SELF that’s what she often uses in the field.
Key ingredients: 20% DEET
Best for the Whole Family: Off FamilyCare Insect Repellent
Off
FamilyCare Insect Repellent
DEET products often get a bad rap for their smell and oily texture, but Off’s FamilyCare formula is a major exception. “This bug spray is made with a powder-dry formula that leaves skin feeling smooth and dry, not greasy,” Dr. Camp says. That’s a major plus if you’re sharing your spray with kids, who might be less likely to reapply when they need to if it means feeling sticky and slimy.
Although Off’s FamilyCare line uses a slightly lower concentration of DEET than is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it’s acceptable for spending shorter periods of time outdoors and for children, according to the American Academy Pediatrics.
Key ingredients: 15% DEET
Best for Clothing and Gear: Ranger Ready Permethrin Spray
Ranger Ready
Permethrin Spray
Permethrin (not to be confused with picaridin) is a powerful insecticide that you shouldn’t use on your skin. But you can safely apply it to clothing, shoes, and gear like your backpack or sleeping bag (just don’t spray it onto anything you’re currently wearing).
Dr. Connally recommends using a permethrin-based spray for an additional degree of protection outdoors. She likes Ranger Ready’s products because they’re unscented and shouldn’t feel noticeable on your gear. This particular spray from the brand will last for up to five washes or 40 days of exposure.
Key ingredients: 0.5% permethrin
What should you look for in an effective bug spray?
For bug bite prevention, use products that contain active ingredients registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Connally says. She adds that you should be able to find a registration number on the product’s packaging.
The most common registered ingredients are DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR3535, and permethrin. They’re all considered effective, but each has its pluses and minuses. Here’s a little more info on them (and if you aren’t sure which is best for you, or what ingredients are in a specific product, check out the EPA’s helpful repellent finder).
Experts don’t fully know why DEET is such an effective ingredient against bugs. But their theory, per the EPA, that the ingredient makes it harder for mosquitoes and ticks to smell us—and if they can’t detect us, they can’t bite us.
Look for products that have concentrations of 20% to 30%. This will give you an idea of how long they’ll work: Sprays with 10% DEET will last for a couple hours, while ones with concentrations of 30% are intended for all-day use. Higher concentrations than that won’t be much more effective—and we should note that 30% is the maximum that’s considered safe for kids by the American Pediatrics Association.
If you want a DEET-free mosquito and tick repellent, picaridin is considered the best option. It’s a synthetic compound that mimics the properties of piperine, a compound naturally found in black pepper. When used in concentrations of at least 20%, it’s a reliable insect repellent that, in part, works by making it more difficult for bugs to detect humans.
This is another synthetic ingredient modeled off naturally occurring compounds. It has a similar potency to lower-concentration DEET repellents, but SELF has previously reported that its efficacy against ticks hasn’t been researched enough to use it as your only defense against them. Dr. Connally recommends using lemon eucalyptus insect repellents with caution, since they can cause rashes and skin irritation for some people.
This compound is considered effective against mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, and even body lice. However, it’s a little harder to find than other registered ingredients.
While it isn’t a registered ingredient for skin-applied repellents, permethrin is a useful insecticide when used on clothing and other fabrics. When it comes into contact with bugs, it can cause muscle spasms, paralysis, and death. You should look for sprays with concentrations of 0.5%, and you can search for specific permethrin-based products to see if they’re accepted by the EPA here.
Lots of repellent products also contain ingredients like cedar oil, peppermint, and citronella oil—but these aren’t registered with the EPA, meaning they haven’t been evaluated for their effectiveness. That doesn’t mean it’ll hurt to try them. However, they aren’t the most reliable options out there and could leave you vulnerable to bites.
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