What purpose does aluminum serve in deodorants?
Before we even get into that, it’s important to note the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants. Though we tend to use the word “deodorant” to refer to anything we swipe on our underarms, that’s not actually accurate. Deodorant is simply made to curb body odor, and antiperspirant is meant to curb sweat (or perspiration). And when we talk about aluminum, we’re only talking about antiperspirants. Antiperspirants contain aluminum salts that help plug your pores so you don’t sweat as much. Deodorants do not contain aluminum, and they don’t stop you from sweating. They only reduce body odor, by using fragrance or antibacterial compounds.
So, what’s the concern?
The aluminum compounds found in antiperspirants not only reduces wetness by blocking your underarm sweat ducts, but they also minimize body odor by inhibiting the bacteria that feed on your sweat and cause it. There are two main health issues usually cited when talking about aluminum fears: Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer.
The concerns about Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease, first surfaced in a study conducted more than 50 years ago. During the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum was identified as a possible suspect in Alzheimer’s. This suspicion led to concern about exposure to aluminum through everyday sources such as pots and pans, beverage cans, antacids, and antiperspirants.
The breast cancer concerns largely have to do with the proximity of the underarms to the breasts. Some studies have claimed that a majority of breast cancers develop in the upper outer quadrant of the breast because that section is closest to the underarms, where antiperspirants — which theoretically get absorbed by the skin or enter through razor nicks — are applied, the thinking being that the aluminum then gets into the lymph nodes and then travels to the breasts. Going along with that are the fears that, because aluminum plugs the sweat ducts, the body can’t rid itself of any potentially cancerous substances absorbed during
antiperspirant use.
Aside from the cancer factor, some people are simply concerned that aluminum (and antiperspirants in general) keeps the body from sweating out toxins that need to be released. “We believe sweating is a normal body function and essential to not only regulating the body temperature but ridding the body of toxins and working to keep the body healthy.
That being said, why not simply not use an underarm product that contains
anything that might or might not cause health issues? Our natural deodorant contains only ingredients that not only help eliminate odor, allow you to sweat naturally but also aids your body by giving it things to ward off disease and maintain healthy underarm skin with botanical ingredients.
We hope this article helps you. Always read the ingredients before you make a purchase to ensure you know what you are putting on your body that will absorb into your bloodstream.
