Kao Corporation, a Japanese chemical/cosmetics giant, announces plans for a full-scale project from February 2022. To reduce the impact of diseases (e.g. mosquito-borne dengue fever) through its original developed products.

For starters, the company will donate 6.5 million Thai baht (=around USD 193.76K) and distribute 80,000 of its products to Thailand.

With global warming, mosquitoes are expanding their habitat and increasing their interaction with humans as transport networks develop. Malaria, Zika fever, dengue fever…the risk of various mosquito-borne diseases are rising.

Mosquitoes carry infectious diseases that make them “the world’s deadliest animals”. Dengue fever, for example, is a long-standing social problem affecting many countries in Southeast Asia.

To prevent these infections, avoiding mosquito bites in the first place is crucial.

Until now, people in Southeast Asia and other countries used insect repellents regularly and clothing covering the skin to avoid those bites.

However, Kao research found that 80% of people in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, where mosquito-borne diseases occur all year round, are bitten by mosquitoes almost every day.

This led Kao to research non-traditional solutions to prevent risks caused by mosquitoes, focusing on the microscopic structure of mosquitoes’ feet.
In December last year, Kao announced a technology that can prevent mosquitoes from staying on the skin and prevent them sucking blood by applying a low-viscosity silicone oil.

Kao: Uncomfortable skin surface for mosquitoes 1

In the case of water or glycerin, the liquid remains as droplets and doesn’t wet or spread on the mosquito’s leg. But when it comes into contact with squalane or low-viscosity silicone oil (substances also used in skincare products) the droplets will quickly spread and wet the mosquito’s leg. This creates a pulling force on the mosquito’s leg. Although the force is not high, it is enough to scare the small-light mosquitoes to fly away.

Tests conducted by Kao reveal that, on average, 96% of mosquitoes fly away without sucking blood.

They will release the new product “Biore GUARD Mos Block Serum” in Thailand. And the company aims to achieve its mission of Save Future Lives by protecting the skin.

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