Doing physical labor—such as that on a farm—is grueling. Exhaustion is just one element of the job. Adding on physical heat, dirt, grime, and worst of all, bugs, makes the job even more challenging.
But a North Carolina farmer has a solution to keep the bugs away, making the job at least slightly easier. In a Facebook Reel that received more than 47,000 likes, a man working at Long Family Farms, located in “Northeastern North Carolina,” shared an incredibly helpful life hack for dealing with buffalo gnats.
The secret? Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance perfume.
“ If you live anywhere in the world that has gnats, you know that there’s absolutely no defense against them. DEET doesn’t work, Off doesn’t work, the no-natz spray doesn’t work, the dryer sheet in your hat trick doesn’t work, nothing. There’s absolutely no defense except Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance,” the man said.
He told his audience that the only bad part was that “ You’re gonna smell like an out-of-work adult entertainer.” But he promised it would work.
Why does Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance Work Against Insects?
While Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance might seem like a strange bug repellent, there is actually some science as to why it could help keep gnats away.
For one, the amber and vanilla notes in the scent mask certain smells that attract insects. Newsweek, which published an article about vanilla’s strange ability to ward off creepy crawlers, spoke with Nicole Carpenter, a pest expert and CEO of Black Pest Prevention.
Carpenter told the publication that “alternative repellents usually include natural extracts and oils that have a pungent odor and thus repel insects. Popular options include oils of lemon eucalyptus and citronella, but vanilla extract can also act as an alternative repellent.”
In short, products containing vanilla extract may have a special ability to assist with insect repellent.
Is This a Common Hack?
The content creator, then, may be onto something when it comes to Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance. But what about the rest of the company’s products?
Victoria’s Secret has actually been studied for its use as an insect repellent. Researchers at Texas A&M, for instance, tested whether Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Perfume was effective at warding off Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus), a type of mosquito.
The result? “DEET was observed to prevent the most Aedes aegypti bites whereas the perfume did not prevent as many but did prevent more than the arms with nothing on,” the publication concluded.
In situations involving gnats, Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance may actually be more effective. Country Roads Magazine wrote about the Amber Romance hack, saying that “One whiff [of the perfume] and the gnats vanish like a cheap hotel room during spring break.” By contrast, the Illinois Department of Public Health said that “DEET-containing repellents that deter mosquitoes are much less effective at repelling black flies and have even been reported to attract the flies.”
So, if you’re in an area that’s infested with black gnats in the summer months, it may be worth investing in a bottle of Victoria’s Secret Amber Romance perfume. Your day-to-day labors might just be easier.
Subplot News reached out to Long Family Farms via Facebook direct message and Victoria’s Secret via email for comment.
