Are you a mosquito magnet? If yes, then there is a possibility that it’s not you but your choice of soap that is appealing to mosquitoes.
Published in the journal iScience, the study involved five human volunteers, four brands of soap and a mosquito species, noted The Atlantic.
Lathering up with soap might seem a reasonable mosquito-evasion strategy on the basis that they can’t smell you; they can’t bite you. Soapy fragrances could make you a more attractive target with mosquitoes favouring the scent of volunteers who washed with three out of four popular soap brands tested. The scientists behind the research said mosquitoes may be attracted to soap because, when they are not feeding on blood, they supplement their sugar intake with plant nectars.
Findings of the attractiveness of mosquitoes towards the human body
However, the study also noted that the effects of soaps differed somewhat between people, possibly due to interactions between the soaps and each person’s unique odour profile. They examined the odour profiles of their volunteers after washing with one of the four different brands of soaps- Dial,
Dove, Native and Simple Truth. Fabric samples that had absorbed each human’s scent were used for the trial instead of exposing the volunteers to the female Aedes aegypti. It’s well known that microbial composition on the skin plays a key role in the production of human body odour. The soaps tested in the study are presumably having a dual effect of altering skin microbiota as well as the attractant or repellent chemicals in the specific soaps tested.
How to repel mosquitoes?
Another important finding was that a coconut and vanilla-scented body wash by Native seemed to repel mosquitoes. This could be because of the coconut smell, as scientists believe coconut oils are a natural deterrent for mosquitoes. It must be noted that all soaps used in the experiment contain limonene, which is known to repel mosquitoes.
In addition, wearing dark clothing can also keep mosquitoes at bay.
