Why is avon skin so soft so amazing?

Jill just wants to know…I remember hearing that Avon Skin So Soft is not only an amazing moisturizer but it can also stop bugs from biting. Is this true?

The Left Brain replies:

Skin so soft is a great moisturizer that gives a smooth, dry feel to skin. That’s because it’s not a lotion – it’s a blend of mineral oil and esters that lubricates without being too wet or greasy.

Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil Ingredients

Mineral oil, isopropyl palmitate, dicapryl adipate, fragrance, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, BHT (to prevent oxidation) and carrot seed oil (source).

I think that the most amazing thing about this product is that for decades people have been convinced that it is an excellent mosquito repellent. Rumor had it that Skin So Soft was even better than products with DEET, the most effective active ingredient on the market. In fact so many people were buying SSS for this reason that Avon launched a companion product that contained a non- DEET active.

Ineffective insect repellent

Unfortunately, this urban legend has been thoroughly debunked by Snopes.com. They reported on a 2002 study that evaluated 17 nationally marketed mosquito products. The researchers found that the more DEET the products contained the better they worked. Off! Deep Woods kept the nasty buggers at bay for an average of 302 minutes. By comparison SSS only worked for 9.6 minutes.

You can read more at Snopes.com or you can read the original study in the New England Journal of Medicine, 4 July 2002 vol 347:13-18 Number 1.

What do YOU think? Have you used Skin So Soft? Or do you have your own favorite tricks to keep mosquitos away? Leave a comment and share the “buzz” with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.