5 Best Insect Repellents of 2025, Lab-Tested and Reviewed

Fourteen of our 22 recommended insect repellents use deet as their active ingredient. Three are made with 20 percent picaridin, one is made with 10 percent picaridin, and four contain 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE).

Most plant-oil-based products we’ve tested—including several containing citronella oil, peppermint oil, soybean oil, or others—have performed poorly.

OLE, although it occurs naturally in the lemon eucalyptus plant, is not an essential oil. It’s refined and concentrated (or sometimes synthesized chemically) for use in commercial bug repellents. However, some OLE products should not be used on children under the age of 3, as more safety research is needed—make sure to check product labels to be sure a product is safe for all ages if applying to younger children.

Our testing suggests that when it comes to effectiveness, what matters most is the type and concentration of active ingredient in the repellent.

For example, all deet products we’ve tested that contain 25 to 30 percent score very well in our ratings. Two 15 percent deet repellents are also strong performers, though two others with that same concentration earn unimpressive scores.

And with deet products, an effective repellent can come in many forms. For example, three wipes made our recommended list. One lotion didn’t score high enough to earn our recommendation but still performed satisfactorily.

Overall, about 3 out of every 4 deet-based repellents that we’ve tested have earned our recommendation. That’s not too surprising, because deet has a long track record as an effective bug repellent and is even often used as the standard by which scientists test the efficacy of other types of repellents.

The picture gets a bit murkier when it comes to other active ingredients. We’ve found some sprays that use the active ingredients picaridin or OLE that perform well, and others that don’t. And in a few instances, we’ve found that products containing 20 percent picaridin score well as a spray but not in another form, such as a wipe or lotion. “At the very least, we’re seeing OLE and picaridin fall short of deet,” Regan says.

Still, if you want to avoid deet, 20 percent picaridin or 30 percent OLE are your best bets. More importantly, in our testing, all of the so-called natural repellents—products whose active ingredients are essential oils—earn dismal scores.

Keep in mind that the safety of deet has been extensively researched by the EPA. When it’s used according to the directions on the label, it should not be harmful. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rare problems with rashes or skin irritation from deet usually arise from using too much or too high a concentration. Consumer Reports doesn’t test products with more than 30 percent deet for this reason—and our tests show it’s not necessary to expose yourself to higher concentrations in order to get top-notch protection. (Read our previous article comparing active ingredients in different insect repellents.)