Design by Briana RengifoSave this storySave this story
Natural deodorant, it’s you, not me. I just can’t do this anymore.
As a sweaty person, I need stability. I need to feel protected. I need something that puts as much work into the relationship as I do. Unfortunately, over the last decade, I haven’t gotten any of that from you. In fact, I’m walking away with 10 years' worth of sweat stains, body-odor baggage, and that phantom feeling of underarm drippage. I’ve had enough.
TL;DR: I’m breaking up with my natural deodorant—and going back to antiperspirant.
First, what’s the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant?
Growing up, I didn’t know the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. They were used interchangeably in my house (and still are today), even though they are completely different products. A refresher: “Deodorants help with odor, usually by reducing bacteria or masking scent,” says Joyce Park, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in California. “Antiperspirants actually reduce sweat, which, in turn, reduces odor because there’s less moisture for bacteria to break down.”
Unlike deodorants, antiperspirants are made with aluminum and undergo much more testing before hitting shelves. “They’re considered over-the-counter [drugs] and have stricter regulations and formulation guidelines than deodorants,” says cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam.
The aluminum salts in the formula (usually aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium) reduce sweat by temporarily blocking the opening of the sweat duct, Lam explains: “When you apply it to slightly damp skin, the aluminum dissolves and interacts with proteins in your sweat to form a plug near the surface of the duct,” temporarily stopping the sweat.
“Traditional antiperspirants will typically include other adsorbents like silica, talc, and starch to boost sweat reduction and are anhydrous,” Lam says. “They may also include various silicones to improve feel and glide on the skin.”
Deodorants are also anhydrous (sans water), but they are made without aluminum. “They can also contain absorbents (typically plant-derived starches) and will usually contain something like zinc ricinoleate, which is an odor neutralizer,” Lam adds. “Deos typically feature a blend of natural waxes, butters, and oils rather than silicones. Kind of like one giant lip balm with some starch in it.”
A giant lip balm certainly sounds more fun, but I had used antiperspirant for most of my life. One of my first favorites was the now-discontinued Secret Scent Expressions Va-Va Vanilla, which, as you can imagine, was a sweet-smelling, solid stick, practically made for a 12-year-old girl. It was also incredibly effective at stopping the puberty-induced sweat and odor of said 12-year-old girl (hi, that’s me).
Why I decided to switch to using a natural deodorant:
Before I quit antiperspirant a decade ago, I was struggling with yearslong underarm irritation (itchy inflammation). It wasn’t chronic, but it was constant. “Aluminum salts can be irritating for some people, especially right after shaving,” says Dr. Park. “Fragrance is still a big trigger. More often, it’s a combination of friction, occlusion, shaving, and individual skin biology.”
Also, I worked out all the time, would shave frequently (much too frequently, compared to my current once-a-week razor date), and loved anything with added fragrance. (The sweeter, the better!) Little did I know that I was likely experiencing my now-diagnosed fragrance allergy. These days, too much of it (worn anywhere on my body), and I break out in hives. Fun! All this to say, there was a lot that went into my decision to give up antiperspirant.
In 2016, during the clean beauty boom, I finally kicked antiperspirant to the curb. I’d just joined the Allure team, and we were talking more about what our definition of “clean” was. (Based on our reporting, the topic was introduced around 2010, but didn’t pick up steam until a few years later. It wasn’t until 2019 that Allure recognized the market with its official Clean Best of Beauty seal, which is still prominent today.) During this time, many common, well-known ingredients became our enemies. So, sulfates were stripped from shampoo formulas, parabens were no longer primarily seen as product-extending preservatives (which they are), and conversations about aluminum salts being linked to breast cancer swirled and spiraled. (The breast-cancer link has since been debunked many times over, but more on that later.)
Aluminum-free deodorant, colloquially known as “natural deodorant,” began to flourish. Brands like Lavanila, Schmidt’s, Native, and Kopari dominated the market. Though they did not invent the category, they can definitely be considered a catalyst for the growth of it, especially with representation on shelves in mass retailers like Target, Walmart, and drugstore chains.
As a beauty editor, it was (and still is) my job to try new products, and at the time, there were so! many! deodorants! I was inundated with them in all formats: sticks, mists, and even creams. But the one common thread with all these deos? No aluminum.
