In every friend group or family, there is always one person who packs the useful things no one else thinks about when travelling. In my circle, that person is me, and through both professional and personal research, I have pretty much nailed the perfect emergency travel kit, including the best mosquito repellents.
There are lots of options on the market, so it can be tricky to know which one to pack alongside your sunscreen and other travel essentials. As a general rule, I prefer natural mosquito repellents, as they work better for me and my skin, but I am also a big fan of layering protection when necessary.
When it comes to using products containing essential oils or chemicals such as DEET (a deterrent used in many insect repellents), it’s important to patch test them on a small area of skin, before you commit to using a product all over your body, as everyone’s tolerance is different. It’s best to do this in advance of your travels, as you don’t want to find out your new mosquito repellent irritates your skin once you’re already on holiday.
Whether you’re planning a Mediterranean city break or an adventure off the beaten track, I’ve rounded up the best mosquito repellents to help you keep bites at bay.
Read more: Best packing cubes, tried and tested by a travel writer
The best mosquito repellents for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Fierce Nature bug balm: £16, Healf.com
- Best budget buy – Xpel mosquito and insect repellent pump spray: £3.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best DEET formula – Boots repel maximum: £8.65, Boots.com
- Best cream-based formula – Napiers bugbuster outdoor skin cream carolean edition: £21.99, Napiers.net
- Best DEET-free option – Neal’s Yard Remedies citronella formula cooling body freshener spray: £14, Amazon.co.uk
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Fierce Nature bug balm
Best: mosquito repellent overall
Size: 100g
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Citronella, lemongrass
Hours of protection: Reapply every 2-3 hours
Why we love it
- Organic
- Moisturising
- Effective
Take note
- Not suitable for vegans
- Needs to be reapplied every 2-3 hours
It’s rare to find a mosquito repellent that is 100 per cent natural. If you’d prefer to steer clear of harsher chemicals, Fierce Nature’s bug balm is a great organic option and the best mosquito repellent I tested. Although, it’s important to note that beef tallow is used in the formula, meaning it is not suitable for vegans.
If you don’t mind the use of animal products but you are concerned about the possibility of a beefy fragrance, I can assure you that this balm smells of nothing but lemongrass and citronella.
During use, I’ve found this product to be excellent for everyday use while on holiday. I have used it as an after-sun moisturiser as well as an insect-repellent and had no problems. I also love the packaging and the texture. The balm absorbs easily and leaves the skin feeling nice and soft, without being sticky.
Overall, I found this to be a great ally during summer nights, at a very reasonable price for its quality.
Buy now £16, Healf.com
Xpel mosquito and insect repellent pump spray
Best: budget mosquito repellent
Size: 120ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Lemongrass oil, citronellol
Hours of protection: Up to four hours
Why we love it
- Affordable
- Effective
If you’re likely to be spending the whole summer spraying mosquito repellent every two hours, you’ll want an option that works but that comes at an affordable price. If that’s the case, Xpel’s mosquito repellent might be for you as the best budget mosquito repellent I tested. I have used it on a week-long trip in a very humid climate (albeit in a city), and it worked well.
I didn’t run out of repellent, but I did use it in combination with other products, as I prefer to apply a cream-based mosquito repellent before I leave the house. However, this was the product I used throughout the day to top up while out and about and I had no issues with bites.
The Xpel spray comes at a very affordable price, is DEET-free, and it does what it says on the packaging. If you are looking for an option on a budget, it would be hard to find anything this effective for less than £5.
Buy now £3.99, Amazon.co.uk
Boots repel maximum
Best: mosquito repellent with DEET
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: No
Key ingredients: 50 per cent DEET, 1 per cent PMD
Hours of protection: Up to eight hours
Why we love it
- Good price
- Strong protection
- Provides even coverage
If I can, I always steer clear of DEET-based products. I often feel more comfortable using natural options, unless I find myself in tropical destinations or places where the risk of mosquito-transmitted illnesses is very high.
When I was on a trip to Brazil, I thought I’d better get as much protection as possible, and Boots’s repel maximum product worked perfectly during my time there and is the best mosquito repellent with DEET I tried. I would suggest a spray over an aerosol, as I feel it’s easier to get an even coverage when applying, but I have to admit the aerosol version (£5.99, Boots.com) of this product is quite handy for top-ups.
