No vibes, no category mercy: each product below is scored on the same published rubric — efficacy evidence (40%), duration (25%), skin & gear experience (20%), value (15%). Products we've worn through Connecticut field seasons carry a ★ badge; the rest are label-and-literature scored and say so. Filter away.
How to read this page: the tiers do the heavy lifting. Tier 1 products are EPA-registered actives at concentrations with real evidence behind them — pick by format and feel. Tier 2 products work in a narrower window than their marketing implies. Tier 3 products are listed so you know why not to buy them — the full reasoning, including why we refuse to score a 5% geraniol spray next to 30% OLE, lives on the methodology page.
Want the deep profile on an active before you pick a product? Ingredient guides: picaridin · DEET · oil of lemon eucalyptus · IR3535 · permethrin. And the duration calculator turns any active + concentration into a protection window.