People who use scented soaps may be more likely to get bitten by mosquitoes

New research suggests that soap may make humans more attractive to mosquitoes. Photo: AP.

The scientists behind the study - published in the journal iScience - point out that when not feeding, mosquitoes replenish their sugar levels with plant nectar.

Meanwhile, bathing with scented soap makes people smell both like flowers and like blood, described Clément Vinauger, head of research at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (USA).

“It’s like waking up and smelling something that smells like coffee and like baking. It’s very appealing,” he said.

However, the study also noted that different individuals using different soaps had different attractiveness to mosquitoes, possibly due to the interaction between the soap and each person's unique body odor.

“There are individuals who are extremely attractive to mosquitoes when they haven't showered, so when using a certain soap they can become more attractive to mosquitoes, but when using another soap they can also repel mosquitoes,” said Mr. Vinauger.

The study recruited four volunteers to send in fabric samples of sleeves they wore either unwashed or after washing with four different brands of detergent. The researchers observed the number of female mosquitoes that landed on the fabric samples to determine their preference.

Cloth was used instead of having volunteers put their hands in the mosquito containers, to eliminate the effects of exhaled CO2, another important cue that influences attractiveness to mosquitoes.

The scents of Dove, Dial, and Simple Truth soaps increased the attractiveness of some fabrics, but not all. Meanwhile, the scent of Native soap tended to repel mosquitoes.

Scientists believe that Native's relative mosquito-repellent properties may be related to the soap's coconut scent, as there is some evidence that coconut oil is a natural mosquito repellent.

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