After writing this post regarding “illegal” pesticides in the form of bug repellents – all natural ones that haven’t been tested by the FDA or the EPA – a newish friend Lisa, co-CEO of Personal Care Truth, messaged me with some great information regarding these products.
I’d found some – what I’d thought was good – information on a supplier’s website. This lady is smart, heavily involved with battling industry-crippling legislature and a highly reputable source. I didn’t realize she was posting somewhat fear-related information, and I don’t know if it’s out of ignorance or an attempt to crush a competitor – hers or someone else’s. Well, I quoted that source and even linked to her articles on my website. Now I feel like a fool.
The truth? The EPA has a list of ingredients that are considered exempt from testing. These not only include the inert ingredients I use to make up the base for my bug repellent sticks, but also the essential oils that are the active, bug repelling ingredients in them. But then there’s that pesky other agency, the FDA with its own set of rules and regulations. A repellent is a drug; the secret around it is not labeling it as such. Not a problem.
In conclusion, all natural bug repellents are much, much safer than commercially prepared ones containing extra chemicals, including DEET. If they’re prepared according to the cGMPs established by the FDA and labeled according to the guidelines set forth by both the FDA and the EPA, then these products are ideal for helping keep children and adults bite-free and safer from the diseases that mosquitoes transmit.
Want some awesome, totally safe, all natural bug repellent? You can get yours here! The bugs are still out there annoying us, so take care of ’em!
