Insect repellent guidelines | Health

The CDC has reaffirmed its recommendation for DEET, calling it a highly effective repellent option.  The CDC has also recommended two new products as mosquito repellents, picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.  Picaridin is the ingredient used in Cutter Advanced Insect Repellent and oil of lemon eucalyptus is a natural ingredient found in various lotions and sprays.  Both Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus provide protection for 1-2 hours.  

The current CDC and AAP recommendation for children over 2 months of age is to use 10 - 30 percent DEET.  DEET should not be used on children under 2 months of age.

The concentration of DEET in products may range from less than 10 percent to over 30 percent. Ten percent DEET only protects for about 2 hours - 30% for 5 hours - choose the lowest concentration of DEET that will provide required length of coverage.  The concentration of DEET varies significantly from product to product, so read the label of any product you purchase.

Only apply insect repellent once per day.   
Spraying the repellent onto the clothes rather than skin is safer.  Do not use repellents under clothing.
Do not apply repellent to face and hands.  When using sprays, do not spray directly on face-spray on hands first and then apply to face.
Do not allow children to handle the product. When using on children, apply to your own hands first and then put it on the child. You may not want to apply to children's hands.
After coming indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water or bathe. This is particularly important when repellents are used repeatedly in a day or on consecutive days. Also, wash treated clothing before wearing it again. (This precaution may vary with different repellents-check the product label.)
Never use repellents over cuts, wounds or irritated skin