What are the most annoying pests when you’re living in Australia? You might be surprised to hear it’s not spiders. It’s not even snakes. It might surprise you that it is actually MOSQUITOES!
Mosquitoes are a pain! I count myself very lucky that they don’t really bite me often, and if they do I just get a slight itch and it’s gone, so I’ve never really hunted for the best mosquito repellents before we moved to Australia. It turns out they eat my husband and two of our kids alive though! They have the type of skin that reacts to the bites and swells up and itches and causes them to be up in agony scratching all night long so I’ve seen first hand how painful mosquitoes can be for a lot of people. Now that we live somewhere with so many insects, we need to think about mozzie repellent and bug sprays on a regular basis.
This year, we also got a dog which means we take him out for walks late in the evening when there are lots of mosquitoes around, so it has been more important than ever to search for the best outdoor mosquito repellent in Australia so the rest of the family can join me on our walks without being eaten alive!
Incidentally, I’d be more than happy wearing any of the products mentioned in this post as an inside mosquito repellent too (if that is something you’re looking for!). Unlike the chemical mosquito repellents that catch your throat, the ones I’ve mentioned below smell pleasant so they can be worn inside or outside. We have fly screens on our home and don’t really get them in our house so this article is really focusing on mosquito repellents for outdoors as that is when my kids and hubby get bitten.
Want to find the best zinc sunscreen brand in Australia? Read the post here!
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that I love discovering Australian brands that have a strong story to share and that have a purpose behind them. I love to champion natural products that are sustainable and don’t harm the planet (you can read more about my values over on my values and vision page). My husband always chooses a DEET, chemical-laden outdoor mosquito repellent but I hate putting these chemical mozzie sprays on my kids. This post was inspired as I wanted to search for the best mosquito repellent for kids that contained natural ingredients and no nasties. I wanted to discover a bug spray or insect repellent for kids that could be applied easily, that wouldn’t be filled with harsh chemicals and that would actually work like the DEET mosquito repellent my husband keeps buying!
I should also add, if you’re looking for an insect repellent for babies or to use if you’re pregnant make sure you read up on the products carefully. Even some of the essential oil bug sprays and balms can have an age limit on them and they aren’t all suitable for use during pregnancy so double check things to make sure they’re safe before you use them.
Table of Contents
Choosing the best mosquito repellent Australia has to offer
There are a few things you need to know when you’re looking for the best mosquito repellent to use outdoors in Australia.
DEET and picaridin are the best-known ingredients in bug repellent sprays and mosquito protection lotions. These are tried and tested and they are effective at preventing bites. There are plant-derived alternatives that are considered safe to use but they aren’t always as effective as the chemical alternatives. It may mean you need to reapply your natural essential oil mosquito repellent more frequently than if you used a DEET mosquito repellent. It may also mean that you want to consider all options if you’re heading to a destination where mosquito-born diseases are prominent. This post is an opinion piece and isn’t medical advice. Please do your own research and follow professional medical advice carefully.
Another really important thing to highlight is that not all of the products I’ve tried can legally be called ‘mosquito repellents’. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is in control of assessing products such as mosquito repellents, natural bug sprays, mosquito repellent bands, candles and coils to ensure they are safe and effective. Being assessed and scientifically tested by this body incurs a fee and some of the products I’ve trialled for this post are small operators, some of them handmaking the products in small batches. I mention which products are APVMA approved in the content.
Why choose a natural mozzie repellent over a chemical insect repellent?
There are many reasons why somebody chooses an essential oils mosquito repellent or a natural mosquito repellent over a DEET insect repellent. I know a lot of people whose skin reacts to the chemical mosquito repellents. I also know lots of people who prefer to use more natural products because they would rather not apply chemicals to their skin. Another reason people have told me is that they hate the smell and taste of a DEET insect spray – even when you apply it as an outdoor mosquito repellent you can still get a backdraft of the smell and taste in your mouth let alone when you apply it indoors without ventilation!
The aim of this post about the best outdoor mosquitor repellents in Australia is just to showcase some of the Australian natural bug sprays on the market and to let you know what the products are like to use. I haven’t done a scientific study or compared them with a DEET version. I’ve just trialled them at the park, on bike rides, on walks and around the garden and deck and I’ve used them in places where there are lots of mosquitos to see how they’d work for us as a family.