Sitting within Boots’s “tropical destination” line, this spray includes DEET and is touted as offering up to eight hours protection against mosquitoes. However, I’d suggest trying it on a small patch of skin before using it extensively, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Buy now £8.65, Boots.com
Napiers bugbuster outdoor skin cream carolean edition
Best: cream-based mosquito repellent
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Citronella, eucalyptus, Highland bog myrtle extract
Hours of protection: Reapply every few hours
Why we love it
- Natural formula
- Effective first layer of protection
Take note
- The glass jar is not convenient to carry with you
For people who, like me, prefer using natural options on their skin as much as possible, Napiers’s bugbuster outdoor skin cream is a great ally to keep insects at bay. The cream is easy to apply and absorbs immediately, leaving the skin moisturised and perfumed with a faint but pleasant botanical smell.
A mix of bog myrtle, citronella, aloe vera, and more is used to create this soothing cream that works wonders to protect your skin from insects. I have used it as a first layer of protection before going out, and then used a spray or roll-on products such as Love Bites Only or Mrs White’s unstung hero (both included in this roundup) through the evening, for extra peace of mind.
Buy now £21.99, Napiers.net
Neal’s Yard Remedies citronella formula cooling body freshener spray
Best: cooling mosquito repellent
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Citronella, witch hazel and lavender
Hours of protection: Up to two hours
Why we love it
- Effective
- Easy to apply
- Leaves a fresh sensation on the skin
Take note
- Strong citrus scent
- Need reapplying every two hours
Neal’s Yard Remedies’s citronella spray is an excellent option if you’re looking for a DEET-free, natural formula, featuring a mix of citronella, eucalyptus leaf, cypress, orange and marjoram essential oils.
Overall, the spray is easy to apply evenly, works well against mosquitoes and bugs, and leaves a fresh sensation on the skin, which makes reapplying throughout the day a pleasant experience. One thing to note is that the citrus scent, although lovely, is quite strong and persistent compared with some other options I’ve tried, which is something to keep in mind if you’re not a fan of strong fragrances.
Buy now £14, Amazon.co.uk
Mrs White's unstung hero natural mosquito repellent eau de cologne
Best: scented mosquito repellent
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Citral, limonene, eugenol, geraniol, citronella, linalool
Hours of protection: Up to four hours
Why we love it
- Smells amazing
- Choice of glass or aluminium bottle
Take note
- Needs to be reapplied every two to four hours
If you don’t like the smell of citronella or strong scents in general, it can be difficult to find a product that is effective without upsetting your nose. Personally, I quite like the smell of citronella, but I am wary of inflicting it upon other people, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I found a product that can shield me from insects while smelling delightful.
Mrs White's unstung hero is a perfume in every sense of the word. It has a fresh and subtle smell that is perfect for summer nights and it won’t be a disturbance to anyone when you reapply it throughout the evening. It comes in a glass bottle, which looks very chic, or in a 100ml aluminium spray that’s perfect to slide inside your carry-on.
This is the product I would use if I was dining on a terrace in Greece or having drinks next to a lake in Italy. However, it does need to reapplied fairly regularly in order to be effective.
Buy now £20, Amazon.co.uk
Love Bites Only travel size roll-on insect repellent and itch relief
Best: roll-on mosquito repellent
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Lavender, eucalyptus citriodora, coconut oil
Hours of protection: Not specified
Why we love it
- Natural formula
- Helps to ease itching
Take note
- Not convenient for use on large areas of skin
While roll-on mosquito repellents aren’t practical for covering large areas of exposed skin, such as your arms and legs, they do offer an additional layer of protection that’s easy to apply for top-ups. A roll-on option, however, is the best way to reapply mosquito repellent on the go, as you don’t have to touch the product with your hands or spray it in crowded areas.
The Love Bites Only travel size roll-on’s small size makes it easy to carry around with you, and it has a lovely herbal scent, but also works to ease the itching of pre-existing bites. I find that no matter how much I try to remember to reapply a mosquito repellent, there is always a day during a trip that I am less attentive and therefore end up with some bites, and I found that this travel-size roll-on was very helpful with calming the itching.
