Turns out that Victoria's Secret perfumes are more than just chic fragrances, because, according to a new study, they can also act as mosquito repellents.
The study, conducted by researchers at New Mexico State University (NMSU), involved the testing of different substances for their repellent effects.
Researchers found that Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume works effectively as DEET repellents in warding off two types of mosquitoes.
According to Stacy Rodriguez, a research assistant at the university, the study appearing in the Journal of Insect Science included sweet scents to dispel the myth that mosquitoes are attracted to them.
To arrive at their findings, researchers studied different substances composed of eight insect repellants, two commercial fragrances, and a vitamin B patch that is said to have repellent properties.
These substances were then tested against two species of mosquito — the Asian tiger mosquito and yellow fever mosquito, both noted to transmit diseases such as dengue fever and yellow fever, NMSU's news release stated.
The study revealed that out of all the substances, the most effective in repelling mosquitoes were those products that contained DEET.
There were also DEET-free products, but they showed little repellent effect, except for one — the Cutter Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent, which worked just effectively as the DEET products.
Then surprise came to the researchers when they discovered that sweet fragrances Victoria's Secret Bombshell and Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil were able to repel mosquitoes for about two hours.
"There was some previous literature that said fruity, floral scents attracted mosquitoes, and to not wear those," Rodriquez said in the news release.
"It was interesting to see that the mosquitoes weren't actually attracted to the person that was wearing the Victoria's Secret perfume – they were repelled by it," she added.
According to researchers, the scents only provide temporary effects. They explained that high concentrations of the substances were used in the study, and using lower concentrations might not lead to the same finding.
