Can Insect Repellent Be Chic?

Mosquitos love me. As a child, born and raised in Australia, land of the giant insect, I’d go to bed in the summertime and wake up covered in giant itchy welts. Did I mention I am allergic? A single bite could swell up to the size of a golf ball; two or three bites would meld together into a dystopian conglomeration of bite (and it is so not cute). Most vacations are immortalized by the severity of my mosquito bites and the many precautions I would take to protect myself from them.

Come the summertime, or any trip to the tropics, and insect repellent becomes my best friend. I’ve tried them all. Roll on, spray, even an interesting cream concoction I bought in Thailand many years back. They all “did the job” – functional as they were to protect. But they were applied out of necessity and definitely not by choice. Most smelled gross and medicinal, synonymous with insect repellent today. They felt sticky and are undeniably filled with chemicals. Plus, the worst part? They entirely mask any fragrance I’ve previously applied.

So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered Glow Protect by French indie beauty brand, Misaj. This lightweight hydrating cream doubles as a mosquito repellent, promising to upend this unsexy product category. On face value, it sounded too good to be true. On a holiday in Greece, I put it to the test.

Misaj’s Glow Protect promises “three jobs, one tube.” It offers hydration, supports the skin barrier, and protects against mosquitoes with a combination of natural botanicals and oils from the Amazon, Morocco, and Algeria to create a nourishing cream that works for daily life.

For Amèle Moussaoui, French pharmacist and founder of the brand, creating a functional product that could easily fit into our daily routines was key. “Everything that we had was inconvenient,” Moussaoui tells me over Zoom. “In order to be really protected in your life, it has to be something that is part of your habit and your routine.”

It’s part of her vision to create a skincare brand centred around protection. “Skincare is [currently] about correction. You want to correct your dark pigmentation. You want to correct your pimple. You want to correct your wrinkles,” Moussaoui observes. “I really want [a brand] around protection. I want to have skincare products that will protect you from all the aggressors of every day.”

Glow Protect is the first product of Moussaoui’s line. An SPF that offers mosquito repellent and hydration is also in the works. This alchemy of combining traditional knowledge with modern science is representative of Moussaoui’s heritage. Her father is a surgeon, her mother is a Chinese medicine practitioner, and her great grandmother was a healer. As she notes, “I always have been in the middle of medicine.”

Glow Protect has a specific formula for natural protection. There’s Andiroba Oil, a botanical found in the Amazon that has been used as a mosquito repellent for generations. There’s a delicious blend of eucalyptus citriodora, geranium, atlas cedar and clove that nod to Moussaoui’s Moroccan and Algerian heritage and create an aromatic scent that mosquitoes despise. Aloe vera and vitamin E round out the formulation, offering hydration and nourishment of the skin.

This combination creates what Moussaoui describes as a potent synergy for protection.

Mosquitoes are deterred by the aroma. And the oils that rest on the skin help create a repellent-like barrier. “Before biting you, a mosquito will lick you,” Moussaoui explains. “If they do not like your taste, they will go away.”

The first thing I noticed was the scent. Dry wood notes of Atlas cedar meet warm and spicy clove, while the geranium offers a fresh lift that pairs with the bright eucalyptus citriodora. It transported me to visions of an Arabian dessert. Upon application, I felt like a luxurious princess. I was met with compliments of the “new perfume” I was wearing. (Little did they know).

The cream itself is surprisingly lightweight. It absorbed easily, with no sticky residue. My skin looked supple, hydrated, and glowing. I felt nourished—a far cry from the usual chemical-laden stuff I wear. 

I applied Glow Protect at 6 pm and proceeded to sit outdoors for dinner and drinks until around midnight. Typically, as the night progresses, I become increasingly aware of whether insects are around. But not this night. I forgot I was wearing product. I didn’t once feel mosquitoes around me (a rarity), nor did I feel any land. When I returned home, I was shocked by its efficacy. I felt both invincible and cute—a heavenly combination.

Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. €38 may appear premium for a mosquito repellent. But this is not just repellent. It’s a nourishing cream, aromatic and lightweight, that also offers protection. At 100mL, it’s perfectly sized to be my ultimate travel companion.

If you want a nourishing body cream that smells delicious, leaves your skin glowing, and protects you naturally from mosquitoes, this is for you. I am officially Misaj’s biggest fan.