The Down And Dirty Of Deodorant…

One of the first things I changed when I started using cleaner products was deodorant. There are a lot of different options on the health risks of deodorant but let’s start at the beginning…

The Difference Between Deodorant And Antiperspirant

The image below from Penn Medicine is a nice graphic of the difference – basically deodorant is designed to stop the bacteria that make you stink and antiperspirants are designed to stop you from sweating.

Health Concerns

There are a lot of competing ideas about the health risks. Generally the concerns are based on the aluminum in antiperspirants and the parabens and fragrance in deodorant. According to the medical field, many of the studies that have been conducted were flawed – in general they conclude that they have detected chemicals from antiperspirants and deodorants in different cells but they haven’t proven that those chemicals had any effect on cancer or other health risks. The fact that any of the chemicals are entering our bodies was enough for me to want to switch, but for those who want it, here is a little more information:

Aluminum

In general, thee are three main concerns about aluminum: breast cancer, kidney disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Historically the concerns with Alzheimer’s have been linked to studies in the 1960’s that found high levels of aluminum in people with Alzheimer’s disease. According to WebMD, many find fault in the way the data was collected and studies since then have not found the same concerns. According to The American Cancer Society: “Aluminum-based compounds are the active ingredients in antiperspirants. They block the sweat glands to keep sweat from getting to the skin's surface. Some research has suggested that these aluminum compounds may be absorbed by the skin and cause changes in estrogen receptors of breast cells. Because estrogen can promote the growth of both cancer and non-cancer breast cells, some scientists have suggested that using the aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants may be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer. But it isn’t clear that much aluminum is absorbed through the skin.” Finally, most people do believe that people with kidney disease should be cautious with aluminum.

Parabens And Fragrance

I’ve talked about both parabens and fragrance before, so I’ll keep this shot. Basically according to the EWG, there are six types of parabens commonly used in personal care products — methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, isopropyl-, butyl-, and isobutylparabens — and they all work to help curb bacterial growth and extend the shelf life of those products. Parabens are dangerous because they mimic the hormone estrogen and could thus interfere with the production of that hormone. Fragrance can be dangerous because it is trademarked and therefore ingredients don’t need to be listed. So basically you don’t know what you are putting on you skin. Some ae calling it the new second hand smoke…

“Natural” Deodorants

There is no shortage of options in the natural deodorant category, and I’ve probably tried all of them over the years. As always, just because a product says it is natural, doesn’t mean it’s automatically safe — or effective. For example, crystal deodorants sometimes use alum crystals, which contain aluminum. For me, many of the deodorants don’t last or didn’t keep me from smelling. And most people will have a transition period when switching from traditional to more natural deodorants – so don’t give up right away J One trick is using charcoal soap or masks to help pull toxins out of you armpits when you shower.

Introducing Clean Deo

"The Clean Deo" is our brand new line of deodorants, which I am so stinking excited about (pun intended).  This has been 5 years in the works and I have lost track of the number of people who have asked me if Beautycounter has deodorant over the years. The Clean Deo is formulated without aluminum and without synthetic fragrances. As with all the fragrances we use, we rigorously screened The Clean Deo fragrances for trace contaminants (which are often present in raw materials) to ensure they meet our rigorous safety standards. All of our fragrance ingredients are also disclosed on the ingredient list, so you know exactly what is in each one.

And one of the most exciting features is that the containers are refillable. So you can refill the containers instead of buying more plastic each time. This reduces the cost over time and is much better for the environment – By making The Clean Deo refillable, we cut its water, fossil fuel, and greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 47%**. The 115-subject consumer safety in use study of The Clean Deo, used daily for two weeks found the following results:

The line is available in thee scents: fresh coconut, soft lavender and clean rose. You can switch out the scents in the same container. So here’s to stink free, safer options!!!! It launches August 25, 2020.