Many people know their deodorant is bad for them, but don't change it because alternatives just don't work. After struggling with this problem for a while, I eventually decided toxic deodorant was something I had to deal with. Luckily though, I've been able to find a low-tox deodorant/"antiperspirant" that really does work!
First, I want to talk about why the base idea of traditional deodorants and antiperspirants is harmful. Deodorants and antiperspirants work in different ways, and usually, a combination works best (in terms of accomplishing its purpose). Your body is covered in sweat glands designed to release sweat to reduce body temperature, and some of them, called apocrine glands, are found on hair follicles. Your body also has tons of bacteria in and on it, called your microbiome, in a unique-to-you combination of species and locations that make up about the size of your brain combined! You start collecting these bacteria as you're being born and continue to grow your microbiome as you interact with your environment all throughout life. These bacteria can live basically everywhere in your body, including your skin, and they serve lots of important purposes (they're helping, not hurting most of the time!). The issue comes when some of these good bacteria, living in apocrine glands in your underarms, feed on the sugars naturally in your sweat (which is actually odorless!), producing a smell as a byproduct. Deodorants block odor by killing those good bacteria naturally living around your sweat glands, while antiperspirants prevent you from sweating by plugging your sweat glands, blocking sweat from getting out and keeping you dry. But both sweating and maintaining your natural microbiome are really important! Sweating helps flush out heavy metals, BPA, phthalates (more on these below) and PCBs (which can lead to cancer, immune, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine system damage as well as other concerns), minimizing their impact by removing them earlier, helps your body fight bacterial infections, reduces inflammation, and clears out your pores. The diversity of bacteria living in and on your body is important to your overall health, as bacteria works together with your cells and other types of bacteria to perform many functions your body can't complete on its own. In this case, underarm bacteria help support your immune system by fighting pathogens (germs) that land on your skin, functioning as your body's first line of defense against infection. Oftentimes, a certain type of bacteria needs another type of bacteria naturally found in your microbiome to do its job. A healthy microbiome with lots of different kinds of bacteria is important to your health, so killing bacteria with deodorant isn't good for you.
Deodorants and antiperspirants are full of harmful ingredients we put in our bodies from a pretty young age. Benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer (especially leukemia), has been found in many personal care and food products, including deodorants and antiperspirants. It absorbs easily through the skin and there is no safe level. Unfortunately, many brand-name deodorants have been contaminated with this extremely toxic ingredient, with the highest levels of benzene found in spray formulas. Parabens are another common ingredient used as a preservative in deodorants and antiperspirants with some pretty scary side effects. You can read more in depth about it here, but some of the main issues associated with parabens are cancer (especially breast cancer), allergic reactions, and fertility issues. Deodorants also commonly include phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors that kill cells prematurely, and shift sex hormone levels, leading to early puberty, premature ovarian failure, miscarriage, placenta abnormalities, and premature birth in females; lower sperm counts, less mobile sperm, damaged sperm, and reproductive birth defects in males; and obesity, diabetes, lower IQ in fetuses, thyroid issues, ADHD, liver and kidney damage, abnormalities and diseases in fetuses, cancer, cognitive or behavioral problems, allergies, asthma, and early death (especially by heart issues) in everyone. You can read more about phthalates here. Propylene glycol can damage the nervous system, heart, skin, and liver, yet it's commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants. It's a neurotoxin that can lead to liver and kidney damage, as well as nausea and vomiting upon skin contact, and usually, deodorants and antiperspirants use much more than the recommended 2% concentration (sometimes even getting upwards of 50%).
