Reasons why antiperspirants and deodorant from the store are toxic products no one should be using near delicate breast and glandular tissue and the scientific studies on the dangers of these common ingredients.
If you are eating a wholesome, healthy diet and are still using underarm deodorant from the store, it’s time to wake up and smell the roses.
Store deodorant is loaded with chemicals and toxins that easily penetrate the skin, getting into the blood supply.
It’s even worse if these products are applied soon after shaving. Tiny nicks in the skin provide an even easier route for chemicals to penetrate the skin barrier directly into the bloodstream.
Drug companies are taking advantage of the ability of skin to absorb chemicals of all kinds with the smokers’ patch being one of the most well known. There are now skin patches for birth control and a patch for motion sickness when you take a cruise or fly in a plane.
Slathering on the chemicals and heavy metals contained in underarm products day in and day out is a dangerous practice and one that no doubt can contribute to a host of health woes in the long run.
Need some concrete reasons to ditch the store deodorant? Here is the top ten list to consider before your next shower and where to find nontoxic brands that actually work.
#1: Parabens
Most deodorants, even those labeled as “natural,” still contain harmful ingredients like parabens affixed to one of the following common prefixes: methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl.
Parabens are dangerous substances, particularly when put on the delicate underarm skin which is so near the breasts.
The Breast Cancer Fund reports that measurable concentrations of six different types of parabens have been identified in breast cancer tumor biopsies. (1)
What’s even more telling is that the concentration of the parabens in the biopsies were in the same approximate concentration that would be found in paraben containing cosmetics like underarm deodorant.
Parabens are not just a risk for the breasts. Samples of a diverse sample of US adults found parabens in nearly all urine samples as well indicating that these chemicals get into the blood and move around the body before being excreted.
#2: Aluminum
The heavy metal aluminum is contained in most deodorants and is even disguised in some natural deodorants under the word “alum”. Any compound containing the word “aluminum” would be a problem such as aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly.
Scientific evidence has demonstrated that aluminum exposure is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. (2)
#3: Triclosan
Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent. Preliminary analysis indicates it may be carcinogenic due to potential contamination with dioxin. Triclosan easily crosses cell membranes and is stored in body fat.
A 2006 study has shown that low doses of triclosan act as an endocrine disruptor in the North American bullfrog. In 2008, a study of juvenile male rats showed that triclosan exposure significantly impacts thyroid hormone concentrations.
More recently, a 2016 study showed that this chemical disrupted the placental hormones of pregnant rats. (3)
Triclosan is in many deodorants labeled as natural so buying at the health food store is no protection from this chemical.
#4: Fragrances
Love the smell of your deodorant? Even natural smelling fragrances like rose might be something else entirely. The fragrance industry takes great care to hide from the consumer exactly how chemical fragrances are concocted using any blend of the 3,100 stock chemical ingredients that are available. The Environmental Working Group reports that:
The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products. (4)
Bottom line? If your deodorant has “fragrance” listed in the ingredients, you really don’t know what’s in it!
#5: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Yet another chemical popular in deodorant, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) has been banned in Europe. A well-known skin irritant, SLS is also a suspected carcinogen and has been linked to kidney and liver damage; nervous system disruption; damage to eyes leading to cataracts; eczema, and dermatitis. (6)
#6: Sweat Blockage
Sweating is good! You want to sweat to release toxins and it is a normal cooling response the body needs. Blocking sweat with antiperspirant ingredients is an unhealthy practice and can cause blockage of toxins.
#7: Deceptive Marketing
Some deodorants, even natural and organic ones like salt crystals and salt sprays, state that they have no aluminum chloride.
However, if you examine the label in detail you notice that they contain potassium alum. The full chemical name of potassium alum is potassium aluminum sulfate, which is still aluminum!
Stay away!
#8: Staining and Clumping
What in the world are those clumps left on your skin by conventional deodorants?
This stuff doesn’t completely lather off in the shower either and eventually ruins your shirts by leaving yellow stains that don’t wash out (that’s from the aluminum).
They are also embarrassing when they end up on your yoga mat while you’re trying to relax in child’s pose.
#9: Ineffectiveness
Many people report that natural versions of conventional deodorants found at the health food store are ineffective or only work for a short period of time. This funny video below satirizes this point very well!
