A very interesting article, from Medical News Today, reports a new chemical compound to appear more long-lasting than DEET (most commonly used and considered the best insect repellent).
The new compound, developed by researchers at the University of Florida and the USDA (US Department of Agriculture), called “N-acylpiperidines” has an active ingredient related to pepper.
The potential breakthrough involving this chemical has to do with length of protection time. DEET traditionally protects for approximately 17 days, while N-acylpiperidine protects for up to 73 days, as reported by the article. However, the testing still needs to be completed in “real-world” scenarios and involving application directly to human skin. Still, a very exciting idea!
Another good article can be found here:
http://www.globalhealthreporting.org/article.asp?DR_ID=52352
Check out my page on Malaria for more info on what you are protecting against!
Another post about DEET safety in Pregnancy, from this blog.