HWN Suggests

Tough on Insects. Gentle on You

Are you looking for an alternative to DEET – something that is highly effective but also gentle on the skin? The solution is IR3535®. The IR3535® molecule was inspired by a naturally occurring amino acid, making it safe and effective for humans, animals and the environment. That’s why IR3535® repellents boast an excellent safety record, allowing for insect repellent formulations that can be safely used by all, including infants and pregnant women. IR3535® has not been known to trigger skin redness. And it won’t cause itchiness or dry out your skin.

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Articles of Interest

Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard Review

I am always on the look out for newer and better products in these regards, so the offer to test Avon’s new line was a no-brainer. First let me introduce the products [cause honestly there are quite a few… Bug Guard Plus IR3535® SPF 30 Lotions... Repel mosquitoes, deer ticks, black flies, sand flies, gnats, no-seeums and biting midges. Aloe and Vitamin E-enriched formulas are available as a Gentle Breeze Lotion and Cool ‘n Fabulous Disappearing Color Lotion.

IR3535 - Fact Sheet

IR3535, short for Insect Repellent 3535, is a synthetic insect repellent originally developed in the 1980's by Merck, which holds a trademark on the name. Despite its imposing chemical name of Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate aka Ethyl N-acetyl-N-butyl-ß-alaninate, IR3535 is just a synthetic amino acid which messes with an insect's sense of smell. It is structurally similar to the natural substance β-alanine - a beta amino acid which is, among other things, a component of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). It has been used in Europe for over 30 years, where it has established an excellent safety record. The French Ministry of Health recommended it for for use by pregnant women and children during a recent Chikungunya outbreak, and it is one of the only four repellents recommended by the CDC for protection against mosquitoes carrying Zika Virus.

Prolonged Efficacy of IR3535 Repellents Against Mosquitoes and Blacklegged Ticks in North America

The three IR3535 formulations provided unusually long-duration protection against mosquitoes and blacklegged ticks, even at comparatively low doses. Although I did not directly compare IR3535 to other active ingredients, the CPTs were close to those of the most effective DEET and Picaridin formulations against mosquitoes and potentially exceeded them against blacklegged ticks.

Resources

IR3535®

IR3535® repellent wasn’t just made for nature, it was inspired by it! In a claim approved by the EPA: “IR3535® is inspired from a naturally occurring amino acid” ß-alanine, which enables the repellent ingredient to boast a fantastic safety record.

Purple Turtle

Generally, it works well with all the insects that are trying to find you so that they can bite you and feed off you – mosquitoes, midges, sand flies, biting flies and fleas, etc. It also works reasonably well with ticks and chiggers, but it doesn’t work with spiders and stinging insects – bees, wasps and hornets, etc. Fortunately though these insects don’t usually come looking for you to deliberately sting you, so the best strategy with stinging insects is to try and keep out of their way.