The stuff above makes use of Cedar Oil. That is why it smells like Cedar Oil. Some of the "natural" products may repel even kill some insects at times or for a short period of time. All the research shows the "natural" products lack stability or consistent protection from a wide range of biting insects. Using my own words from a different industry. Results may vary. Most of us on a BVI trip are exposed for hours at a time and even 24/7.
Here are some real words from the World Health Organisation WHO.
Repellents containing only essential oils in the absence of an active ingredient such as DEET should not be recommended as repellents for use in disease endemic areas, and those containing high levels of essential oils could cause skin irritation, especially in the presence of sunlight.
There is growing research that shows Picaridin (also known as icaridin, Bayrepel, Saltadine, and KBR 3023) can works as well as DEET Picaridin was developed by the German chemical company Bayer in the 1980s and used worldwide since 1998.
Whether you use DEET or the newer Picaridin to repel mosquitos the concentration must be high enough and you must reaply just like sunscreen early and often and everytime you get wet. Most do not use enough repellent and do not apply the repellent often enough to be effective.