The sweat-stopping, often controversial ingredient certainly had a reputation back then (see above), but experts say there has been no hard data to suggest there’s a connection between the aluminum salts in antiperspirant and the development of breast cancer. “This is one of those myths that has had a very long life online—I still get asked this question in my clinic,” says Dr. Park.
"This is one of those myths that has had a very long life online."
“We do not have good evidence showing that aluminum-containing antiperspirants cause breast cancer,” Dr. Park continues. “The theoretical concern came from the fact that aluminum can be detected in breast tissue, and that sweat glands sit near the breast, but detectable does not equal dangerous. Correlation does not equal causation.”
Ten years later, the rumor mill has died down a bit, and, at least for me, antiperspirant no longer feels like a scary option when compared with deodorant. Of course, no one really has to choose between the two—wear one, wear none, wear both, do you!—but they are often pegged against each other in the market.
Why I decided to switch back to using antiperspirants:
Yes, I’m pitting them against each other again, but flipping and reversing it. I’m crawling back to my antiperspirant ex for a few reasons.
First, I’m a heavy sweater.
Quite frankly, the sensation of moisture pouring from my underarms and trickling down my torso has given me the heebie-jeebies one too many times. Now that I’ve upped my gym time, I also have to be cognizant of how my profuse sweating impacts the people around me. I don’t want to fling it onto someone else as I run and jump in my Barry’s classes. They deserve better. I deserve better.
My armpits are “getting used” to natural formulas more quickly.
I’m most excited to leave behind the sensation of waking up one morning, after months of wear, to discover my deo doesn’t want to do its job anymore. It’s like my body would get used to the formula, and then immediately decide it was over it. I’d start to smell just as bad as I did before I started using it.
Obviously, that’s not the way it works; the body doesn’t build a “tolerance,” explains cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos. “The amount and type of sweat and microbial populations can change just enough that the product no longer fits your biology,” she says. “When the bacterial community changes, a deodorant that once worked well may no longer be as effective. It might seem like your body ‘getting used to’ the product, but it’s really microbial drift, not physiological adaptation.”
It could also be due to olfactory fatigue, which, Dobos says, is when you “become so used to the scent of your deodorant that you no longer smell it, making you more sensitive to any breakthrough body odor.” For me, it was most likely the first option—which literally and figuratively stunk.
My rashes didn’t go away.
The underarm irritation I experience every time I wear deodorant is just as uncomfortable as the rashes I got from using aluminum. I was tossing out a natural-deo tube every couple of months, which is superfluous, especially in this economy. “Many natural deodorants rely on essential oils and strong fragrance blends to mask odor, and those are common triggers for allergic contact dermatitis,” says Dr. Park. “The underarm is already a high-friction, occluded area, so it’s more reactive.”
I prefer the texture of aluminum deodorants.
The product textures are different, too, which could also be causing that dreaded, unwanted exfoliation and irritation. “Most natural deodorants have absorbents like clays that may have larger particle sizes than what we are typically used to with traditional deodorants,” says Lam. “This can give that grainy, gritty feel that is sometimes associated with natural deos.”
The experts I spoke with for this story note that none of this makes natural deodorants inherently bad. “If my patients want to use them, I’m fine with that, too, as long as they aren’t running into issues,” says Dr. Park. “But if someone has chronic underarm irritation, and they’re using a heavily fragranced ‘clean’ deodorant, that’s often where I start troubleshooting.”
A final word
So here I am, troubleshooting. I’ve now experienced inflammation, rashes, and even chafing from both types of products. There is no true winner here. But of the two options, only one stops my sweat, and right now, that’s what is most important to me. Therefore, I am going back to the product that will prevent morning, midday, and evening sweats while also keeping me smelling fresh. I will no longer experience afternoon showers under my shirt. Sweat stains on my favorite white tee will be minimal. (Though I’m fully predicting white-powder marks on all my dark tops—you can’t win ’em all.)
And if I accidentally forget to apply one day, no one will notice, thanks to my new nighttime application routine. “Sweat glands are less active when you’re sleeping, so the product has a better chance of forming those plugs effectively instead of getting washed away by active sweating,” says Dr. Park. “Apply it to completely dry skin before bed, let it dry down, and you can reapply lightly in the morning if you want. That simple switch alone often makes a big difference.”
Probably about as big a difference as ending a 10-year relationship, but I digress.
Leave a Reply