There was a thread on SF that I can longer find. It was a post by Andrew Crowe about a natural product that he produces here in France.
l I have to say that as someone who is ‘eaten alive’ by mosquitoes and’ bitten to death’ by flies I have tried numerous products from the pharmacy. These are costly and have nasty chemicals, but I have been desperate enough to try them.
Good news, I ordered Earth Sense’s Pro-Tect Insect Repellent Balm and it really works well. This morning I went for a walk alongside a river and through wooded areas to visit several moulins. The area was thick with mosquitoes and I did have doubts, but I applied the balm beforehand and not one bite!
I have put the link here because it may help others who, like me, are plagued by everything that flies and bites. I have no link with the company but just want to spread the good news 
https://www.earthsense.eu/product-page/earth-sense-pro-tec-insect-repellent-balm-100ml
Not a lot here, but were a prob’ in Portugal, one thing that worked in the bedroom, was a small glass of vinegar on the bedside table. 
Whats the natural product being sold as a cosmetic, must be a nasty chemical to the insect
Iam over 60 and cannot remember (could be my age ) any problems with mosquitoes other than their irritating noise
I think this post is an advertisement
Can’t reply as I would like C’ P’ but basicly it was
Wott ???
Thanks Ann…I visited and then wrote down the name of the website when it was first mentioned…and I was following the in depth discussion you had with them with interest…When my daughter came to visit she got bitten a few times…(although her boyfriend didn’t…) She’s very fair skinned and I sprayed her with apple cider vinegar and water when we went out walking…but it’s on my wish list for next time she visits… and next time she’s bringing her two little sons as well…I would like to have some in my natural alternative cupboard in readiness…(Her boyfriend is plagued by hay fever and as I don’t suffer from it the only remedy I had in to help him was homeopathic euphrasia…he responded brilliantly to it and she is going to get him both homeopathic euphrasia and homeopathic mixed grasses…)
I’ll be ordering from earth sense very soon…Thankyou for the feedback…x
I clearly state on my post that I have no link to this company and their products !
If you care to look at the link I have provided and actually read about this product you will see what it contains. I being a fairly intelligent person, did a lot of research and also asked many questions of Andrew Crowe, all of which were answered to my satisfaction.
Good for you if you have never had problems, some of us however are not so lucky!
This product works for me, that’s all I care about !
We also saw the thread but can’t see it now. We spoke with people who where very helpful, we ordered the product to give it a try as it was not expensive and we have lots of biting insects.
They did explain the make up of the product and directed us to lots of easy to read information.
Since we started using it we have not had a single bite!! so we also would recommend them too. The link we bought from is https://www.earthsense.eu/product-page/earth-sense-pro-tect-insect-repellent-duo
It works for us and is organic so is good for us.
Carl
When I was travelling in Canada and spent a lot of time camping and walking in the Rockies I suffered from mosquito bites. I carried all the usual pre and after sprays and lotions but the thing that worked for me was taking my normal hay fever medication. The antihistamines stopped the bites from causing irritation. A friend who is in France at the moment was explaining how every time she visits her holiday she suffers from mosquito bites for 5-7 days before becoming ‘acclimatised’.
…and of course, wearing white or light-colored clothing (and long-sleeves, layered so the skin is that much farther out of reach of pesky proboscises… I wear a long-tailed sleeveless undershirt, under a short-sleeved white t-shirt over a long-sleeved white shirt; plus loose-fitting light tan pants) is effective as part of the strategy for being less ‘noticeable’ and ‘available’ to insects…
I understand that Ann is advocating for a France-produced product which makes a lot of sense.
I garden almost every day, these days, and have been testing a couple of organic insect repellents. I’m gardening for folks who are excellent gardeners but who need someone who can haul around the mulch and soil and who knows how to discern a weed from a bed plant (so not all brawn maybe but also some plant know-how). I work up a sweat and those mosquitoes, deer flies, black flies, gnats are a problem.
My clients have tons of knowledge and some have been gardening for 30 years or more. They know their insect repellents almost as well as they know their horticulture. One product that was avidly recommended, recently, was a lemongrass and eucalyptus blend essential oil, mixed 1:3 with two other oils (take your choice but she uses coconut oil and whatever else she finds in her cupboard). Another is something called Buggle.
But despite all of the estimable knowledge, the latest challenge, for me, is to find one that not only works but is sustainable… I guess by that I mean I’m now aware of how much plant material goes into making an essential oil. And so now it seems important not only to buy local (so when I get to France, I want to buy France-made) but to keep this sustainable idea in the back of my mind.
So it gets interesting to try to go beyond natural and/or organic products (e.g. essential oils) and, then, not only local (France-made) but also this third sort of ‘layer’: sustainable.
Meanwhile with all of this essential oil on me I seem to smell good (well, but my smelly socks…those are a whole 'nother thing). Even so, I’m working on changing my habit of slapping on the essential oil willy-nilly and now I’m trying to see how little I need, to keep the mosquitoes at bay. I’m finding a little lemon-eucalyptus in the ratio with the oils, maybe (1:4 or possibly 1:5) does go a long way… It’s so tempting though, just to go back to the old habit of dousing myself with the stuff. Simple easy remedies, home-made ones…
Just my two … centimes 
I’m sure you are right about the lack of chemicals, however, I have never paid anywhere near 15 euros for repellent.
