I find that many people are unaware of the harmful, toxic ingredients that are added to the products we consume and use on a daily basis. It usually takes someone having a negative experience in order for them to do research and truly find out the cause of their symptoms. This is exactly how I came to learn how many toxic chemicals are in the majority of mainstream deodorants. My hope is to prevent other people from having to go through these negative experiences by advocating for the use of better product alternatives. But first, here is my deodorant saga.
Long before I became super interested in sustainable living, protecting the planet, and being cognizant of what I put on my skin, I had an ongoing problem with deodorant. I seemed to always have an adverse reaction to whatever deodorant that I was using - sometimes I would get a minor rash, sometimes my skin would dry out and peel off, and sometimes my armpits would sting or itch after application. It was so unpleasant that I often did not want to wear deodorant at all. I tried switching to organic and natural deodorants. This helped with my skin irritation (most of the time) but left me smelly. I switched to using Dove deodorant sticks by the end of high school but was always looking for alternatives, as I was still experiencing slight irritation and hated the white marks it left on my clothes. When I went to college, my roommate was using Old Spice deodorant sticks for men that she swore by. She mentioned that she had sensitive skin too and loved the gel deodorant stick she used because it lasted a long time and didn’t come off on any of her clothes. I decided to give it a try!
I had one of the worst skin reactions I’ve ever had my whole life. My armpit literally had such a severe allergic reaction that it broke out in hives; it hurt to put my arm down. At first, the pain and hives were minor, but by the time I went to the doctor (only after two weeks of using the deodorant), the area had become infected and I had to apply a topical antibiotic cream daily, wear zero deodorant, and not shave with a razor for two months. I came out of that experience wanting it to never happen again and determined to understand why this had happened to me.
Wanting to prevent any future armpit infections, I became interested in the ingredients that go into deodorant, and all my beauty products in general. Through research, I came to learn that things like aluminum in deodorants are terrible for our bodies and have been linked to skin irritation and even breast cancer. I figured that if there were toxins in deodorant, there were probably toxins in other products I was using as well. This is when I started the journey of gradually replacing toxic products with more sustainable, non-toxic ones. Of course, I had to begin with deodorant!
Over the course of a year or so, I tried many different natural, organic deodorant brands that I found at my local health-food store. Luckily, none of them gave me adverse reactions, but the downside is that they simply didn’t work. On the label they claimed 24-hour protection - in reality, I could go about two hours without starting to notice my own B.O. which is not something I was interested in.
Now we are getting to the best part: I finally found a solution to all of this! The answer to not smelling when using natural deodorant is to use an armpit detox bar! I know, you’re probably thinking, “what is an armpit detox bar?” I get it, I had never heard of one until I saw a girl on TikTok post about how her armpit detox bar helped her transition away from regular, toxic deodorants to using mineral salt rock deodorant instead. Okay, I know that sounds a bit crazy or too good to be true - honestly, that’s what I thought at first, but I was like “hey, I have nothing else to lose!”
Best decision I’ve made regarding my deodorant!
So, the premise of an armpit detox bar is that it removes all the built-up toxins from past deodorant use so that your pores can unclog and breathe. I got the one that the girl on TikTok was using and I do not regret it! I have been using the armpit detox bar from Mindful Goods for about three weeks now and I can already tell a difference in my B.O. I literally smell better even when I do sweat - like better than I’ve ever smelled before! That sounds dramatic, but it’s the honest truth! I have been using the Mindful Goods detox bar along with the Crystal mineral salt deodorant that I found at Pharmaca. (I wasn’t 100% stoked about this deodorant because it is in plastic packaging, but I didn’t have time to order a more sustainable option online - next time I will!). This salt deodorant isn’t even scented and I have never smelled better! And let me clarify that by better, I mean I literally just do not smell like much at all. My B.O. seems to be practically odorless and it truly is a miracle! I honestly didn’t think it was possible to have such a little stench come from my pits. I am forever grateful to the girl on TikTok who opened my eyes to this wonderful product combination (wish I knew her name and could shout her out now)!
If you are looking to change the way you smell, stop the irritation regular deodorant causes, avoid the consequences of toxins building up in your body, AND help the earth, then please consider trying out this product combination!
Maybe I haven’t convinced some of you that this is a necessary transition to make, so here is some summarized research on the toxins found in most typical deodorants.
