Avon Skin So Soft
Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh (used to be Woodland Fresh) Dry Oil Body Spray leaves your skin feeling soft. But this spray also has a hidden secret. Although not marketed as such, it is widely regarded to be an effective insect repellent.
The 150ml light green/blue bottle contains a specially formulated, pleasantly scented, non-greasy oil spray, which when applied after bathing or showering, absorbs into the skin quickly and locks in moisture.
Does it work?
Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh has not actually been scientifically tested as an insect repellent and the evidence that it performs as one is mostly from consumers' word of mouth. However, a quick Google search reveals there are many people raving about it in forums and on consumer review websites as being indispensable when it comes to fighting off those pesky midges and mosquitoes.
In fact, some people report buying it purely for its insect repellent properties rather than for its skin moisturising ability, and even use it diluted on their horses (it's especially good for getting rid of Sweet Itch) and other animals as a fly spray!
Avon has verified that Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh is very popular and often bought solely for use as an insect repellent. Even during the summer months in Scotland when the midge population is rife, the spray has been found to be effective. Mel Gibson and his film crew used it while filming Braveheart there, Scottish foresters use it, and Royal Marines guarding the nuclear base at Faslane on Scotland's west coast also use it. (Source: The Daily Telegraph)
How does Avon Skin So Soft work as an insect repellent?
As this product isn't strictly an insect repellent, some theories have been put forward as to why it works so well in this capacity. One theory is that the oily film it forms on the skin hinders insects' ability to actually land on the skin and bite. The spray also contains citronella, which has proven natural insect repellent properties.
Should you use it?
The advantages of Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh are that it is DEET free, smells pleasantly of pine and amber, it has no nasty chemically smells as do many other insect repellents, and it doubles up as a moisturiser (which if course was its original intended primary use).
Perhaps try it with caution and make up your own mind. Not all insect repellents work equally well for all people anyway because everyone is different, but with Avon Skin So Soft, at least if it doesn't work for you, it won't be a waste of money because you can still use it to moisturise your skin.
Remember, despite all the hype about Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh working so well as an insect repellent, it is probably unwise to go trekking off to the jungle or to some other tropical insect-infested place with this as your only method of protection! It would be especially unwise to rely on this alone if you are going to an area where there is a risk of catching an insect-borne infectious disease such as malaria.
But Avon has this to say about its reluctance to market Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Fresh Dry Oil Body Spray to the British public as an insect repellent: "We cannot do that because UK pharmaceutical laws ban us from doing so." (Source: Scotland on Sunday)
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