Why You Need To Look Closer Into Your Deodorant

By now, we all know someone who is obsessed with holistic living. Holistic living is an ancient means of healing and living naturally and it’s no surprise that holistic living is making a comeback. Though the government may feel fine with bathing our products in chemicals, many people are standing up against the ignorance our government hopes we stay in. My sister, for example, is engrossed in becoming more aware of what is in her products ever since she started to look further into the toxic chemicals within her and her families’ products. When I last visited her she grilled me on the deodorant I bought. I didn’t think anything was wrong with it, if it was on the shelves at CVS it was totally safe, right? The short answer is, no. After listening to my sister lecture me about the chemicals in my deodorant I was intrigued, but never really followed through, until now. Looking deeper into our products is important, especially if we don’t know what the ingredients are or how they affect our health. The government has made it pretty easy to fool the American people to believe their products are safe simply because they are allowed to be sold. When you take a deeper look into what the average American who does not care to look what is in their food, water, and other everyday products, you will find all of these things riddled with toxic chemicals known to be harmful to human health. It’s time to educate ourselves on what is in our products, but that’s a big leap into a large issue, so let’s focus on deodorants and antiperspirants. The slightly cringe-worthy video below summarizes some of the issues at hand with deodorant pretty well.

First, it is important to understand the difference between deodorant and antiperspirants. Deodorants neutralize the smell of body odor by using some type of antiseptic action against the bacteria that produces odor. Antiperspirants work by clogging the pores with astringents, mainly aluminum salts, in order to stop sweat from coming to the surface. Both have ingredients that include toxic chemicals, most of these chemicals have not been tested for their safety to human health and others are known to be active health risks to humans. It is important to understand that sweating is a natural occurrence that can be embarrassing, sure, but naturally letting your body maintain body temperature rather than allowing toxic chemicals into your body seems like an easy choice. It is understandably an annoying reaction, especially with the standards of beauty in Western society, but sweating is a natural everyday part of life. Now, these chemicals within the deodorant you use every day, are they actually that bad for you? To answer that question fully it is important to know what these toxic chemicals are and how they work within your body. In this paper, we will call the worst toxic chemicals found in deodorants and antiperspirants the toxic five.

One of the most harmful ingredients is aluminum. Aluminum is one of the more controversial materials found in deodorant and this is largely due to its possible link to cancer and other health risks. Many physicians believe aluminum should not be needed at any capacity in your body due to the negative health effects. Aluminum-based compounds in deodorant are used as the active ingredient in most products because of its ability to form compounds that temporarily plug the sweat duct which then stops the flow of sweat to the surface of the skin. In some antiperspirants, aluminum salts account for 25 percent of the product, for an antiperspirant that is a large amount of aluminum. And not only is there an unusually large amount of aluminum in deodorants, but many researchers believe that this metal can cause gene instability, specifically in breast tissues. In Phillipa Darbre’s study she looked into the health effects of aluminum in human, “Aluminum is capable of causing both DNA alterations and epigenetic effects”. DNA alterations and epigenetic effects are two very serious and sobering conclusions, so why is aluminum necessary to deodorant? Aluminum is extremely effective at stopping a person from sweating too much, but it is not a healthy alternative to sweating. Some research even leans towards the conclusion that aluminum can cause hormonal effects as it is absorbed by the skin near the breast allowing the chemicals to seep deep within the skin. The ability of aluminum to seep into the skin and the area where we apply deodorant is only part of the reason why some scientist and physicians believe deodorants and antiperspirants are linked to breast cancer, but we will touch on that later.

Parabens are also commonly found in deodorants. Parabens are a group of compounds used as preservatives not only in the cosmetic industry but in the food and pharmaceutical industries too. In deodorants parabens are commonly used in order to keep the product fresh over a long period of time, it is likely parabens that keep your deodorant fresh and long lasting. These toxins are linked to breast cancer because parabens have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in our cell’s. One researcher, Philippa Darbre, has made many strides in studying parabens, one of the most important is her work proving that mixing different parabens can strengthen their effects on estrogen. In another study by Walter Crinnion which looked into the health effects of parabens found that there is a viable link to breast cancer. “Their estrogenicity and tissue presence are a cause for concern regarding breast cancer.” This is not the first time parabens have been called out for their negative health effects in cosmetic and household products and certainly not the last. Parabens link to cancer has been a long known issue within the science community. However, many companies know that light is being shed onto the issue of parabens so many beauty product companies will list these parabens under different names like propylparaben, methylparaben, and butylparaben. Although paraben is still under the name many consumers think this is just a different type of chemical ingredient, and others just don’t seem to care. The array of toxic chemicals in deodorants is eye-opening and the effects of these chemicals prove they shouldn’t be in our bodies. Luckily, many products now advertise that they no longer use parabens and tons of other companies are now moving away from parabens as well due to their negative health effects.