Buy now £9.95, Lovebitesonly.com
Green People SPF15 sun cream with natural insect repellent
Best: mosquito repellent with SPF
Size: 100ml
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Shea butter, aloe vera, citrepel75, peppermint oil
Hours of protection: Up to four hours
Why we love it
- Organic
- Fast absorption
- Two-in-one product
Take note
- Low SPF
When out and about during the day, it’s very frustrating to have to constantly reapply multiple products, so I love to be able to combine two steps in one. Green People’s insect repellent lotion offers SPF 15, is easy to apply and absorbs almost instantly, with no white cast or sticky feeling. It has a faint smell of citronella and peppermint, but it’s very subtle. It offers low SPF, though, so I would only suggest using it to top up or for days when you’re less likely to be exposed to the sun.
I did wonder why SPF 15 was the maximum protection available for an organic sunscreen, so I asked Charlotte Vøhtz, founder of Green People. She said: “Combining mineral SPF with natural insect repellent is one of the more complex formulation challenges. In our testing, we found that higher SPF versions didn’t meet our standards for long-term stability and consistent protection. The SPF 15 represents the best balance we’ve been able to achieve.”
This line also has a moisturising aftersun that feels lovely on the skin and has natural insect-repellent properties, too (£19, Greenpeople.co.uk).
Buy now £33, Greenpeople.co.uk
Xpel insect mosquito repellent wipes tropical formula
Best: mosquito repellent wipes
Size: Pack of 25 wipes
DEET-free: Yes
Key ingredients: Citrepel, 2-phenoxyethanol, lemongrass oil
Hours of protection: Up to four hours
Why we love it
- Convenient and easy to use
Take note
- Produces a lot of waste
I would usually go for a cream or spray-based mosquito repellent as my base layer of protection, but there is no denying the extreme convenience of wipes when on the go or when trying to apply a bug repellent (or any type of product, for that matter) to children.
I’ve found these Xpel insect mosquito repellent wipes work just as well as a spray or a cream. They are also easy to carry and to use, making them a very handy product to have in your bag at all times when on holiday in a mosquito-filled location. They don’t contain DEET and I haven’t experienced any bad reaction on my skin, although, like with any other product, I would always suggest testing them on a small area the first time, just to be on the safe side.
The only issue I have with mosquito-repellent wipes is that they create more waste than most mosquito repellents. However sometimes you need something convenient to make sure you are protected, so I would definitely recommend them as an addition to your mosquito-repellent routine.
Buy now £4.77, Amazon.co.uk
What are the best mosquito repellents?
With all the natural options now on the market, it is possible to steer clear of harsher chemicals when fighting off mosquitoes and insects in most popular holiday destinations. I’ve found the natural products listed here to be effective against bites, and some also provide additional support to the skin in different ways, from providing nourishment to easing itching.
Overall, Fierce Nature takes the top spot, due to its effectiveness, nourishing virtues, and easy-to-use packaging. It also comes at a good price tag and has a lovely scent.
If you are headed to a tropical destination and want to give your protection level a boost, Boots’s DEET-based spray is a great ally and doesn’t have an unpleasant strong chemical smell.
If you’re on a budget, Xpel has a wide range of effective and affordable mosquito repellents that work for the whole family.
How I tested mosquito repellents
Thanks to the nature of my job, I have been lucky to live in and visit many places, including tropical areas in South America that require a bit more strength when it comes to insect repellents. That said, having grown up in the south of Italy, I still think the viciousness of European mosquitoes is severely underrated.
I have tested the mosquito repellents listed in this article (and many more insect repellents) during my travels, in many different conditions. During testing, I considered the following criteria.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alessia Armenise is a travel journalist and reviewer with a wealth of experience. During her travels around the world, she has tested several products for IndyBest, including the best carry-on luggage and packing cubes, and has experienced many encounters with biting bugs, so she’s well placed to find the best mosquito repellent formulas.
For more holiday essentials, check out our pick of the best sunscreens for your body