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The soap you use may influence how attractive you are to mosquitoes, study finds
Certain scents seem to repel the bloodsuckers more than others, the small study finds.
Updated: 1:09 PM EDT May 13, 2023
There are some people that just seem to be total mosquito magnets and, if you’re one of them, it only makes sense to want to do what you can to avoid a bite. While many factors play a part in making you more or less attractive to mosquitos (like wearing certain colors and going outside during peak mosquito hours), a small new study suggests the type of soap you use may be playing a part.The study, which was published in the journal iScience, recruited four volunteers. Each person had a signature smell that was identified and then they were asked to suds up with four different soap brands—Dial, Dove, Native, and Simple Truth. Afterward, scientists exposed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to fabrics that were worn by the volunteers after they had used the soaps and when they were unwashed. The researchers discovered that the soaps altered a person’s body odor—no shocker there—but some added a lot of chemicals that plants give off to the participants’ body odor. This is significant because mosquitoes drink nectar from plants, and it’s something they’re attracted to.There was some variation in the results, given that the soaps’ chemicals interacted with each person’s body odor to create a unique scent. For some people, the mosquitoes were more attracted to them after they washed up with Dove and Simple Truth soap. However, Native brand soap was the most likely to repel the mosquitoes. Another finding? A chemical that gives off a coconut scent was more effective at repelling mosquitoes. Does soap smell attract mosquitos?Not necessarily. The study really focused on the fact that different soaps may influence the way your body smells—and that combination may attract or repel mosquitoes. “Not all soaps have the same effect on all volunteers,” study author Clément Vinauger, a biochemist and geneticist at Virginia Tech, said in a statement.Entomologist Roberto M. Pereira, Ph.D., a research scientist at the University of Florida, says it’s “not surprising” that soap may impact a person's attraction to mosquitoes. “Anything that changes a scent will affect mosquito attraction,” he says. Soap can affect your mosquito magnet status “by either masking attractants that naturally occur on human skin or adding scents that are either repellent or attractive to mosquitoes,” Pereira says. What type of soaps are mosquitos attracted to?This was a small study, and it’s difficult to say for sure what soaps would attract mosquitoes in the wild. However, researchers found that mosquitoes generally were more attracted to Dove and Simple Truth soap. Floral scents can be attractive to mosquitoes because it reminds them of flowers—and flowers produce nectar that they use for food. “Mosquitoes need sugar as a source of energy and that is why there is an attraction to flowers,” Pereira explains. “Because we use flower-like scents as a perfume on our bodies, mosquitoes may be initially attracted by that.”It “makes sense” that floral compounds would attract mosquitoes, says Chad Gore, Ph.D., a board-certified entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control. “We don’t know how far those scent cues are detected by the mosquito, but it could be that the mosquito may be attracted to a longer range cue, and the floral scent, or other short-range compounds, help the mosquito zero in on a particular area of the body.”As for why the coconut scent may be off-putting to mosquitoes, Pereira says there’s not really a good explanation for that. “It’s a good question to ask a mosquito,” he jokes.If you use the soaps that were linked to mosquito attraction, don’t panic—again, it’s the way these soaps influence a person’s natural body odor that matters. “I wouldn’t use this study to make my buying decision for soaps quite yet,” Gore says. “Mosquito attraction and repellency is highly complex, as the authors noted, and includes more than just the volatile compounds coming from the skin of the potential host.”But, if you use these soaps and tend to be a mosquito magnet, it may be worth at least considering changing up your soap to see if it makes a difference. You can also consider trying out different soaps. “Trying different soaps is important because we are showing that it’s really the combination between your natural odor and a specific soap that matters,” Vinauger said. The researchers pointed out that there are other things people use that influence how they smell, including detergents, deodorants, and other scented products, so there are a host of factors that may influence how attractive you are to mosquitoes—from a smell perspective, at least. How to stop mosquitos from bitingThere are a few things you can do to lower your risk of being bitten by a mosquito. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically suggests the following: Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanoate. Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved pants and shirts. If you’re going to be in a buggy area, consider treating your clothes with 0.5% permethrin beforehand. Use screens on windows and doors. Use air conditioning when possible. Remove or wash out items that can harbor mosquito eggs on your property like tires, empty buckets, and planters.Another pro tip, per Pereira: If you’re able to, “avoid outdoor areas during peak mosquito activity.” And, if you want to switch to a different soap, there’s no reason not to. Just know that it’s not likely to have the same effect as wearing bug spray.