#10: Store Deodorant is So Uncool!
Let’s face it. Everything about store deodorant is uncool from the chemicals in the supermarket versions to the hidden baddies and ineffectiveness of the so-called “natural” brands at the health food store.
What Deodorant is Nontoxic AND Actually Works?
Consumers deserve a deodorant that is safe AND effective, don’t we? Is that really so much to ask?
Fortunately, there are nontoxic deodorants out there that actually work and claim to be what they say they are.
I am pleased to say that my family and I use such quality products. They work even for friends of mine who are extreme athletes working out in extreme heat and humidity.
If made properly, natural products really can withstand all sports, endurance races, mud events, WOD (CrossFit for “work out of the day”), and athletic competitions.
Sourcing Quality Deodorant
If you find yourself throwing up your hands about the deodorants on the market that are either incredibly toxic or natural but completely ineffective as shown in this humorous video below, then click over to the Personal Care section of my Resources page to check out brands with vetted products that actually work and won’t harm your health!
In my home, we use activated charcoal/magnesium deodorant and ozonated deodorant. Both of these actually work AND are completely safe to put on your skin day after day.
This stuff works!
I have been using it for 3 months and it hasn’t failed. Family owned, real product, made in Indiana.
I have been trying to switch to more natural nontoxic products as my traditional more toxic ones run out. I have a maybe stupid question… what do you do with all the lotions, body products, and smelly stuff that you receive as gifts? Do you just throw it all out? Re-gift it?
We donate it.
My mother had rosacea on her face for years and had been treated by a dermatologist with no effect. As soon as she stopped using deodorant it cleared up and hasn’t returned since!
I was disappointed when I realized that the first ingredient in the deodorant I had been getting from the health food co-op, Dry By Nature Deodorant by Desert Essence, was PROPYLENE GLYCOL, a toxin used in antifreeze.
I have since switched to homemade using coconut oil, aluminum free baking soda by Bob’s Red Mill, and a drop or two of lavender oil. I alternate between this and the Frankincense deodorant by Tropical Traditions which is lovely!
Baking soda seems to sting my skin, or maybe I’m just not using it right. I found this deodorant which I’m very happy with –
It has natural ingredients and natural fragrance (essential oils) – it’s actually similar to the homemade formulas some of you mention above, but I like the experience of a unique product and love the gentle smell.
We all use plain ol’ baking soda over here, sprinkled onto the hands and rubbed on, leaning over the sink! ;D It works just fine and I never have any odors or wetness!
Alum is just as bad as aluminum–http://press.herbalix.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-aluminum-free-and-crystal-body-deodorant/
I’m a big fan of the Herbalix deodorants. I’m fairly stinky (still working on getting healthy from the inside out) so I like their Geranium and Tropic Cove. They have a lighter Rose and an unscented as well.
Oh, and their Supreme Solution is the best for oil cleansing on my face and for shaving. Just delicious, and a smidgen goes a looong way.
There is a new 100% natural scentless all body deodorant which is 24 hours or more effective, It’s called MgDeo, short for Magnesium Deodorant its water based, so no oiliness and mess, it has dead sea minerals, organic food grade ingredients, and vitamins, no aluminum, no baking soda, I read the ingredients list, and its clean from nasty chemicals, my wife is using it also while breast feeding, two pregnant woman in my family too, they are vegans, use gluten free products, and nature freaks. Works great for me. http://www.onlygoodnessinside.com
What I find works great for me is: find an empty spray bottle, add a base oil and mix in an essential oil ( I use lavender because it is antibacterial). In the morning I just take a small scoop of baking soda, spray some of my lavender concoction and make a paste and then rub it into my armpits. It never fails me. Just a note: if you don’t rub it in well enough it will come off on your clothes, I have worn black shirts before without the staining or stinking just keep in mind to rub it in. My family used to complain of my armpit smell, as soon as I started using this recipe all the complaining stopped. I used to use the crystal deodorant but it stopped working for me, and I found that I always got extremely smelly immediately after ingesting any kind of sugar… I followed a good diet to keep the smell under control, but it’s hard, especially in college when you can’t always prepare all of your meals. My homemade deodorant works even after I eat sweets
Take an inexpensive probiotic from a capsule, mix in a little water and apply to the underarms. It attacks any bad bacteria and is an effective deodorant.