Armpit-gate

Hopefully, we all regularly use deodorant for our day-to-day lives. We don’t give much thought to it though, and the reality is that there are questions that need answering. What’s the deal with aluminum? Why are “clean deodorants” better than extra strength? This week, conspiracy theorist Jessica Denyer goes armpit-deep in the world of Big Deodorant to expose their dirty secrets. – Editor Levi Kassinove

By Jessica Denyer

I have a conspiracy theory. The last time you went to buy deodorant you probably noticed that there are a few new brands such as Native or Schmidts who are advertising their “clean” deodorants. The main feature of these deodorants is that they are aluminum free. Popular brands like Secret and Dove are also trying to capitalize on this new clean deodorant market. But what does aluminum free in our deodorants even mean? Is aluminum bad for you? What is the deal with these new deodorants? These are questions I asked. 

Now before I start this, I feel like I have to clarify a confusing fact. Antiperspirant is made to stop you from sweating so much. Deodorant is to make you smell less bad. However, nowadays deodorant companies have antiperspirant in them but still advertise them as deodorants. The antiperspirant part is the part that has the aluminum. (Healthline.com)

After a research dive into the internet, I learned that sweat itself does not have a smell, but when it touches your bacteria-ridden skin it does. When the sweat touches the skin of your armpit, which is a warm dark place, the bacteria on your skin mixes with your sweat to give you that classic armpit funk. This is what deodorant is for. It is meant to deodorize, or really remove bacteria from your armpits, or hide smell. WebMD says, “Deodorants offer two forms of protection against odor. The first is antimicrobial properties that reduce the number of bacteria producing odor. The second is a fragrance that masks odor that is produced” (webmd.com). A common concern is that aluminum in antiperspirant/deodorants can cause breast cancer and other not-so-great things, so many choose to avoid aluminum in antiperspirants. The American Cancer Society says, however, that there is no scientific evidence of the link. (Healthline.com)

This got me thinking. I have always been someone who would buy extra strength or clinical strength deodorant out of fear of smelling bad. I’ve always been an athlete, and we live in the desert heat, so sweating is an understandable fear. I would still find myself having to re-apply multiple times a day to achieve my goal of no smell. I would always think to myself, “Geez, it’s not like I have a sweating problem, imagine the people that do. What would they even use?” 

Fast forward on my conspiracy journey to summer of 2021. I was standing in the deodorant aisle at Target, and I decided to smell the Native deodorant for fun. Native claims to be aluminum free, vegan, and cruelty free. I had no plan to buy one as I figured if the extra strength deodorant doesn’t work, the clean deodorant would do absolutely nothing for me. However, I smelled one of them, and it smelled so good that I decided to buy a travel-sized one. The next day I applied it just in the morning, and throughout the day I could smell only the deodorant. By the end of the day, I realized that the deodorant not only kept the “funk” away, but the smell of the deodorant itself was fragrant and lasted all day long. This inspired more research which leads to my actual conspiracy.

So, if the old regular deodorant doesn’t work, and the clinical/extra-strength deodorant only kind of works, then why all of a sudden does this new clean deodorant do the trick? What do they have figured out that everyone else doesn’t? Or do they…

I began researching ingredients, and Native’s website clearly and plainly states that they use baking soda and magnesium hydroxide to act as the antibacterial (anti-stink) component of their deodorant. These are both extremely common things found in everything from antacids to toothpaste and are harmless to the body. There are only 10 ingredients in their extremely effective deodorant, and all of them are natural (Native). On the flip side, when you go onto the Secret website and go to their line of aluminum-free deodorants, they do not list ingredients, just very blankly state that they are just aluminum free (Secret). This is where my conspiracy was born.

Now, technically I have nothing to back this up, but due to this circumstantial evidence, I am now a firm believer in this claim: I think that big deodorant brands choose to leave out a component (natural or not) that is completely anti-stink so that you have to use their product more often and therefore buy more. I feel like this is not too outlandish of a claim. Where before I was buying a deodorant every 2-3 months, I have now been using the same stick for almost 6 months. 

Believe me or don’t, but either way I recommend switching to any deodorant that is aluminum free. 

Drop a comment if you’re with me here.