Announcing the first-ever MADE SAFE® certified bug repellent just in time for those last summer outdoor adventures: Kosmatology Bug Repellent Balm.
According to our new report, Bug Repellent: What’s In It, common active ingredients in conventional insect repellents are linked to human health and environmental harm:
- DEET: Linked to skin irritation, neurotoxicity and shown to cross the placenta. Shows up in groundwater, surface water and drinking water.
- Cyfluthrin: Linked to neurotoxicity and harmful to aquatic invertebrates, fish and honeybees.
- Permethrin: Linked to neurotoxicity and harmful to aquatic invertebrates, fish and honeybees.
- Pyrethroids: A class of chemicals linked to neurotoxicity; some have been linked to endocrine disruption; some have been classified as possible carcinogens.
Kosmatology Bug Repellent Balm is certified made with safe ingredients
, which means it doesn’t contain registered pesticides or insecticides like those mentioned above. Instead, it’s made with a mixture of herbs, coconut oil, and essential oils that have been shown in efficacy studies to have natural insect repellent properties, including thyme, lavender, and lemon.
Learn more about Chemicals of Concern in bug repellent and see more Alternatives & Tips.
*MADE SAFE does not test for efficacy. We examine ingredients for human health and environmental harm and we don’t permit high risk pesticides. This means that approved products are taking a natural approach to bug repellent. This may work for casual settings to diminish bites, but it cannot prevent diseases.
With the rise of Zika virus and concern for other mosquito- and tick-borne diseases, we recognize there is a time and place for the use of bug repellent products that would not pass our screening process. We urge people to become informed and stay on top of advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).