Triclosan is a common toxin used in deodorants and antiperspirants. It's actually been banned in soaps and other anti-microbial products in the US, but not from others like deodorant, children's toys, and toothpaste. Triclosan is an ingredient added to kill bacteria and prevent its growth. Triclosan has been shown to decrease levels of thyroid hormones, as it has a similar chemical structure and can therefore imitate thyroid hormones, causing your body to think there's enough and produce less (when it's actually triclosan). Thyroid hormones control your metabolism and perform other functions in the nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and reproductive systems, so a change in their levels has potential full-body effects. Triclosan has been found in human blood, urine, and breast milk, and people who used triclosan-containing products on their underarms had higher amounts of triclosan in their breast milk, so the application area is important too. Exposure to triclosan can also cause some bacteria to develop genetic resistance to it. That means that the triclosan doesn't work on those bacteria. Triclosan has structural similarities to antibiotics, making the resistant bacteria also resistant to antibiotics. Some studies have also linked it to breast and ovarian cancer, and many animal studies have shown a link to a variety of cancers. Surprisingly, it's also being researched as a potential cancer treatment, as some of its properties allow it to trigger cell death in prostate cancer cells. And when triclosan mixes with water it can form the carcinogenic gas chloroform.
Seeing "fragrance/parfum" on an ingredient list is usually a sign that you should avoid the product that contains it, including deodorants and antiperspirants. Fragrance is an umbrella term for over 4,000 different chemicals with essentially no regulation over what can go in, so seeing it on a label likely means it's a very toxic product. Companies often hide the true ingredients in their products from consumers by listing several under "fragrance," so fragrances are usually combinations of many different chemicals, often including phthalates. Lots of the dangerous toxins found in fragrance are included in the EPA's Hazardous Waste List. It also contains many carcinogenic chemicals, neurotoxins, lung irritants, petrochemicals (which have been linked to cancer, neurological disorders, autoimmune issues, asthma, allergies, infertility, miscarriage, and behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity and learning impairments in children), endocrine disruptors, and more. The chemicals in "fragrance" have been linked to everything from cancer and reproductive issues to migraines and heart problems.
Another toxin often found in deodorants and antiperspirants, as well as baby powder, makeup, barrier contraceptives, and menstrual products, is talc. Talc is a powder that's used in antiperspirants and deodorants to absorb moisture, prevent lumps from forming, and help the product feel smooth and go on well. If talc contains something called asbestiform fibers, or asbestos, it can cause cancer and respiratory toxicity, and the amount of the fibers is unregulated, so it's impossible to tell whether the talc contains asbestos without running tests. And there's no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Talc has been linked to mesothelioma and uterine and ovarian cancer, and there's a possible link between it and fallopian tube, cervical, and peritoneal cancer. Talc has been found in ovarian, cervical, and endometrial tumors, and interestingly, it's also been found in the normal ovarian tissue of people with breast cancer. It's especially concerning because perineal usage of talc (as in baby powder and menstrual products) in females can result in all of these reproductive cancers (genital use of talc has been shown to increase ovarian cancer risk by 33%, and using the product consistently increases the risk further, while stopping use drops the number). This means that the application area is important and often relates to the general area of the cancer, and that talc can move externally to internally, especially through the vagina into the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, as well as through the skin. Even asbestos-free talc can irritate and cause inflammation in the respiratory system. Many companies have faced lawsuits over their use of talc in their products without disclosing the health risks. Johnson & Johnson is one example. They faced backlash over knowingly selling products with asbestos while also knowing it caused cancer. After the FDA found asbestos in many of their products in October 2019, thousands of people filed lawsuits allegedly linking Johnsons & Johnson’s talc products with their cancer diagnoses, leading the company to announce in August 2022 it would no longer sell talc-based baby powder starting in 2023.
