Is aluminum in deodorant bad?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what is in your deodorant? It’s an essential part of your daily routine (or at least, it should be), but what are you really slathering all over your underarm skin every morning?

If it’s designed to prevent sweat, an extremely common deodorant component is aluminum.

Aluminum, or AI, is a silvery white-looking-ish metal and is atomic number 13 on the good ol’ periodic table. It’s actually a pretty cool metal, and over the years humans have figured out how to use it in quite a few things. Most people associate aluminum with those cans you can smash on your forehead, but it is also used in power lines, cables, motors, satellite dishes, and even your bar of deodorant. 

Actually, your bar of deodorant/antiperspirant. 

Aluminum is one of the ingredients that makes antiperspirant seemingly work. There are actually aluminum-based salts (AKA aluminum hydrochloride) added to antiperspirant solutions. These salts are one of the active ingredients included to specifically block your sweat glands, from, you know, sweating. 

A quick deodorant vs antiperspirant check

Just so everyone is on the same page before we dive into this topic of “aluminum in my deo” further, we want to explain deodorant vs. antiperspirant real quick. 

“Deo” and “deodorant” are what everyone just calls that stick in your bathroom or gym bag that helps control and cover up that underarm sweat (and smell). Deodorant, however, is actually a single substance on its own. 

Deodorant is just one of the pieces of that stick that prevents sweat odors. It’s actually what is called an antimicrobial substance. This means that it stops the growth and even reduces the amount of bacteria on that part of your body (if it’s a good deodorant, anyway). 

Why is this important? Thanks for asking. It’s important because what causes the stank in your armpit region is actually not the sweat part — at least not entirely. Much of the odor is caused by all the bacteria in your armpit consuming your sweat. Bacteria love some sweat, and the reaction of the bacteria being all munchy-munchy at a microscopic level actually leads to some serious odor. Deodorant works to combat the amount of bacteria in the armpits which in turn reduces the amount of sweat munching which in turn reduces the amount of odor. Deodorant is also usually scented, so it helps mask odors as well. 

Antiperspirants are part #2 in this stick. You might even see on the label something like “deodorant antiperspirant” or “antiperspirant deodorant” or “sweat AND odor protection.” 

Antiperspirant is a substance that straight up reduces the amount of sweat coming out of your armpits by blocking your sweat glands. It’s known as an astringent, and it can also shrink sweat glands. Blocked sweat glands or shrunk sweat glands mean sweat cannot come out of them (or at least not as much sweat comes out of them). Since this is a little more heavy-duty, the more chemical-ly stuff is usually found in the antiperspirant bit. 

So, to simplify, deodorant is what combats the odor bit, and antiperspirant is what combats the sweating bit. Then they are combined. Most of the products you see in the pharmacy section of the grocery store are deodorant/antiperspirants. 

Is aluminum in deodorant or antiperspirant bad? 

Phew! Ok, now that we have that straight, when we say “deodorant” as a catch-all in the rest of the article, you know what we really mean is the stick of deodorant PLUS antiperspirant. 

So, is aluminum in your stick of deodorant bad? 

We want to be honest that the research out there is a little hard to interpret, but there have been studies that indicate that aluminum in deodorant can lead to potential issues. The biggest thing with chemical ingredients being added to products for your skin is that you as a human are now being exposed to non-natural things. 

Deodorant is applied to one of the more sensitive areas of your body. Your underarms also contain quite a few sweat glands as well, so there is a lot going on in that tiny space. 

Your skin has an amazing ability to absorb things, and your underarms are no different. Anything you’re applying to that area is getting absorbed by your body as well. So that means if there are chemicals in a product, those chemicals have a chance to be absorbed into your human body right along with everything else. 

Aluminum in deodorant has been linked to a series of issues that are worth noting:

• Irritation of the underarm skin
• Itchy underarms
• Tingles in the underarms that are not of the sensual kind
• Allergic reactions 

Allergic reactions to chemical products can be minor and show up as a rash or can lead to larger issues — larger issues like hives that spread from your underarms to other areas of your body, or even a full-out anaphylaxis issue. For those who don’t know, anaphylaxis is a medical term for when your heart and lungs stop working, which we all kind of need to stay alive.  

Also, you know those nasty yellow sweat stains that appear over time on your clothing? 

Aluminum is the culprit. The combination of sweat and the aluminum chemical on your clothes creates another reaction that turns fabric yellow. If it’s doing that to your shirt, what is it doing to your skin? Ah-ha, now you’re putting two and two together. 

Be a big boy and check the ingredients

You are old enough to know that what you put on and in your body affects YOUR BODY. Just like you should check the ingredients on that box of cereal you’re about to consume, you need to understand the ingredients that go into your body products. 