In the interests of transparency, I was gifted many of these products to try them out for this article. The brands don’t have any input in the content of this article, and all opinions are my own.
This article about the best natural insect repellent Australia contains affiliate links
How to avoid getting bitten in the first place: Tips to use alongside your outdoor insect repellent products
The first piece of advice to begin with when it comes to choosing the best mosquito repellent is this: do what you can to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes in the first place! I know it sounds obvious but there are a few simple things you can do to avoid mosquito bites when you’re outdoors (and this is even more helpful than choosing the right outdoor insect repellent products!). Prevention is always far better than the cure! Check out these simple mosquito deterrent techniques (as well as wearing an outside insect repellent):
Cover up
Exposed skin can be bitten so wear long sleeves and long trousers. Apparently, wearing lighter colours also helps as mosquitoes are likely to be more drawn to you in dark clothing.
Avoid dawn and dusk
Avoid being out in the evenings if you can, and if you know a place has a lot of mosquitoes – avoid going there when you know they’re going to be particularly bad. We now avoid walking by a local pond in the evenings as it’s a way for us to prevent mosquito bites.
Wear shoes and socks
My kids often get bitten around their feet and ankles, so wearing shoes and socks definitely helps prevent mosquito bites in those itchy places.
Avoid standing water
Mosquitoes breed in still water, whether that is containers left in your garden, ponds, lakes or swamps. Avoid these areas if you can.
Love big days out to the beach? Learn about the best beach wagon in Australia here
As you can see from the photo, I truly exhausted our kids by taking them to the park and forcing them to play endless soccer and frisbee while we were doing the road test of the best outdoor mosquito repellents in Australia!
On the hunt for the best outdoor mosquito repellent in Australia or the best natural bug spray?
We decided it was about time that we tried a number of different insect sprays in an effort to discover the best outdoor mosquito repellent. Australia, it seems, is best-known for its scary wildlife like spiders and snakes even though you don’t see these that often but mosquitoes are a daily pest that really can be frustrating for people who get badly bitten. If you’re one of those people, I hope you enjoy reading about our experiences as we tried out a number of different natural mozzie repellents and essential oil insect repellents, sprays and bug balms just for you.
NoBites™ Insect Repellent
>> Check out NoBites Insect Repellent on Nourished Life
>> Check out NoBites Junior Insect Repellent on Nourished Life
This DEET-Free plant-based insect repellent was created to improve the quality of life for families that love the great outdoors. I love that they have a clear vision: To provide a safer alternative: An insect repellent free of harmful chemicals.
Their products are vegan and are kind to the planet, and their focus is very much on adding something to our lives rather than taking something away. It’s an Australia-owned and Australia-made bug repellent. They offer two versions of insect spray: NoBites™ Insect Repellent and NoBites™ Junior Insect repellent.
The products ward off a range of flying insects that you might encounter outdoors such as mosquitoes, sandflies and midges. The active ingredient is Citriodiol which camouflages your smell from biting insects. NoBites™ products are APVMA approved and backed by Centres for Disease Control (CDC) & World Health Organisation (WHO). They’re also dermatologically tested.
Our verdict:
All five of us wore NoBites to walk around Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (where there are lots of trees and some lakes), for an evening game of tennis and on a few trips to our parks where there are usually lots of mosquitoes.
The NoBites™ mosquito spray came out in a fairly fine mist and dried quite quickly on our skin in a few seconds without it feeling at all sticky. It smelled natural and not unpleasant, and didn’t catch the back of our throats like the chemical sprays can. The packaging is a plastic bottle with a plastic lid.
NoBites worked really well for us and it repelled the mosquitoes. The kids wore the Junior version and Matt and I wore the adult version. The bottles say it works for up to six hours (for mosquitoes, midges and sandflies) and up to four hours for ticks, but we were out for longer than that sometimes and it gave us excellent protection without us reapplying it and we didn’t get any bites.
The bottles come in 100ml sizes and were easy to carry around in my handbag (although I did keep losing the lids when they were in my bag as they’d get knocked off so they didn’t click on very tightly).
We liked that the products were APVMA approved and they were well-tested – it gave us confidence in the products (this also helped me persuading my husband away from his usual DEET sprays).