There are some people that just seem to be total mosquito magnets and, if you’re one of them, it only makes sense to want to do what you can to avoid a bite. While many factors play a part in making you more or less attractive to mosquitos (like wearing certain colors and going outside during peak mosquito hours), a small new study suggests the type of soap you use may be playing a part.
The study, which was published in the journal iScience, recruited four volunteers. Each person had a signature smell that was identified and then they were asked to suds up with four different soap brands—Dial, Dove, Native, and Simple Truth.
Afterward, scientists exposed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to fabrics that were worn by the volunteers after they had used the soaps and when they were unwashed. The researchers discovered that the soaps altered a person’s body odor—no shocker there—but some added a lot of chemicals that plants give off to the participants’ body odor. This is significant because mosquitoes drink nectar from plants, and it’s something they’re attracted to.
There was some variation in the results, given that the soaps’ chemicals interacted with each person’s body odor to create a unique scent. For some people, the mosquitoes were more attracted to them after they washed up with Dove and Simple Truth soap. However, Native brand soap was the most likely to repel the mosquitoes.
Another finding? A chemical that gives off a coconut scent was more effective at repelling mosquitoes.
Does soap smell attract mosquitos?
Not necessarily. The study really focused on the fact that different soaps may influence the way your body smells—and that combination may attract or repel mosquitoes. “Not all soaps have the same effect on all volunteers,” study author Clément Vinauger, a biochemist and geneticist at Virginia Tech, said in a statement.
Entomologist Roberto M. Pereira, Ph.D., a research scientist at the University of Florida, says it’s “not surprising” that soap may impact a person's attraction to mosquitoes. “Anything that changes a [person’s] scent will affect mosquito attraction,” he says.
Soap can affect your mosquito magnet status “by either masking attractants that naturally occur on human skin or adding scents that are either repellent or attractive to mosquitoes,” Pereira says.
What type of soaps are mosquitos attracted to?
This was a small study, and it’s difficult to say for sure what soaps would attract mosquitoes in the wild. However, researchers found that mosquitoes generally were more attracted to Dove and Simple Truth soap.
Floral scents can be attractive to mosquitoes because it reminds them of flowers—and flowers produce nectar that they use for food. “Mosquitoes need sugar as a source of energy and that is why there is an attraction to flowers,” Pereira explains. “Because we use flower-like scents as a perfume on our bodies, mosquitoes may be initially attracted by that.”
It “makes sense” that floral compounds would attract mosquitoes, says Chad Gore, Ph.D., a board-certified entomologist with Ehrlich Pest Control. “We don’t know how far those scent cues are detected by the mosquito, but it could be that the mosquito may be attracted to a longer range cue, and the floral scent, or other short-range compounds, help the mosquito zero in on a particular area of the body.”
As for why the coconut scent may be off-putting to mosquitoes, Pereira says there’s not really a good explanation for that. “It’s a good question to ask a mosquito,” he jokes.
If you use the soaps that were linked to mosquito attraction, don’t panic—again, it’s the way these soaps influence a person’s natural body odor that matters. “I wouldn’t use this study to make my buying decision for soaps quite yet,” Gore says. “Mosquito attraction and repellency is highly complex, as the authors noted, and includes more than just the volatile compounds coming from the skin of the potential host.”
But, if you use these soaps and tend to be a mosquito magnet, it may be worth at least considering changing up your soap to see if it makes a difference.
You can also consider trying out different soaps. “Trying different soaps is important because we are showing that it’s really the combination between your natural odor and a specific soap that matters,” Vinauger said.
The researchers pointed out that there are other things people use that influence how they smell, including detergents, deodorants, and other scented products, so there are a host of factors that may influence how attractive you are to mosquitoes—from a smell perspective, at least.
How to stop mosquitos from biting
There are a few things you can do to lower your risk of being bitten by a mosquito. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically suggests the following:
- Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanoate.
- Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved pants and shirts.
- If you’re going to be in a buggy area, consider treating your clothes with 0.5% permethrin beforehand.
- Use screens on windows and doors.
- Use air conditioning when possible.
- Remove or wash out items that can harbor mosquito eggs on your property like tires, empty buckets, and planters.
Another pro tip, per Pereira: If you’re able to, “avoid outdoor areas during peak mosquito activity.” And, if you want to switch to a different soap, there’s no reason not to. Just know that it’s not likely to have the same effect as wearing bug spray.
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