What Is Insect Shield?

Insect Shield exists to help protect you from insect bites. At the core of our brand is Insect Shield technology, a proprietary permethrin treatment bonded to fabric fibers that offers long-lasting repellency without changing the look, feel, or function of the items you wear and use outside.

For more than 25 years, Insect Shield has helped people add another layer of protection for time spent outdoors. Today, that includes clothing, gear, and accessories, services that let consumers send in their own clothes to be treated, and DIY options like Permethrin Spray for treating eligible clothing and gear.

How Insect Shield Technology Works

Here’s how the treatment goes from a proprietary formula to long-lasting repellency built into the finished item.

What makes Insect Shield unique is its proprietary bonding process, which allows repellency to stay on treated fabric for long-lasting use. Rather than requiring constant reapplication to apparel, the repellency is built into the item itself, lasting the expected lifetime of the item.

Insect Shield also stands apart by offering more than one way to get treated products, through finished apparel and gear, professional treatment services for clothing you already own, and DIY options for eligible clothing and gear.

Just as important, the brand has spent decades focused on helping people navigate the outdoors with more confidence, better information, and practical solutions designed for real-world use.

Three Ways to Add Insect Shield Protection

Choose ready-to-wear products, send us clothing you already own, or treat eligible clothing and gear at home.

Which Insects Does Insect Shield Repel?

The list of insects our technology repels is long. The EPA requires extensive effectiveness data to prove a product's ability to repel insects. Many species and varieties of these insects have been tested, including those that can carry dangerous diseases.

Commonly Asked Questions About Insect Shield

What is Insect Shield technology?

Insect Shield technology is a proprietary permethrin formula that bonds to fabric fibers, creating an effective, odorless insect protection layer that lasts the expected lifetime of apparel, up to 70 launderings. It is EPA-registered and USDA-tested.

How long has Insect Shield been around?

Insect Shield has been around for more than 25 years. Researchers began developing the process that creates Insect Shield® Repellent Apparel in 1996. Insect Shield LLC was formed in 2001.

What type of products does Insect Shield sell?

Insect Shield sells insect repellent clothing, including hats, shirts, pants, socks, and more. It also offers gear such as sleeping bag liners and mosquito nets. Consumers who want the benefits of permethrin on clothes they already own can send their items to Insect Shield to be treated and then returned.

What makes Insect Shield unique?

Insect Shield is unique in part because of its proprietary bonding process that creates long-lasting, odorless protection, and the business’s focus on global and consumer well-being in the face of disease-carrying insects.

How did permethrin originate, and what are its uses?

Permethrin has been used in the United States as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered active ingredient since 1977. It is used in lice treatments, flea products for dogs, and various other products, some of which are regulated by the FDA.

What are the benefits of Insect Shield vs. other forms of insect protection?

Insect Shield Repellent Apparel puts insect repellency near your skin, instead of on it, and the protection is invisible. The repellency is also long-lasting.

Is Insect Shield registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

Yes. Insect Shield Repellent Apparel is EPA-registered under Reg. No. 74843-2. Insect Shield Repellent Gear is EPA-registered under Reg. No. 74843-5.

What does EPA registration mean?

EPA registration involves a review of the product’s chemistry, application process, labeling, effectiveness data, and potential effects on people and the environment when used as directed.

Insect Shield Repellent Apparel was registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2003. The EPA accepted an amendment extending the durability claims of our apparel from 25 washes to 70 washes in 2006.

How long does Insect Shield last?

Insect Shield gear repellency remains effective through 6 months of exposure to weathering, or through 25 launderings for washable items. Insect Shield clothing repellency lasts up to 70 washings. This is confirmed in our EPA registration. It is well beyond the life of most performance fabric finishes. Insect Shield products also have a long shelf life. Treated garments stored for ten years have shown no loss of repellent effectiveness.

Is Insect Shield an environmentally responsible option?

Insect Shield is designed to be a more environmentally responsible addition to personal insect protection by putting a small amount of long-lasting permethrin where it’s needed: on clothing and gear. The active ingredient is tightly bonded to fabric fibers, helping it stay in the product through its expected life rather than needing frequent reapplication.

The Insect Shield process is also designed to be clean, efficient, and contained, with no loss of active ingredient into the environment or wastewater management.

How should I wash Insect Shield clothing?

For items that can be washed, normal home laundering is recommended. Insect Shield repellent clothes can be bleached, starched, pressed, etc., without effect on the repellent quality; however, they should not be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning removes some of the active ingredients from the apparel, which reduces the insect repellent quality.

Does the product have an odor?

Insect Shield Repellent Apparel feels and smells the same as other clothing.

Why does the Insect Shield label say “dispose of in trash after use?”

This indicates that Insect Shield products can be simply deposited in the trash and require no special disposal process. Eventually, the repellency becomes exhausted through wearing and laundering.

Can Insect Shield products be used around cats?

Insect Shield technology is used in a wide assortment of pet products including beds, blankets, cots, gaiters, bandanas, and apparel items.

While permethrin can be harmful to cats in liquid form, Insect Shield repellency is tightly bound to fabric fibers in minimal amounts. Use all products according to their labels.