This one won my husband over – it was his favourite choice out of those that we tested. We all really liked the products too.
>> Check out NoBites Insect Repellent on Nourished Life
>> Check out NoBites Junior Insect Repellent on Nourished Life
Perfect Potion Outdoor Bug Spray Natural Insect Repellent
Perfect Potion’s Outdoor Bug Spray is made in Australia entirely from plant-based, natural ingredients, including citronella, tea tree, peppermint, eucalyptus and niaouli. It has been scientifically tested to WHO standards, repelling 98.5% of mosquitoes on application. It is approved by APVMA and is vegan-friendly.
Perfect Potion’s aim is to embrace the healing benefits of aromatherapy while producing quality products that adhere to strict organic, natural and cruelty-free standards. I love that their business is centred around us taking responsibility for the world in which we live and embracing a holistic approach to our wellbeing.
Our verdict:
The Perfect Potion Outdoor Body Spray came out in a very fine mist which dried in a second on my skin. There was no stickiness at all and other than the fresh, pleasant scent it wasn’t easy to tell I was wearing it as it felt so light on my skin.
It comes in a plastic bottle that has the symbol on it to show it was made from recycled materials, and it has a plastic lid that clicked tightly in place (and stayed on, even in my bag). I really liked the design of the bottle – it was very clear and easy to read.
We wore this product to go out to the park a number of times and our local two parks have a lot of mosquitoes. We went with bare legs and arms to give it a proper test. We saw lots of mosquitoes around us, but they didn’t land or bite – they just hovered around and didn’t try to land on us. My kids enjoyed wearing this product as it was such a fine mist that dried instantly and they enjoyed the smell.
We liked that it was approved by APVMA.
If I had to choose, I would say, this was my favourite product of those that we tested (although it was very close as I liked quite a few of them almost equally!). I enjoyed the scent and liked how fine the mist spray was to apply plus I liked the branding and the fact I could see what was left in the bottle (so I’d know when to reorder some more – some of the other bottles were fully labelled which made it difficult to see what was left).
>> Shop for Perfect Potion on Amazon
Natural Patch Co Buzz Patch and Magic Patch
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>> Buy a set of Magic Patches and Buzz Patches in Australia here
>> Order Magic Patches and Buzz patches from other countries here
For this test, we tried two of the Natural Patch Co’s signature products – one offering mosquito repellent (Buzz Patch) and the other offering bite relief (Magic Patch). They also sell all kinds of other patches including emotional, sleep and wellness stickers so you might want to check those out too!
Buzz Patch review
Natural Patch Co’s Buzz Patch uses essential oils via adhesive patches that you place on your kids’ clothes (not on their skin). They’re really sticky, so won’t fall off while your kids are outside playing. The Buzz Patch creates a virtual shield to protect your kids from mosquitoes and the great thing is the patches last for at least 12 hours (and their website says for 72 hours) so they’re great for sending to school or kindy (providing your child is old enough that they won’t try to pull the sticker off and put it in their mouth). I also think they’d be great for your primary kids at school camps as they’re easy for them to just stick on their t-shirt and they’re good to go.
The smell is quite strong but pleasant enough – it was much more powerful than I expected from a sticker.
We tried these out on lots of night walks to look at the Christmas lights over the last few weeks, and we’ve all avoided bites so I’d say they get a big thumbs up from me although we haven’t had too many mosquitoes around this summer so I’m keen to try them at the park when they are in full swing. For us, we just wore one sticker each but if you need to, you can add more stickers to your clothes to give you better protection.
They’re really best for kids aged up to about 12, as my 13yo boys felt a bit too cool for school to want to wear a smiley sticker when they were out seeing their friends. Our 10yo loved them though and found them so easy to pop on as we went for our evening dog walk. She is the one in the family who usually suffers the most with mozzie bites as she is allergic and her bites usually swell up terribly giving us all (OK, giving me!) sleepless nights…But now we have the Magic Patch to the rescue!
Magic Patch review
The Magic Patch is a crisscross patch that you place over a mosquito bite. The grid-shaped patch creates a tiny lift in the skin which helps drain the lymphatic system to release biochemicals that cause the itch sensation.
