Flashback Friday: Could the next all-natural insect repellent be made out of earwax?

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Gregory F. MaxwellJust in time for the dog days of summer, when mosquitoes swarm at their thickest, we bring you this classic from our archives. Here, scientists hypothesize that ear cerumen (earwax), in addition to its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, would be a great insect repellent. You might be grossed out, but nothing says "summer fun" better than a nice even coating of earwax! Earwax (cerumen) might be formulated into a safe and biodegradable insect repellent “Some of the most common life threatening insect-borne diseases include malaria, leshmaniasis and yellow fever which can be prevented or treated with different non-therapeutic/therapeutic procedures such as use of mosquito net, insect repellent (IR), vector controlling strategies, vaccination and implementation of pharmaceuticals. Among these methods IR provides the cheapest and easiest one to use. Active ingredients of IR usually include N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), botanical extracts and picaridin. However still some concerns remain e.g. ...