Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a biochemist, I don't leave my repellents to chance. I insist on reading some of the peer-reviewed scientific studies before switching away from DEET repellents. Some papers on Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, aka OLE or PMD (the synthesized version) caught my attention which made me read further. I looked for information through the Center for Disease Control ([...]) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Both sites indicate that OLE is indeed tested and effective, albeit not equivalent (hourly) to >30% DEET. I found that the EPA also evaluates repellent data for safety and hourly effectiveness for brand name products including 30/40% Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus; this can be viewed at [...] . Armed with this information, I decided to take OLE on a trip to an island (with swamps) in Belize. We *loved* this product. Although 30% DEET was more powerful as a repellent when we were walking directly next to the swamps, the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus product was plenty effective and so much more pleasant when we were in more usual mosquito (and sand flea) territory back at our base camp. We particularly preferred using it at bedtime in our cabins, since we were not sleeping in a tight, air conditioned room. Lemon Eucalyptus is also a more pleasant product to use on the face, neck, and scalp (avoid the eyes) than DEET. Before the end of our trip, we had finished the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus oil and wished we had brought more. I will take *many* bottles of REPEL 30/40% Lemon Eucalyptus oil and also some DEET on my trip to Madagascar next month. If you decide to purchase OLE, make sure you are NOT buying lemongrass oil or essential oils of lemon eucalyptus, as these are mixtures of oils as they come straight from the plant, and the percentage of OLE (PMD) may not be high enough to be effective. I highly recommend the REPEL product.