We’ve literally tried everything to ease her bites in the past, and I usually end up resorting to antihistamine medicine and panadol as her bites get so sore and swollen. It has been such a problem for us since we moved to Australia. BUT no more! I’ve been really impressed with the Magic Patch. It really works!
You apply one patch on a mozzie bite, and you can leave it in place for a few days (it can stay in place for up to 7 days). We found that as soon as her bite was covered with the patch, the itching calmed down instantly and by the time she removed the patch a couple of days later, the bite had calmed right down to almost nothing.
The patches were very sticky and our daughter isn’t the best at peeling off plasters herself. She did find it difficult removing one on her neck (as it’s a delicate area and that particular bite was already quite swollen before we applied it) but she was happy to remove the ones on her legs and arms herself when we tried it again. So there wasn’t too much discomfort in removing them which is another important factor with patches and children!
Tips: Make sure you apply the patch quickly when you first notice the bite – not after it has been scratched to death!
Overall verdict:
I’ll definitely send her to school with a Buzz Patch on at times when mosquitoes are bad (as her school is by a lake where it can be a real problem at various times of the year) to keep the mosquitoes away. And I’ll also send her back to school with a pack of Magic Patches in her school bag so she has the tools to fix up her own bites if they happen when I’m not around. This has been a regular issue for us as teachers never take her bites seriously as they don’t realise how bad her reaction can be and by the time she comes home, the bite has swollen and turned into a much bigger problem. This is a winning product for me and one that will be forever be in my handbag from now on.
>> Buy a set of Magic Patches and Buzz Patches in Australia here
>> Order Magic Patches and Buzz patches from other countries here
Lemon Myrtle Fragrances Insect Repellents
>> Shop for Lemon Myrtle Insect Repellents on Nourished Life
Lemon Myrtle Fragrances sent me two of their products to try: Natural Tropical Strength Mozzie and Sandfly Repellent and Lemon Myrtle Fragrances Natural Insect Repellent.
I love their brand – it’s a small, family-owned business where they focus on natural, sustainable products using 100% Australian lemon myrtle essential oil and other Australian native botanical oils. Their products aren’t tested on animals and they are APVMA approved. The sprays also double up as antibacterial and antiseptic – for years Aboriginal peoples have been using lemon myrtle as a remedy for cuts and abrasions.
Our verdict:
When the product arrived in the post, even the box they came in smelled zesty so I knew what it was before I even opened it! The kids were particularly attracted to these two bottles as they were the most colourful bottles of those we tried (the Natural Insect Repellent has a vibrant yellow label and the Mozzie and Sandfly Repellent, orange).
The Natural Insect Repellent went on with a slightly heavier spray than the others above and it took a few seconds for it to dry naturally. My kids mostly just gave it a wipe to rub it into their skin as they were impatient. The Mozzie and Sandfly Repellent came out with a thicker, more focused spray so that needed a quick wipe to rub it over the skin. The smell was fresh and zesty with a slightly antiseptic scent – the kids really liked it which is half the battle with getting kids to wear things like mosquito and insect repellents!
The natural mozzie repellent bottles are made of plastic with plastic lids that clicked on tightly (so they didn’t fall off in my bag). The bottle says to dispose of them with your household waste. I love that these bottles come in a smaller 125ml or a larger 250ml option. It means you can have a handbag size version for taking around with you and have a bigger bottle for days out and picnics.
Mosquitoes definitely avoided us at the park when we were wearing these products. They hovered around our hands and arms but they didn’t land on any of us.
Two of my kids preferred these products to the others and I think that was mainly down to the smell. They didn’t mind the product coming out in a slightly heavier spray than some of the others. I really like that these products also offer that antibacterial and antiseptic quality too as that gives them a duel purpose (especially when applying to kids’ skin where they have existing mozzie bites that are sore).
>> Shop for Lemon Myrtle Insect Repellents on Nourished Life
wanderlightly Bug Balm
wanderlightly is another brand that I absolutely love as they’re doing so much to care for our environment. I love everything they stand for! Their big vision is to empower and inspire others to reduce their plastic footprint and they run DIY workshops and create ethical products to support our daily lifestyle. You can tell this brand came out of a passion to do good in the world.