Or, at least, we want to encourage you to start doing this because we care about your body. 

Seriously, we do. This is one of the reasons MANSCAPED™ was founded in the first place. We dudes are kind of dense when it comes to ingredients in stuff and how they affect our body. So, let us help you.  

Because of their chemical ingredients, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) actually regulates antiperspirants. The one good thing about government oversight like this is that companies are legally required to tell you as the consumer if aluminum is included in a product. So it should say right there on the label “contains aluminum.” It might be in really, really small print, but if it includes aluminum it has to say so. 

So, this means that you should keep your eye out for any product label so that you can avoid it if necessary. 

OR…

Trust a company that does not use harsh chemicals that seep into your skin and turn your clothes gross colors. Hint, hint. 

At MANSCAPED™, staying natural with our products is key because we want your skin and body to feel good.

Our product line has THREE, count em, THREE amazing deodorant options for you, manly man:

UltraPremium Deodorant

This one is for the underarms.  

2.65 oz of aluminum-free magic for your underarms. Oh, and it’s paraben-free, formaldehyde-free, phthalate-free, and dye-free. Didn’t know those are other things you should look out for, huh? 

We’ve put a lot of time and effort into this little bar, and it’s also designed to dry clear, so it goes on clear and stays clear. It also includes our signature Refined™ cologne-quality fragrance, so it has our manly scent just for you. Even our cologne is made of natural ingredients like citrus and jasmine.  

Our products are also cruelty-free and vegan because we do not need to test them on furry little bunnies. We test them on ourselves because we use ingredients that won’t make you break out in bumps and blisters. And we love bunnies. Yeah, we said it.

Give your underarms a couple of swipes with our deodorant, and you’re good to go.  

Foot Duster® Deodorant Spray

This one is for your tootsies. Your feet, dude. 

Feet surprisingly have a lot of sweat glands, too. When you shove them in socks and shoes all day they can get pretty funky, so we have a deodorant spray specifically designed for your feet sweat.

As a spray, you get full coverage which means your total foot area is set up for success. Natural ingredients shine in this product as well like tea tree oil which is not only hygienic, but is great for your skin. Tea tree oil is also a natural cooling ingredient, so your feet won’t feel as stuffy. 

We’ve also got good stuff like coconut oil and peppermint leaf oil. Smells so good.

We designed this deodorant spray with athletes in mind, so it’s set up for those of you who are super active, but it works for men across the board. We know feet sweat outside of the gym, so this is a great product for sweat defense overall.  

After a shower and everything is dry, you just spray the tops and bottoms of your feet with our Foot Duster®. After spraying, let them dry a little more and really let everything soak in. You’ll automatically feel your feet cooling and feeling refreshed. Then put your socks on, put your shoes on, and go forth and conquer the day. 

Crop Preserver®

This one is for your balls. It’s like we know all the stinky areas of a man’s body. It’s like it’s our job. 

Crop Preserver® is our specifically designed anti-chafing ball deodorant. It’s actually a deodorizing lotion. We know, we’re fancy like that. 

Since this area is arguably even more sensitive than your underarms, you can trust that we’ve put all the care into this product. This lotion packs a punch with ingredients that protect and preserve, and it’s full of things that hydrate and that are antioxidants.

Ingredients in Crop Preserver® include tapioca starch, caprylic capric triglycerides from coconut oil, and aloe leaf juice. The starch reduces rubbage from friction because we know a lot of skin and stuffing goes on in the groin area of a man. The oil and aloe juice makes everything silky smooth and moisturized. 

As natural antioxidants, your ball sack has an extra layer of protection and all good things are put on your balls and absorbed into your ball skin. 

This ball deodorant is for athletes, businessmen, and gamers alike because we know there are a lot of situations in which you just get sweaty balls. All you need to do is get a shower, dry off completely and apply a small amount of lotion to your balls. A little bit goes a long way down there and just spread the lotion on and around your nuts. Because it’s a liquid, you will get a really nice, full coverage of the area. 

Now, let the balls hang and dry a little. Then you can proceed with underwear, pants, and the rest of your day. 

It also has our signature cologne-quality fragrance, so you will have all the bits smelling nice throughout the day.

Have you noticed we have not said the word aluminum at all while describing our deodorant products? 

That’s because we don’t even want to go there. We didn’t go there because we know natural ingredients are what your body needs, and we do not need to contribute to one more chemical thing that you don’t need. 

Even though the research is still out on the subject, we know natural is just better. Trust in Mother Nature. Trust in MANSCAPED™.