Organic EcoSMART insect repellent stands up to toughest Mochica mosquitos

I took an incredible four-day archaeological  journey along the Moche highway: Chiclayo, Túcume (and the recently opened Huaca Las Balsas), San Jose de Moro, El Brujo and the Museo Cao, Trujillo, Huanchaco and Huaca de la Luna.

More on that COMING SOON!

But a quick note for now. Biting insects can be brutal in the arid desert and dry forests of Peru’s northern coast. I didn’t want to spend four days lathering on toxic, smelly Deet-based repellent – or N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide – that can eat through plastic and never degrades in the environment.

After a long search I found EcoSMART, on sale in Lima at Sodimac for S/.20 (about US$7.50).

I read reviews on the Internet, all favorable. But I was still skeptical. It wouldn’t be the first time that a natural lotion or ointment — heralded as effective — failed to keep the bugs away during trips along Peru’s coast and into the Amazon rain forest.

Fertur Peru Travel recommends EcoSMART organic as an alternative to Deet-based insect repellents. From Huaca Rajada – Sipan to the Huaca Cao Viejo and the Huaca de la Luna, not a single bite.

So I wrote to EcoSMART, to let them know we were going to put their product to the test.

Before I could recommend this repellent, I thought, I better try it myself.

This is what I can tell you. The spray dries quickly and is not greasy at all. It has a strong, but not unpleasant, cinnamon odor that lingers for two or three hours after each application. (Cinnamon oil is one of the ingredients.) If any of my travel companions minded that I smelled like a box of Cinnamon Red Hots candy, no one said anything.

In fact, as the days progressed, they came to me in increasing numbers to borrow the bottle, and all of them remarked how well the stuff worked.

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