Ever wonder what the difference is between antiperspirants and deodrants? Well, simply put, antiperspirants work to block or reduce sweating. Versus, deodrants are primarily designed to mask, reduce or absorb smell.
Let’s review, there are few different types of glands at play here. Namely eccrine glands which produce wetness and apocrine glands that produce scent. While eccrine glands are present almost universally on the body, apocrine glands are primarily found in the underarms, under breasts and in the groin.
When purchasing a product, there are a few main considerations. Is this an antiperspirant, a deodorant or both? What are the active ingredients? Do they actually work well enough for you?
First, let me state my bias, which I know is unpopular. I like an unscented clinical strength deodorant. I don’t like fancy smells and rarely even wear perfume. Second, I am not quite as intense on ingredients as some others may be. I never want to feel wet and sticky, let alone stinky, so I take my chances with the strong stuff. That said, here’s the facts.
Most antiperspirants contain aluminum as their active ingredient. Aluminum has been suggested to play a role in a number of disorders including Breast Cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Bone Disorders and kidney problems. The data on some of these “associations” is not the strongest science. Aluminum is widely found in our diet and other things we contact every day. Only you can decide if you feel safe with any aluminum exposure. Most science suggests that systemic effects of aluminum are very uncommon from limited topical use.
Aluminum works by causing a plug at the opening of the sweat gland preventing release of sweat. Simple as that. While there is an Rx topical that works by a different mechanism and is aluminum free, pretty much all other antiperspirants contain aluminum.
Deodorants on the other hand work by a totally different mechanisms. Deodorants often do three things: Absorb moisture, mask scent and kill bacteria. Many contain absorbing ingredients such as tapioca, corn starch, aluminum free baking soda, clay and charcoal. Scent control is done by a wide variety of perfumes and essential oils.
However, it is the bacteria killing portion that has the most clout. Most apocrine secretions do not have smell unless they are in contact with bacteria that break the secretions down and cause scent. So, it is apocrine secretions PLUS bacteria that are required to produce odor. For this reason, an antibacterial soap of any kind can be extremely helpful in these areas. Unfortunately, many years ago many antibacterial agents for soaps were removed from the market for complex reasons. Antibacterial ingredients that can safely be used for washing are low concentration benzoyl peroxide and chlorhexidine. Cerave acne foaming cream cleanser and Hibiclens are two products I commonly recommend to reduce bacteria. Of note, a newer deodorant “lume” uses mandelic acid which has some natural antibacterial effects as its main active ingredient.
So there you have it. If you are trying to avoid aluminum, check out the ingredients in the products you are using to find the one that provides the best combination of dryness and odor control.
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