Aluminum
Aluminum is the most common toxin added to deodorants because it works as an antiperspirant to stop you from sweating. It actively blocks your sweat ducts to prevent you from sweating. Deodorant companies and the FDA will tell you this isn’t bad for us, but I simply do not believe they are telling the truth or that they have the consumers’ health on their minds. Studies linking aluminum deodorants to specific diseases later in life are extremely hard to conduct, so the FDA and companies can get away with their lies. These types of studies are only now coming to the forefront of research as more women are getting diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to the relatively limited research on this topic, many people tend to pass off studies that confirm aluminum is bad for humans. I believe this is naive and short-sighted. Let’s review some evidence.
In a study published in EBio Medicine, researchers found that “frequent use of underarm cosmetic products may be related to incorporated aluminum concentration in breast tissue” and that “use of underarm cosmetic products several times a day at younger ages may increase the risk of breast cancer.” To give these findings some more concrete meaning - women who begin using aluminum antiperspirant deodorants more than once a day before the age of 30 have a greater risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer later in life - that’s scary! Even if built-up aluminum in breast tissue didn’t cause cancer, that sounds extremely unhealthy to me.
Another study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that “frequency and earlier onset of antiperspirant/deodorant usage [combined] with underarm shaving were associated with an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis.” The idea is that shaving removes the outer layers of protective skin and allows the toxic chemicals in deodorant to permeate even deeper into the skin. The researchers point out that more research needs to be done in order to give the public a clearer picture of the risks of aluminum in deodorant.
If this evidence does not sound definitive to you, let me remind you that in research and the scientific community, everything starts out as a theory and must be proven many times in order to be considered the truth. There is technically not definitive proof that aluminum does or does not cause cancer because studies have shown both outcomes, but I think this is a pointless argument to make. This is an incorrect way to interpret this kind of data because each body is different and everyone is going to be affected by toxins differently. The fact that there is no correlation between aluminum deodorant and breast cancer is reason enough for people to stop using it. Obviously, not everyone who uses aluminum deodorants at younger ages is going to get breast cancer, but we have only begun to scratch the surface of the research needed into the long-term effects of aluminum on the body before it is deemed safe to use in our daily products. What’s more, there is little understanding of why aluminum exposure may cause cancer in certain people and not others. This means we can’t be sure who is at risk - logically then it should not be allowed in our products! There is no reason to poison our bodies with toxic products that are also harming the planet when there are sustainable alternatives out there!
Aluminum has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, as several studies before 1990 found higher levels of aluminum in the brains of deceased Alzheimer patients. The fact that this information has been available for over 30 years and yet the FDA still allows aluminum to be put into our beauty products is extremely concerning. I’m confused...are they trying to poison us? Kinda seems like it, but in reality, it is pretty expensive to change the production process to remove certain ingredients. For this reason, companies are reluctant to make this costly change. Basically, they would rather risk their products giving people cancer than spend the money to protect consumers.
The bottom line is there is no solid evidence that aluminum is safe for humans and there is plenty of evidence for the suspicious correlation between aluminum and breast cancer. More data is definitely needed before a substance like this is cleared by the FDA and then added to skincare products. Too bad, in America, we just skip the research step and go straight to the approval of toxins.
2. Parabens
I’m sure you’ve heard about parabens before, as people are finally starting to talk about their negative outcomes on the human body. Even many beauty brands are starting to hop on the trend of paraben-free products because they are aware that the general public is now starting to understand how terrible parabens truly are. Since parabens are absorbed through your skin, beauty care products are one of the worst places for these toxins to be used.
In a meta-analysis (an analysis of a large group of multiple different studies conducted over the years) published in 2019, researchers found that parabens, platelets, and phenols are linked to an early onset of puberty (before age 8 or 9) and that girls are 10 times more affected than boys. Early-onset of puberty is a big deal because it can lead to negative health outcomes later in life, such as shorter stature, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, adult-onset asthma, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and other reproductive cancers. The researchers make a point that there are two widely supported hypotheses for the increase in early-onset puberty. The first hypothesis is that there has been an increase in “environmental exposure to endocrine disruptors in household and personal care products” i.e. parabens, phthalates, phenols, etc. The other hypothesis is an increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. It is thought that these two hypotheses are related, in that each problem is compounding the other, leading to an increase in early-onset puberty. You see, beauty care products are not the only things that contain parabens, most processed foods, and inorganic foods are contaminated with parabens, phthalates, and phenols used in pesticides and preservatives.
Another study published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety discovered that in two types of common breast cancer cells (MCF7 and ZR-75-1), parabens work as oestrogens that help the cancer cells spread and grow. Oestrogens are “synthetic” substances that your body treats as hormones, disrupting the natural way of healing. Even if parabens are not the direct cause of cancer, they certainly help breast cancer proliferate and legitimately stop your body from having a healthy hormone response that could save your life and kill cancer.
