Deodorants and antiperspirants work in different ways to reduce body odor.
Deodorants are formulated to eliminate armpit odor, but not sweating. They usually contain alcohol and when applied, make the skin more acidic enabling a less attractive environment for bacteria. Deodorants contain perfume to reduce odor.
Antiperspirants have active ingredients including aluminum base that temporarily clog the sweat pores. Clogging the pores reduces the amount of sweat that reaches the skin.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treats deodorants as cosmetic products - cleansing and beautifying; while antiperspirants as medicines - that treat, prevent a condition / disease or that affect the structure and function of the body.
There are two main benefits to deodorant and antiperspirant: moisture and fragrance.
Sweat is a cooling mechanism that helps us remove excess heat. The armpits have a higher density of sweat glands than other areas of the body. Sweat itself does not have a strong odor. It is the bacteria on the skin that cause the odor. The humid warmth of the armpits is an ideal environment for bacteria.
If you want to reduce armpit moisture and excessive sweating, you should use antiperspirant. If you do not sweat excessively and just want to smell fresh scent and limit the smell, you should use deodorant.
Antiperspirants and the risk of breast cancer [?]
Aluminum-based antiperspirants keep the perspiration from sticking to the surface of the skin, blocking the glands. There is a concern that if the skin absorbs these aluminum compounds, they may affect the estrogen receptors of breast cells.
However, according to the American Cancer Society, there is no clear link between cancer and aluminum across countries. Breast cancer tissues do not appear to have more aluminum than normal tissues.
Only a small amount of aluminum is absorbed (0.0012%) based on research on antiperspirants containing aluminum chloride. Other research shows that there is no link between breast cancer and armpit products
However, other studies also recommend that although there is no evidence of an association between antiperspirants and breast cancer, further research is needed.
Sources: Healthline, Byrdie
