Recognized by regulatory authorities around the world as effective at repelling mosquitoes, DEET is among the most widely-used active ingredients in personal repellents. DEET was developed in 1946 by the United States Department of Agriculture, and introduced for consumer use in 1957. It is approved for direct application to the skin when used according to label instructions.

Here is what the ERC scientists want you to know about personal repellents — the first line of defense against mosquitoes.

DEET is the active ingredient in a number of insect repellents including OFF!® products. OFF!® personal repellents are developed at the SC Johnson Entomology Research Center (ERC), in Racine, Wisconsin, the U.S. —  the world’s largest privately-owned, urban entomology research center. For 60 years, researchers there have developed products and solutions consumers can trust to protect them from household pests, including mosquitoes.

Here is what the ERC scientists want you to know about personal repellents — the first line of defense against mosquitoes:

 

Protect Your Children:

Do not allow children to handle repellents. Apply personal repellent on your own hands before putting it on a child.

 

Protect Yourself:

Mosquitoes don’t just bite at dawn and dusk. Apply repellents across all exposed body parts to get the most out of outdoor activities.

 

Have Fun in the Sun:

When using sunscreen, put it on first and then apply personal repellent.

 

Mind the Active Ingredient Concentration:

Different concentrations of the active ingredient relate to duration of the product, not to its repellency effect.  For longer protection choose a personal repellent with higher concentration of active ingredient.

 

Mind Contact with Water:

Reapply personal repellent following contact with water
or excessive sweating.