This article investigates the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant, the dangers of modern antiperspirants, and suggests solutions that may have a significant effect on the quality of your life.
Chances are you care about your underarms staying dry and smelling clean. But would you believe advertisements are what duped humans into believing they need deodorants and antiperspirants to navigate life? And mainstream brands have put our lives in jeopardy by doing so.
About 100 years ago, pit sticks were relatively new inventions, but today the underarm industry has exploded into a $22 billion world market, according to Euromonitor, a market research provider. Sales in the United States total roughly $3.3 billion.
Sweating is a result of the body attempting to cool itself off when there is either an internal or external increase in temperature. The unpleasant odor is actually a byproduct of bacteria that feed on sweat-gland secretions. In fact, most “corporate sponsors” don’t mention that eating clean foods can positively affect your smell, which makes an investment in higher-quality chow the safest option for maintaining underarm hygiene.
But the question is, as you peruse the toiletries shelf at your local pharmacy, how do you keep up your morning routine without inadvertently killing yourself? And, to answer that, we must first look at the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant; both deal with B.O. problems, but they do so in completely different ways.
The Difference Between Deodorant and Antiperspirant
What is Deodorant?
Deodorants contain warmth and moisture activated ingredients that kill the bacteria responsible for causing unpleasant odors; they also contain perfumes to mask stinky smells. They do not interfere with or stop the sweating process. Ingredients called “fragrances” can be any number of harmful chemicals manufacturers are not legally required to list on a product’s packaging, according to the Environmental Working Group.
What is Antiperspirant?
How does antiperspirant work, in contrast? Well, for starters, it plugs up offending sweat glands. Plugging up anything in your body isn’t optimal or wise. Meanwhile, one of the sweat-blocking ingredients found in many antiperspirants is aluminum, such as aluminum zirconium and aluminum chloride, which has estrogen-like properties. Because estrogen can promote the growth of breast-cancer tissue, there’s concern that aluminum may have the same effect when absorbed through the skin. There is also a cumulative effect to daily antiperspirant use.
Breast cancer is high on the list of concerns, not only because of the underarm’s close proximity to breast tissue and the aluminum in antiperspirants, but because there are other common ingredients such as parabens (identified often with a prefix such as methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, or benzylparaben) that also disrupt hormones in the body.
Lesser of Two Evils: The Mortality Difference Between Deodorant and Antiperspirant
In 2004, a Journal of Applied Toxicology study found parabens in 18 of 20 breast tumors; however, there was no examination of paraben levels in normal tissue to determine if a causal relationship truly existed. And yet, in 2006, research published in the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal studied the habits of 54 women with cancer and 50 without. Researchers found no association between deodorant use and the development of breast cancer.
A larger 2003 study in the European Journal of Cancer found the age of diagnosis of 437 breast-cancer survivors was significantly earlier in women who shaved and used deodorants (the presumption being that nicks in the skin from shaving led to higher exposure). The diagnosis was even earlier in people who began these habits before age 16. difference between deodorant and antiperspirant, how does antiperspirant work, what is anti perspirant, what is antiperspirant, what is deodorant
Many other ingredients in underarm deodorants also have the capacity to cause skin irritation, which can range from mild redness and burning sensations to a full allergic reaction. For instance, triclosan, silica, steareth, propylene glycol, and talc are all possible allergens. Triclosan is a common antibacterial ingredient that, when combined with water, will form chloroform, a probable carcinogen.
The Stinky Armpit Conspiracy
As mentioned above, blocking perspiration was once considered unhealthy. The first deodorant, which killed odor-producing bacteria, was called “Mum” and was trademarked in 1888; the first antiperspirant, which stopped sweat-production and bacterial growth, was called “Everdry,” and it launched in 1903. Because some of the products contained aluminum chloride, customers complained that they caused burning and inflammation in their armpits and that it ruined many a fancy outfit. difference between deodorant and antiperspirant, how does antiperspirant work, what is anti perspirant, what is antiperspirant, what is deodorant
The products only took off when an advertising agency positioned perspiration as a social faux-pas that made you unpopular. They targeted women first, basically telling them that if they wanted to keep a man they’d better not be wet and smelly. Case in point is this 1937 Mum advertisement:
In this smart modern age, it’s against the code for a girl (or a man either) to carry the repellent odor of underarm perspiration on clothing and person. It’s a fault which never fails to carry its own punishment — unpopularity.
Eventually advertisers preyed on men’s insecurities too. Until then, it was considered masculine to have body odor:
In the Great Depression of the 1930s men were worried about losing their jobs. Advertisements focused on the embarrassment of being stinky in the office and how unprofessional grooming could foil (a) career. difference between deodorant and antiperspirant, how does antiperspirant work, what is anti perspirant, what is antiperspirant, what is deodorant
And so, anti-sweat products became part of America’s daily grooming routine for both men and women. In essence, the personal-care industry has been hijacked by misleading messages and outright false advertising. And all for the bottom line. difference between deodorant and antiperspirant, how does antiperspirant work, what is anti perspirant, what is antiperspirant, what is deodorant
But for more proof of the conspiracy to poison your pits, simply watch this 1952 commercial, “Poof! There Goes Perspiration!”:
In essence you are poisoning yourself every time you reach for your Speedstick. Until Now!
Trash your supermarket brand and reach for our Simply Tranformative Solution. The maker of America’s best-selling sunscreen brings you America’s best natural deodorant
Maryam Henein is an investigative journalist, professional researcher, and producer of the award-winning documentary Vanishing of the Bees.
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