Misconceptions and facts: What should be considered when choosing a deodorant
Text: Karina Sembe
Buying consumer goods, we get used to trust them by default, and often do not even think about exactly what we use every day. At the same time, there are many speculations and prejudices for almost any reason - you just have to dig a little Internet. We decided to sort out this seemingly obvious thing, like deodorants and antiperspirants, so that we could finally consciously choose the right one. Moreover, the heat is not far off.
How does a deodorant differ from antiperspirant?
The action of deodorants is aimed at combating odor, and antiperspirants are designed to reduce sweating. To understand how this works, you have to go a little deeper into the anatomy of the armpits.
There are two types of sweat glands on the skin: eccrine and apocrine. Their work is activated during puberty, and most of these glands are concentrated in the armpits. Eccrine glands serve to cool the surface of the skin in the heat. They excrete water and salt and are not directly related to the appearance of an unpleasant odor. The apocrine sweat glands are to blame for this: together with this, they remove fats and proteins from the cells of our body, which, on reaching the surface of the skin, react with bacteria and cause the very smell that we fight.
The composition of deodorants, as a rule, there is nothing that could pacify the apocrine glands. Deodorants work to suppress the smell: they create a salty or acidic environment on the skin in which bacteria are not able to exist, or they strike on them with the help of antibacterial components. Most antiperspirant manufacturers, too, "just in case" add substances to their products that prevent the growth of bacteria, but antiperspirants act in a different way - they make us sweat less. Components like aluminum and zirconium block the sweat glands in the armpits and thus deprive the bacteria of nutrients. Both deodorants and antiperspirants are available in various forms - from sticks and gels to sprays and napkins.
Can the components in the composition of the deodorant harm to health
The desire to smell not the way nature has disposed may have its consequences for the organism, although it is difficult to say which ones it’s hard to say - scientists are still arguing about it. Most worrying is the potential link between the use of antiperspirants and the occurrence of breast cancer, discovered by a number of scientists. For example, Dr. Phillip Darbre argues that the active substances in antiperspirants, in particular aluminum, probably lead to DNA mutations, causing uncontrolled growth of damaged cells in the area of application, that is, in close proximity to the mammary glands. But such statements are refuted by many medical and research organizations due to lack of factual evidence.
However, apparently, aluminum in antiperspirants is still not harmless. On the packaging of cosmetics containing this component, you can see the label calling to consult a doctor before use in case you have kidney problems. Large amounts of aluminum can really harm people with renal dysfunction, so we do not recommend taking risks in such matters.
As for the notorious parabens, their harm to health is a much more controversial issue. In 2004, in a study group of scientists from the Department of Cytology and Molecular Biology of the University of Reading in the UK, parabens were found in 18 out of 20 samples of tissues of cancers of the mammary glands, while the study did not prove that it was parabens that provoked the appearance of these tumors.
In general, much of the information regarding the detrimental effects of deodorants on health is not supported by a sufficient amount of factual evidence, or even based on assumptions. On this occasion, JNCI, the journal of the US National Cancer Research Institute, even published an article entitled "Can rumors cause cancer?". In any case, what rumors to believe and what risk to take, everyone decides for himself. Want to be safe - buy deodorants without parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, aluminum and zirconium: let their protection from sweat be less reliable, but you will sleep well.
Who should use special deodorants and antiperspirants
On the market there are so-called clinical deodorants, they are prescribed to people with increased sweating, otherwise called hyperhidrosis. Such deodorants often contain up to 20-25% of aluminum, so discuss with your doctor all the pros and cons before you buy. Clinical deodorants are usually applied overnight: while you are sleeping, the active ingredients regulate the work of the sweat glands and prevent the proliferation of bacteria.
Hypoallergenic deodorants are also popular - they are tested for the most common types of allergic reactions. This deodorant is suitable for people with sensitive skin prone to burns and rashes. Anyway, if you often have an allergy to deodorants, you should not buy hypoallergenic versions blindly - it is important to understand what exactly the components cause you intolerance.
How to start choosing a deodorant
Many of us out of habit use the same type or even brand of deodorant, which we have become attached to since our youth, although the choice is now much wider than the odorous spray vs neutral stick or “ball”. In addition, there are creams, powders and even crystals - we will tell you more about their features and differences and advise which one is better to choose.
Moreover, in the world of deodorants there is also the inevitable capitalist division into a luxury and mass market. Secondly, we are not too deliberately sticking in supermarkets somewhere between laundry detergent and toilet paper, rather, succumbing to advertising activity of manufacturers (thanks to which names like Rexona in order to pacify the armpits have become almost as common as xerox). Deodorants can be found in almost any perfume line of giants from Dior to Guerlain, and antiperspirants produce most of the pharmacy brands like Avène or Klorane.
First, decide on your needs - it’s worth choosing not so much for the price as for the principle of operation and composition of ingredients. Simply put, someone can easily do a deodorant with a fragrance in the tone of your favorite perfume, and someone will need a long-running video Vichy, blocking sweating for 72 hours.
Photo: 1, 2, 3 via Shutterstock