Advnture Verdict
Considering this is one of the priciest sprays of all the repellents we tested, you might get better value – and protection – elsewhere.
Pros
- +
No DEET
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Vegan friendly
- +
Non greasy
Cons
- -
On the pricy side
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Some biters may get through
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First thoughts
One of the more expensive sprays on test, Incognito is made with 100% natural ingredients – so no DEET, parabens, GMO and SLSs - and is approved by the Vegan Society, making it an easy choice for anyone who is a stickler for ensuring products are animal-friendly and is confused by the plethora of chemicals that tend to go into stronger insect repellents.
- Best insect repellents: our guide to the best you can buy
- How to avoid bites and stings on the trail
- Ready for your next adventure? Consult our camping checklist
In the field
We’ve often spied Incognito’s little ninja-style black bottle in other explorer’s backpacks, so we were intrigued to give this DEET-free repellent a try. Incognito worked well at repelling insects in the English Lake District when we tested it out on hikes and camping adventures, but we did find that you need to carefully spray every inch of skin, or you’ll get bites on the areas you’ve missed.
We would also recommend reapplying every two to three hours, and after sweating or swimming, as it feels like this spray does fade quite fast. The brand claims the spray is proven to be effective in malarial zones, but the caveat is that Incognito should be used in conjunction with a mosquito net – so we would recommend sticking to using this natural repellent in Europe and reaching for a DEET product in malarial areas (or using DEET by day and Incognito by night on long-haul travels).
The benefit of no DEET is that Incognito feels light and grease-free on the skin, has a pleasant scent of bergamot and citral, and can be applied directly to the face and hair.
