Lotion vs. Spray Bug Repellent: Which Is Better?
The short answer
- The active ingredient and its strength decide how well a repellent works. The format decides how well you apply it.
- A lotion goes exactly where you put it: even coverage, face and neck included, nothing drifting off in the wind.
- Sprays are faster over big areas, but the official advice for faces and kids ends the same way every time: spray it into your hands and rub it on.
We asked one question when we started Notch: what if bug repellent felt like skincare? The answer to that question was never going to be a spray. Here’s why we chose a lotion, and when a spray still makes sense.
Does the format change how well it works?
Not on its own. What keeps mosquitoes and ticks away is the active ingredient and how much of it is on your skin. In lab tests that compared sprays and lotions made with the same active at the same strength, both formats protected well.1
The difference shows up in real life. A repellent only protects the skin it actually covers, and the EPA’s guidance comes back to that again and again: cover exposed skin, use the right amount, follow the label.2 That’s much easier with some formats than others.
| Lotion | Spray | |
|---|---|---|
| Even coverage | You can see and feel where it’s gone | Easy to miss ankles, hairline, backs of legs |
| Wind and drift | Goes on your skin and nowhere else | Some drifts away before it lands |
| Face and neck | Apply directly | Never spray at your face; spray into hands first2 |
| Kids | Already in your hands | Spray into your hands first2,3 |
| Feel | Rubs in like skincare | Mist you’re told not to breathe2 |
| Large areas | A minute slower | Fast; some are made for clothing and gear |
| Reapplication | Set by the active and how much you apply, not the format. Follow the label. | |
Notice how often the advice for sprays ends with “put it in your hands and rub it on.” At that point you’re using it like a lotion anyway, minus the mist.
Why we made Notch a lotion
Plant-based actives like geraniol are volatile; they evaporate. A review of plant-based repellents found that the formulation, including bases and ingredients that slow evaporation, can extend how long they keep working.4 A lotion base gives a formulator far more to work with than a thin spray. For a botanical repellent, the base isn’t packaging. It’s part of the formula.
So Nourish + Defend Botanical Insect Repellent is a lotion with 5% geraniol, one of the best-studied plant-based repellent ingredients. The base pairs glycerin, which helps keep skin hydrated, with a lightweight emollient and bentonite clay, so it rubs in smoothly without feeling greasy. You can see where it’s gone, you can put it on your face, and it feels good enough that you’ll actually reach for it, whether that’s a night on the patio or a walk around the block.
How geraniol works and why we chose it
Putting it on
-
A thin, even layer
Squeeze enough into your palm to cover all exposed skin, with extra attention to ankles, wrists, the back of your neck and behind your ears.
-
Sunscreen first, repellent second
Keep it away from eyes, mouth, cuts and irritated skin, and don’t apply it under clothing.2,3
-
Reapply as the label directs
For Notch, that’s every hour, and sooner if you’ve been swimming or sweating.
References
- Carroll JF, et al. Formulations of DEET, picaridin, and IR3535 applied to skin repel nymphs of the lone star tick for 12 hours. Journal of Medical Entomology, 2010.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Using insect repellents safely and effectively.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing mosquito bites.
- Maia MF, Moore SJ. Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing. Malaria Journal, 2011.