There are also risks for males. Environmental Health Perspectives published an interesting study in which researchers observed that a common paraben (butylparaben) caused DNA damage in male sperm and therefore is a threat to fertility. Another study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that higher concentrations of parabens in a man’s urine were correlated with “an increase in the percentage of sperm with abnormal morphology” i.e. damaged DNA.
Not sure why the FDA would clear any parabens with research like this in existence. . .
3. Fragrance
Now fragrances are a complicated ingredient because it is LEGAL for companies to hide the chemicals that are used in their fragrance. The reason this is legal is that a fragrance is considered a trade secret. While this may protect a producer/brand from having their fragrance copied, it leaves plenty of room for consumers to be legally poisoned without their knowledge. Honestly pretty disgusting when you think about how inhumane and immoral that truly is - back to fragrances.
Since producers don’t have to divulge what their fragrance is made of, you have no way of telling how many chemicals it contains. Fragrances can be anywhere from one ingredient to 100 different toxic chemicals. It gets worse. The FDA, of course, does not require companies to test their fragrances to make sure they are safe for humans. Basically, the FDA is on the side of the business, profit, and the economy, even though they were founded in order to protect consumers. They fail miserably at doing this.
Fragrances often contain phthalates, parabens, turpentine, and countless other chemicals that are disrupting the homeostasis of our bodies. In a study conducted by the Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics Research Center at San Diego State University, researchers observed that “fragrance-laden lifestyles” are linked to “unprecedented rates of diabetes, cancer, neural ailments” and more. The researchers point out that as more is understood about the endocrine system, (hormonal regulatory system) the more obvious it is becoming that the chemicals in fragrances (and other products) are disrupting our hormones in severe ways. As you look deeper into this topic, you can find that many underlying diseases are caused by an imbalance of hormones in the body, most notably estrogen (in both men and women). Many illnesses are caused by a disruption in our estrogen levels. Additionally, many of the toxic chemicals used in our products that work in our bodies are fake estrogens, suppressing our bodies’ natural estrogen production. With this fundamental understanding of how the human body functions, it is clear to see that these toxins are disrupting our health.
It is absolutely ludicrous the amount of research I had to conduct in order to get a full understanding of just 3 of the who-know-how-many toxic chemicals in regular deodorants. It has taken me multiple weeks to digest all this info, adequately understand it, compile evidence, and consolidate everything into a blog post. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE BURDEN OF THE CONSUMER. I thought this was supposed to be the FDA’s job, or were they just tricking me into thinking that?
I was planning to cover three other toxic chemicals found in deodorant (propylene glycol, triclosan, and BHT) but I feel like this post is getting so long and wordy that I need to wrap things up before I bore you all the death with my research! If I have sparked an urge in you to do more research, please do! The more we know, the better we can choose products that are good for us and the planet.
I hope after reading this, you take away that it is asinine for these toxins to be allowed in so many products on such a wide scale before extensive research has been done to see how these things could affect the human body. We should be certain, or nearly certain, that an ingredient does not pose risks from use before the ingredient is cleared by the FDA. The reason this doesn’t happen is that the FDA is corrupt. Some of the heads working in the FDA hold large shares in companies or own companies, that are actively involved in producing and profiting from these toxic chemicals being cleared. Some of the people working for the FDA are lobbied to clear toxins (so basically bribed by an immoral company into allowing them to poison consumers). How then, can we trust the FDA to protect our health? I certainly don’t trust them and I don’t think you should either. We need to be the seekers of our own information, rather than relying on large regulatory bodies to look out for our best interests. We are living in a world of fantasy if we think the FDA will actually protect us from toxins.
Disclaimer: To be clear, it is the prolonged, daily exposure to these toxins that cause them to build up in our bodies at unhealthy levels that lead to disease. It is impossible, in our modern world, to avoid these things completely because they are now part of our ecosystem to a certain extent. Since the government has allowed the toxins to be produced and distributed for decades, they have gradually seeped into our environments in ways that will take centuries to fully correct. The point is there’s no need to expose yourself to any greater levels of these toxins than you are already exposed to in nature and our food supply. We certainly do not need to be buying personal care products that are also laced with these toxins. This only feeds into the negative cycle of introducing more toxins into the environment, I think we can all agree that needs to stop.
If you are interested in learning more about what is in your products, download the Healthy Living App created by the Environmental Working Group. This app lets you search brands and products and then gives them a rating on their levels of allergens, cancer-causing agents, and developmental disruptors. This way you can find out which products to keep using and which to replace with a better version next time.