Is picaridin bug spray safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about picaridin insect repellent during pregnancy?

1. Picaridin protects against flying insects, ticks, and chiggers, and a 10 to 20 percent preparation provides 6 to 12 hours of protection, appearing at least as effective against mosquitoes as DEET at similar concentrations. 1
2. Picaridin hasn't been studied in human pregnancy specifically, though when used as directed, only low amounts of repellent ingredients like it are expected to be absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. 1
3. In a two-year mass-use safety program that reached about 25,000 people in rural Cambodia, only 22 mild skin reactions, fewer than one in a thousand users, were linked to picaridin repellent use, and a woman who was pregnant during an accidental large exposure had no reported negative impact on her fetus or newborn. 2
4. One review found picaridin less effective than DEET against Aedes mosquitoes in at least one head-to-head test and noted that picaridin's safety information, especially for pregnancy, is less extensive, naming DEET as the repellent of choice for that reason. 3
5. A separate research review states that DEET and picaridin are both considered safe for use by pregnant and breastfeeding women, with picaridin tested at 10 to 20 percent concentrations providing protection comparable to DEET for up to 5 hours against Aedes aegypti specifically. 4

Is picaridin insect repellent safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. There's no trimester-specific restriction on picaridin. If you're traveling somewhere with mosquito-borne illness risk during the first trimester, protecting against infection is the bigger priority, and DEET carries the deeper pregnancy-specific safety record if you'd rather use the more-studied option.
• Second trimester. The same 10 to 20 percent concentration guidance applies. If you're spending more time outside as first-trimester fatigue eases, reapply according to the label instead of reaching for the strongest bottle on the shelf, since a higher concentration mostly extends wear time, not protection strength.
• Third trimester. Nothing about picaridin changes this late in pregnancy. Wash it off your skin with soap and water once you no longer need protection, and if you're also wearing sunscreen, put that on first and the repellent second.

Picaridin concentration and studied protection window