Hello, hello — it’s a new day, and new discoveries abound on the Internet. Instagram is rife with visuals of influencers drowning their bodies in one of Victoria’s Secret perfumes — claiming that the elixir is endowed with the ability to not just enrich you with a floral-fruit scent but repel mosquitoes. WHAT? But…still believable. Because scientists did make this mind-boggling discovery a couple of years ago. We’re talking about V.S’ Bombshell. Read on to uncover the discovery — because if this perfume can repel mosquitoes while making me smell divine, you know I’m so onboard.
Bizarre Discovery Positioning Mosquito Sprays As Glittery & Glamorous
But Don’t Mosquitoes Like Floral Scents?
Yup — studies have attested to the mosquito-repelling abilities of Bombshell — stating that the perfume can repel these insects for about two hours. But what is it that lends this characteristic to the perfume? It’s not clear. Because there’s a consensus that floral-scented formulas or perfumes attract mosquitoes instead of repelling them. So — how does a perfume, composed of floral and fruity notes, even start to repel bugs? No one knows yet. But it did, and it repelled two species of mosquitoes. So….perfumes can repel insects, now?
Don’t Give Up On Traditional Mosquito Repellants
These findings do not discount the fact that DEET-containing repellants are much more effective at keeping them away, but it does prove that Bombshell is more potent than organic/botanical mosquito repellants as well as commercial skin patches in the U.S market. This was proved in a 2015 study where scientists were testing the effectiveness of repellants, and perfumes including V.S’ Bombshell were thrown into the line-up at random.
Opinions Are Conflicting. You Decide.
But the experiment that cemented Bombshell as a repellant did employ higher concentrations of the formula in the study. Perfume or repellant was sprayed on one of the subject’s hands, and the other hand was left unprotected. Mosquitoes were placed in a Y-shaped tube, and one hand was placed at each prong. If the mosquitoes moved toward the sprayed hand, it indicated an attraction to the scent; but most, in this case, were repelled by the perfume.
Remember that normal concentration under several other circumstances that differ from the lab experiments might not deliver the same results. While many experts don’t advocate the substitution of convention bug-repellants with Victoria’s Secret, TikTokers have put the claim to the test, and doused themselves in the perfume before stepping out. Many were surprised when they felt the elixir working its charm. It’s possible that the perfume was just masking the natural scent of the body, and preventing the insects from seeing said individual as a host.
Amber Romance — You Too?
Now — some reports even say that Amber Romance, another one of V.S’ perfumes, exhibits the same powers; but not much research has been done to prove that. Both perfumes contain notes of vanilla, and some studies have touted vanilla as an insect-repellant (for short periods of time).
The verdict is that V.S cannot really compare to a traditional, DEET-containing repellant; and it’s not economical either. But you can always put it to the test if it intrigues you.
Featured Image: Instagram