Listen, we hate mosquitoes as much as the next girl, but we're also not so keen on smelling like nose-burning chemicals every time we apply our bug spray. Obviously this is a total #firstworldproblem, but for those of us who spend the majority of our time outdoors, we're getting a little sick of being constantly enveloped in an unpleasant funk. Is it too much to ask that we have some options that are a little less, shall we say, pungent?
Apparently not, thanks to Harvard business grad Melissa Fensterstock and her husband. They've founded a new, functional fragrance brand called Aromaflage, and their debut product is a chemical-free, DEET-free perfume that claims to keep the bugs at bay. While many natural scents do have bug-repelling properties, sadly, geranium, tea tree oil, and the like — while lovely non-chemical alternatives — are not the most pleasant aromas to douse oneself in. Aromaflage solves that problem by using essential oils that are a little gentler on the olfactive senses.
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The secret behind its bug-be-gone powers is vanillin, a crystalline compound found in vanilla beans that has been proven to be highly effective at repelling mosquitoes. It also has vanilla, cedarwood, and exotic orange, which gives the perfume a warm, sweet aroma.
Our one concern with the scent is how effectively it keeps the bugs from swarming if you use it like a perfume. We don't normally drown ourselves in fragrance — just a few delicate spritzes — and we wonder if that little bit will do it, or if we'll need to cover our exposed skin like we do with traditional bug spray. We've packed this in our weekend bag, so fingers crossed — if we come back on Monday scratching and itching, we'll be sure to let you know.
Aromaflage Botanical Fragrance & Insect Repellant, $65, available at Aromaflage.
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