Victoria’s Secret perfume a pretty good mosquito repellent
Friday, November 13, 2015
Nearly half of the world population is at risk of contracting malaria—a debilitating disease that killed 438,000 people in 2015 alone. The World Health Organization has handed out mosquito nets, spearheaded the development of a vaccine, and broadened the access to antibiotics.
Maybe they should also consider Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume.
In a study published in the Journal of Insect Science, researchers from New Mexico State University tested out 10 different substances—including two perfumes—to find the most effective mosquito repellents. They put two different species of mosquitoes in Y-shaped tubes. One end of the tube led to a researcher’s bare hand, the other end had been coated with a substance. Researchers looked at which end the mosquitoes were drawn to. They also looked at how long the mosquitos were repelled for.
While other studies have shown that floral scents actually attract mosquitos, the opposite was found to be true for Victoria’s Secret Bombshell as a seemingly accidental result of this experiment. The fragrance turned out to be almost as effective as the widely used insect repellent DEET; it repelled mosquitos for 120 minutes. Overall, DEET was found to be the most effective form of repellent.
Source: Quartz (link opens in a new window)
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