Mosquitoes can sniff you out based on your choice of soap, small US study finds
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The scientists who conducted this study said coconut-scented soaps were best at repelling mosquitoes.
PHOTO: AFP
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Depending on what kind of soap you use, you can either attract or repel mosquitoes, according to a new US study.
It said that mosquitoes seem to be put off by coconut-scented soaps, while soaps that are more citrusy and fruity tend to attract them.
The scientists behind the research said the reason for this could be that mosquitoes feed on nectar to supplement their sugar intake when they are not feeding on blood.
Applying flowery and fruity scents on our bodies blurs the lines between humans and plants for mosquitoes, according to Dr Clément Vinauger, who led the work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He said mosquitoes have a “single resource that smells like both”.
This latest study was published in the journal iScience on Wednesday.
It involved four volunteers who used four brands of soap – Dial, Dove, Native and Simple Truth. These are brands that are popular and available in the United States.
The participants washed one arm with a particular soap before wearing sleeves on both arms for an hour. Fabric was used to exclude the effects of exhaled carbon dioxide, which is another cue for mosquitoes. The sleeves were then exposed to the insects in a lab and researchers observed how many landed on each.
In some of the volunteers, researchers found that the mosquitoes became more attracted to their scent after they had used Dove, Dial and Simple Truth soaps.
The only consistency was observed with the Native brand of soap, which repelled the mosquitoes.
The researchers also identified potential chemicals in these soaps that may have been responsible for either attracting or repelling the insects.
What they discovered was that a coconut-scented chemical appeared to be most effective in keeping mosquitoes away, and this was only found in the Native brand of soap.
Previous studies have said a person’s smell can be more or less attractive to mosquitoes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
However, research is scant on how smells and fragrances we apply to our bodies impact our level of attractiveness to mosquitoes.
Dr Vinauger said the study he led was limited by its small size and needs to be replicated with more soaps, people and mosquito species.
It could go some way in the development of better mosquito repellents, some experts said.