Last is one you've probably heard of! Aluminum is very common in antiperspirants. In fact, for something to be officially categorized as an antiperspirant by the FDA, it must contain aluminum. This is the main ingredient that plugs your sweat glands to block sweat, and I've already talked about why sweating is important and therefore why aluminum is a no-go, but if that doesn't have you convinced, here's some more harmful effects aluminum can have. The skin absorbs aluminum pretty easily, and aluminum requires very low concentrations to produce neurotoxicity and other issues. Aluminum salts have been shown to mimic estrogen and the amount of estrogen produced in breast cells can change when aluminum is present. It's easier for aluminum to absorb into the breast because it's applied to the underarm, which is close to the breast. If estrogen receptors (where your body receives hormonal signals) in the breasts are blocked with aluminum, it could increase your body’s estrogen production because when your body doesn't receive the estrogen signal (because the spot to receive it was blocked with aluminum), it assumes it needs to produce more estrogen to send the signal. People with breast cancer are known to have higher estrogen levels than healthy people. Estrogen causes the growth of both cancerous and normal breast cells, so applying aluminum-based antiperspirants can lead to breast cancer (which males can get too!) and irregular growth. Estrogen also serves many different purposes around the body, including regulating your fertility, bones, heart, menstrual cycle (if you have one), cell growth, mood, and metabolism, so changes in estrogen levels can harm a lot of other parts of the body. And aluminum interferes with your body's natural process of estrogen signaling in general. In addition, certain estrogen receptors serve to signal a cell to become cancerous. When aluminum binds instead, the receptor gets confused and thinks it's estrogen, so it sends the signal for the cell to become a cancer one. Studies have also found that aluminum levels are significantly higher in breast cancer tissue than normal breast tissue, adding to the evidence of a potential link between aluminum and cancer. Aluminum can change the breast microenvironment by disrupting iron metabolism, damaging cell parts, causing inflammatory responses, and changing cell mobility, including increasing cancer cells' ability to spread. Aluminum builds up in your bones and brain cells, as many aluminum compounds can pass the blood-brain barrier (a sort of filter for substances entering the brain). It also has been shown to accumulate in Alzheimer's-susceptible neurons, and chronic aluminum intoxication mimics the way Alzheimer's affects your neurons, so aluminum can contribute to Alzheimer's risk. Antiperspirants are also left on the skin for extended periods, allowing plenty of time for absorption. Antiperspirants also are often used after shaving, making it easier to enter the blood, although it's been proven that aluminum can be absorbed by uncut skin too. A really common example of aluminum use as an ingredient in an antiperspirant is Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Gly. It's best to avoid all forms of aluminum like this one.
So, if most common deodorants and antiperspirants are out, what should you use? You might also be thinking that you've tried a natural deodorant before, and it just didn't work. I recommend Real Purity's Roll-On Deodorant. I mentioned before that to be classified as an antiperspirant by the FDA, a product must contain aluminum, so technically, this is just a deodorant since it doesn't have any, but it doesn't act like one! Real Purity is able to keep you feeling dry all day because it contains safe ingredients like aloe vera and vegetable glycerin that absorb moisture while not sending aluminum into your pores and stopping sweat. So, you're sweating normally and letting your body release its toxins, but you won't feel like you are because the deodorant absorbs it. Thousands of reviewers (including celebrities Judy Greer and Aubrey Plaza) agree that this "antiperspirant" keeps you feeling sweat-free, even through workouts, with no need to reapply all day. So do I! I've been pleasantly surprised at how dry this deodorant keeps me, even though I live in a very warm place and tend to get hot easily. After struggling to find a deodorant with safe ingredients that would actually work on me, I was so glad to find this product and now use it every day. In addition to its moisture-absorbing properties, Real Purity uses organic essential oils to cover any odor (although actually the less toxins you take in on the whole, the less odor you'll produce anyway). The scent is kind of herbal, so it can be used by all genders, and it doesn't wear off all day. It's also free of baking soda, which can irritate sensitive skin like mine and was another thing I had to watch out for in my search. Here is the ingredient list, which is completely toxin-free, with organic ingredients bolded.
Purified Aqua (Water), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin (Palm), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cleavers Extract, Magnesium Stearate, Potassium Sorbate (Potassium), Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Oil, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oil, Pelargonium Roseum Asperum (Geranium) Essential Oil, Salvia Lavandulaefolia (Sage) Essential Oil, Aniba parviflora (Rosewood) Essential Oil, Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), and Prunus Armeniacae (Apricot) Kernel Oil.
Real Purity's Roll-On Deodorant can be purchased directly from the company here. This is a very safe "antiperspirant" and deodorant that avoids many of the common toxins found in common deodorants, and it works very well in both keeping you dry and odorless.
Very informative! Thank you for such a great explanation; it's clear there was a lot of research that went into this article :D <3