TikTok is rife with *imaginative* beauty hacks. As a twenty-something with a TikTok account, I’ve seen my share of wild makeup ideas and viral beauty hacks. Some of them are unusual, some are weirdly satisfying and strangely effective, but the latest one has literally left me speechless. The girlies on TikTok are using a Victoria’s Secret perfume as mosquito repellent and their efforts have gone viral. This particular TikTok trend, part ingenuity, part life hack, could be a major game changer if, in fact, it turns out to actually work. Still, it’s wise to be wary of TikTok trends, especially when your health is in play so I asked the experts if the TikTokers who swear Victora’s Secret perfume works to ward off mosquitos are onto something.
I’m a mosquito magnet and it’s honestly the pits. In the warm weather, it’s nearly impossible for me to step outside and not get a million itchy little bites all over my skin. Sadly, one of the only ways to fight off these nuisances is with smelly repellents. DEET, the main ingredient found in most insect repellents, works wonders, but smells awful. Forget trying to mask the chemical smell with your favorite signature scent. Mixing perfume with insect repellent creates a far from pleasant scent profile so if one of Victoria’s Secret’s delicious perfumes can help keep pesky mosquito bites away, the world will never be the same.
TikTokers aren’t recommending just any VS perfume, but one of the brand’s most popular scents. Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Eau de Parfum mixes peony and orchid notes with pine for a fruity, floral fragrance that people love. Whether or not it keeps mosquitos at bay is hard to say so I reached out to Dr. Shuting Hu, cosmetic chemist and founder of Acaderma,