This isn’t a huge brand with APVMA approval – it’s small batch made products that are handmade in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Ingredients are soothing blends of organic butters and oils blended with essential oils. There are no nasty chemicals, no parabens, no talcs or palm oils and they’re vegan and cruelty-free. Wanderlightly donates 5% of all sales to conservation initiatives.
Our verdict:
Of all the products, this was the one that had the kids the most excited and that was down to the packaging and type of product. Unlike the others which were sprays, this bug balm was a stick that you push up and rub on. It smelled delicious and rubbed on beautifully and the kids would fight over whose turn it was to try it (as we rotated who was testing which outdoor mosquito repellent on different outings).
I adore the style of the packaging – it’s ethical and kind. The cardboard tube is made from 100% recycled paper and it’s biodegradable. This was the only cardboard version of all of those that I tried, and it was really refreshing to have a product without any plastic involved. For me, this was a big reason why I fell in love with this brand.
I wore the Bug Balm a number of times on walks along a shady cycle track and didn’t get any bites. My son wore it on a day when the mozzies were particularly fierce at the park and later on when we got home he found some bites under his shirt (no idea how the mozzies got him there but he’s one of my family members that get bitten badly so they obviously were determined to get him). They hadn’t bitten him around his wrists or ankles where he’d applied this balm though.
I guess the pros of this are that I love the brand and what it stands for so much (plus the fact they donate 5% of all sales to good causes). It’s a product that I really enjoy applying and wearing as I love the scent and the feel of it on my skin. The cardboard tube wouldn’t last forever though (especially if carrying it around in your handbag all the time) but then for me that is still a positive as I prefer knowing the product packaging won’t be around for hundreds of years! It’s something to buy, use, love and then replace knowing you aren’t harming the planet in the process.
I will definitely wear this one on a regular basis as I love it and I enjoy applying it to my wrists before I go out for a walk or run. For me, this was a close favourite with Perfect Potion because I just love it, and I know that I’ll go on to buy other things from wanderlightly as I adore their brand.
Urthly Organics Bug Off Body Spray
Championing eco-friendly, handmade skincare, Urthly products are vegan-friendly, made in Australia using recyclyed packaging and they are certified palm oil-free. This small Australian brand creates sustainable products using essential oils and environmentally-friendly ingredients. I love how the brand grew from the founder, Julie, buying a book about how to make aromatherapy soap and it evolved into a market stall and then a full-time business, with Julie’s mum joining in creating the artwork for the packaging. It’s a proper family business and a really inspiring story of somebody following their dreams – I absolutely LOVE it!
Urthly sells all kinds of delicious-looking products that are kind to your skin and to the environment. I love supporting small brands like this as they have such passion behind them and they’re really striving to encourage us to live more sustainable lives. They have lots of different products for sale in their shop. Their soaps, in particular, look divine and almost good enough to eat!
To me, it’s like having access to a handmade market stall online and you just know all of their products are going to smell amazing when they arrive.
Our verdict:
The Bug Off spray came out in a fine mist and dried instantly. The scent reminded me of spa days with my mum at our favourite day spa in England (they had an aromatherapy steam room that smelled just like this!) I really enjoyed wearing it – it didn’t make me feel like I was spraying on an insect deterrent at all – it felt uplifting as though I was applying some essential oil scents! It’s absolutely something I’d be very happy to wear inside or outside.
I love the metal spray tin the product comes in – it means it can be carried and thrown around without damaging it (I have three kids, remember!) The plastic lid clicks on tightly (so it doesn’t fall off in my bag). The product can also be used on horses or dogs too (but not cats) so it’s useful for those of you with animals that suffer from bites too.
For my gang, it was a very easy product to use and very practical for us going out and about. It was a smaller bottle (it still held 100ml like some of the others but the bottle was smaller) making it a super handy size for my handbag. I love the packaging design – it was very clean and clear and I really liked the earthy-style artwork on the label.
We tested it on a few trips to our local park where there are usually lots of mozzies around and we didn’t get any bites even though we saw lots of them flying around us. They hovered but didn’t land on our bare skin.
I really liked this product for its scent and the compact, hard-wearing bottle plus the fact that it’s handmade using essential oils. This one was my daughter’s favourite product as she liked the smell the best. It’s one that I’ll be buying again, for sure!