An’ I thought, a packet of fags, when I was a kid, to keep the midges, out of the tent, camping in W Scotland, was expensive 
And it worked, btw
I still wish to know what organic compound is so effective, but only licensed as a cosmetic and what is a good organic compound that does not have nasty chemicals
Should we throw out to name a few Poppy, Foxglove ,Yew, Deadly Nightshade, and Cannabis derivatives all toxins but life savers for others
In my opinion Sugar Cane Honey or Sugar Beet is the most poisonous organic chemical, and for the hell of throw in Beer Tobacco and Wine not that I will give up the last three
Just Google it , the ingredient its Citriodiol like most organic compounds its been boiled and mucked about with, its even had a Trademark Looks like its a UK company
Good Morning to you all
Sorry this is a long post - you may need a cuppa…
I am Andrew Crowe and Earth Sense is my company here just north of Carcassonne France.
If i can sort out some of the questions for you regarding the Organic Insect Repellent.
My background is Surfactant Chemistry and i used to formulate products for companies in the UK cosmetics and cleaning chemicals using chemicals supplied by manufacturers.
Here in France i have used my knowledge and experience to make products with Organic natural products. The primary range of products we make are body care products and it is our core business see our website for all the range.
We where asked to make an insect repellent from our client base - we had an essential oil formula already but there are issues with this.
I will try to answer the questions in the thread.
Firstly for us as a producer there are two distinct categories of products that have different regulations within the EU
These are Cosmetic products - EU Cosmetics Regulations and EU Biocides Regulations, the second one is what the insect repellents apply to.
What is The European Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) 528/2012?
The European Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) controls the use of all biocides (substances or microorganisms which deter, render harmless, or exert a controlling effect on any harmful organism - like a bug spray which stops mosquitoes from biting) manufactured or sold within the European Union. It came into force on 1 September 2013, replacing the European Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC (BPD), and is now law in every European member state.
The aim of the BPR is to limit the use of those biocides which are unable to meet strict requirements for efficacy (showing it really works), consumer health and safety to the environment. There are many categories of biocides, ranging from hand sanitizers to wood preservatives and rodent control. Insect repellents fall within product type 19 (PT19) of the BPR, which covers repellents and attractants. Every biocide being placed on the market must now be authorised through a uniform submission and review process. This is true whether your product comes from nature or is entirely synthesised.
The use of other substances such as neem oil, citronella oil and tea tree oil is no longer allowed for use in personal insect repellents as they were not notified under the BPD and are not being supported through the authorisation process.
So basically you can not sell a product for this purpose unless it has an approved ingredient. Selling our original formula is illegal and would carry a €100,000 fine as a minimum as it would be classed as putting public health at risk.
As we only use certificated organic ingredients we where limited to what we could use hence we use distilled Eucalyptus citriodora oil, it is only supplied by two companies worldwide both based in the UK. These are on the BPR list so can be used. We chose Citrifine as our supply partner as they could support the required testing and certification. It is trademarked by them as Citriodiol as they have had to inverst over €500,000 in the registering of the product against the BPR.
Having a trademark on natural ingredients is common - Pink Lady Apples are globally owed by a single company.
They have a certificate from EcoCert as raw material that meets The COSMOS Standards for organic and natural ingredients. As a COSMOS approved ingredient, Citriodiol® can be used in end-use products which are to be certified as COSMOS natural or COSMOS organic. This was a standard designed by the Soil Association in the UK but is now the global standard for Organic ingredients.
With this certification we can make an organic product. The balm uses the active ingredient along with Organic Olive Oil direct from Catalonia, bees wax from the Aude and wheatgerm oil also from the Aude and that’s it. The spray uses bio ethanol and water as the carrier.
There was a statement " only licensed as a cosmetic" this is not correct, it is licensed as a biocide under the BPR but as there is not a certificate for Organic Biocides a certificate on the ingredient was obtained under the cosmetics regs “COSMOS”
If you want to make your own products for personal use then that is not problem but even as an artisanial producer we have to abide by the EU regulations and prove what our products can do whether they are cosmetics or biocides.
Can i say thank you to the people that have purchased our products and for the feedback received.
As an enterprise we look at all ethical standards from fair Trade purchasing, zero tolerance to animal testing and cruelty, use organic ingredients, no colours, perfumes, preservatives, palm oil products and minimise where possible plastics (we have just two pieces in our entire range) This makes things cost a little more but it is great value. See our website for our list of ethics.
We are always working with our customers suggestions and will be bringing out more products later this year in 100% organic, deodorant, toothpaste, solid and liquid soap and other bath/shower products.
I do hope i have helped answer some questions for you and sorry for the long post.
If you do have any questions whatever they maybe please ask and we will do our best to supply answers and paperwork evidence if needed.
All the best and have a great rest of the weekend
Andrew
Earth Sense
Well that blows the original post “It was a post by Andrew Crowe about a natural product that he produces here in France.” its British and it’s not natural it has a trademark boiled and distilled a bit like whisky which is bunged in at the end bio ethanol
Its was and still is an advertisement
PS in France no-one expects a " preservatives" free cosmetic or foodstuff , its a condom and is not natural
Ann, you can usually use any menthol based plants, also. The melaleuca plant (Australian Tea tree) is excellent for this.
I use lavender oil, which is nice and smelly:) For sitting at a table or otherwise outside, you can burn dried Bay Leaves. They work well, I find. It you have some dried orange or lemon peel toss that in also! The oils in both appear to work well as deterrents.
Burning dried bay leaves… that sounds like something I could manage… 
cheers
I have a large collection of Essential Oils Monica, and they are used for various ‘bobos’ but I found the Pro-Tect balm was perfect for travelling, easy to use and worked well, so I am sticking to it !
Thank you for posting this, Ann. Most useful. I hate having to spray myself with Jungle Formula anti-mozzie spray full of chemicals.
We use Avon Skin So Soft on the horses (and us!) - works a treat but needs reapplying. The Royal Marines swear by it 