A few other brands of natural insect repellent worth considering
I haven’t tried these myself but these are a few other brands on the market that you could try…
Biologika Bug Another Insect Repellent Spray
Protect your family’s skin from the sun: Learn about choosing a beach shade here.
Have you thought about a mosquito band or mosquito repellent bracelet?
I haven’t yet road-tested any mosquito band brands, but something to consider is choosing a mosquito repellent bracelet that can be refilled and reused rather than the ones that you wear for a few days and throw away. You can buy cheap throw-away mosquito bands but try to think sustainably where you can with a reusable anti mosquito bracelet.
You could try a brand like Para’kito mosquito band. I love how bright and vibrant these mosquito repellent bands are – I know my kids would be very happy wearing them as they just look like fashion accessories rather than mozzie bands.
>> Shop for PARA’Kito refillable mosquito wristbands on Amazon Australia
My favourite shops for buying natural skincare products including bug sprays and natural mosquito repellents
I don’t generally shop for natural skincare products in stores anymore as I find there is a much wider variety online. My two favourite shops for buying natural products online are…
Nourished Life
Nourished Life is Australia’s trusted one-stop shop for all-natural clean beauty, health and fitness products. They offer a wide range of natural bug spray and bug balm options as well as bite treatments (and it’s just as important that you stock up on mosquito bite remedies too for those occasions when you do get bitten).
>> Shop at Nourished Life <<
Biome Eco Stores
Biome is an eco-friendly store that can help you live a low toxin life.
>> Shop at Biome <<
Our overall verdict: Did we find the best outdoor mosquito repellent Australia has to offer?
Yes and no! To be honest, I don’t think it’s fair to name a single product as the best insect repellent in Australia with natural ingredients from those we tested as there are so many variables when you’re choosing the best mozzie repellent and we each liked different products for different reasons. These are some things to consider when looking for the best outdoor mosquito repellent:
How do you feel about plastic packaging with your insect spray? Do you mind if the bug repellent container or the lid is plastic?
What type of scent do you prefer for your natural bug repellent?
Do you mind a product that takes a few minutes to sink in or do you want one with a fine mist that dries immediately?
Are you looking for a large, family-sized bottle or a smaller handbag-sized bottle for your Australian mosquito repellent?
Do you prefer to support a small company that makes products by hand?
Are you looking for a natural bug spray product that is APVMA approved?
Does it matter to you if the company donates a percentage of sales to good causes?
Are you looking for a vegan-friendly mosquito repellent?
Are you looking for the best mosquito repellent for your yard in Australia, or do you want something you can use indoors that doesn’t smell too heavy?
There are so many things to consider when choosing your Australian mosquito repellent.
I loved the very fine mist spray of the Perfect Potion Outdoor Body Spray as it sank in immediately, I liked how long the NoBites seemed to last so long on our big day out, I liked the zesty scent and antibacterial and antiseptic qualities of the Lemon Myrtle products, I loved the handy little metal tin and the scent of the Urthly Organics Bug Off and I adored the wanderlightly Bug Balm for its sustainable packaging and how it felt to apply the balm to my skin. All of the products seemed to hold up on our trips out to the park – we did many tests where we sat at the picnic table with all of our arms out and watched the mozzies hovering around but not actually landing on the areas we’d applied the repellents. The Natural Co Buzz Patches were really convenient to apply and worked well, so they get a thumbs up too. (My favourite item of all has to be the Magic Patch bite relief stickers though as I feel like it has saved my sleep and my sanity now we have a solution for my daughter’s bites – but technically this post is about repellents not bite relief!))
I don’t think it’s fair to name one of them the BEST insect bug spray on the market. They all got a thumbs up from us for different reasons!
I can now say that I’m a convert and won’t be buying DEET products – I don’t like how they smell, I don’t like how sticky and heavy the lotions make my skin feel or how the smell of the aerosol sprays catch the back of my throat even if I’m using it as an outdoor insect repellent – I never seem to be able to escape the smell. After this test, even my hubby is now a convert too (and for me that is a huge win as I honestly didn’t think I’d turn him around as he was such a fan of DEET insect repellents!)
I hope this article about the best outdoor mosquito repellent Australia has to offer has introduced you to some new brands of natural insect repellents and bug sprays that you hadn’t heard of before so you can go out and support some awesome, eco-friendly Australian brands.
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