How would you feel if you found out pesticides are within your deodorant? Well, there are pesticides hidden in your deodorant under the name triclosan. Triclosan is an antimicrobial commonly found in deodorant and other personal care products, however not in Minnesota. Minnesota banned the drug as researchers believe it is responsible for altering hormones and can also disrupt thyroid function. It makes me wonder why the rest of America is fine with triclosan in our products if an entire state banned the same drug. Unfortunately, triclosan is effective at killing bacteria, fungus, and other microbes, but that does not mean that we should still be exposed to it. Not only is Triclosan a classified pesticide, but it is also a probable carcinogen under the Environmental Protection Agency. Many scientist felt it was time to take a deeper look into Triclosan as there was evidence detected in human breast milk, blood, and urine samples. Researchers began studying male and female rats who were exposed to 21 days of triclosan. “Triclosan affected estrogen-mediated responses in the pubertal and weanling female rat and also suppressed thyroid hormone in both studies.” Triclosan affecting estrogen-mediated responses in these female rats has led scientist to believe that triclosan is an endocrine disruptor, which can cause various health issues and birth defects. Though it is important to remember that humans do in fact have different genetics than rats, it is still worrisome that such defects were caused by Triclosan in an animal with similar genetics, biological and behavioral characteristics of humans.

The chemical Propylene Glycol is also usually found in most deodorants. There are few red flags that stand out with this particular toxic chemical, one of them being that it is a petroleum-based ingredient. Petroleum is what causes the slick consistency of deodorant that seems like moisturizer, but in reality, it suffocates your pores. Propylene Glycol is a penetration enhancer, which means it allows chemicals in your deodorant to travel father into the skin more easily. Its use in deodorant is apparently to be able to go deeper into the skins to clog sweat glands to ensure long lasting and effective antiperspirant. This is disturbing in that its purpose allows other chemicals within the deodorant that are harmful to leach deep within the skin. It has also been found that in large quantities propylene glycol can cause damage to the central nervous system, the heart, and the liver. The Environmental Working Group also did a study in which it found that propylene glycol can cause irritation of the skin, developmental toxicity, and organ system toxicity and classified it as a moderate hazard. Despite what is known now about propylene glycol scientist still know little about the human health effects of the chemical and further testing is necessary to fully understand what propylene glycol can do to our bodies.

So why is breast cancer always mentioned when speaking about the possible health effects of deodorant? Breast cancer is a terrifying epidemic and many scientists believe that the amplified use of chemicals in our food, water, and products can be a possible cause. First, you should know where breast cancer occurs and how it is formed. Breast cancer is most commonly formed in the upper outer quadrant, which is right under where women and men apply their deodorant. Breast cancer is formed when cells within the breast undergo genetic changes and grow out of control, usually then forming a tumor in the epithelial tissue of the breast ducts. The epithelial tissue of the breasts is very sensitive to chemicals and contain estrogen, which many chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants effect. The reason many believe that deodorant may be linked to breast cancer is because of the placement of where breast cancer forms and the chemicals that commonly affect hormones and breast cancer cells are found in popular deodorants most commonly found on store shelves. Philippa Darbre has done some truly amazing work in researching the toxic chemicals in underarm deodorants and other beauty products, her work is one of the only substantial efforts to look deeper into the link between breast cancer and deodorant. Darbre and other researchers found a correlation between breast cancer survivors who used aluminum-based deodorants were diagnosed at an earlier age than those who used non-aluminum deodorants. Though this is not enough evidence to say that deodorant is the cause of breast cancer it is worrisome that this correlation exists and that the chemicals found within deodorants still have dangerous consequences to your health. Unfortunately, there are not many studies being done on the effects of deodorant and many more studies are needed in order to get closer to finding the link between breast cancer and deodorant.

On a more positive note, there are healthy and natural alternatives. When looking for a healthy and natural deodorant you should make sure to look for a few important things. First, it is important to understand that sweating is a normal and good thing. Your body sweats in order to regulate your inner temperature. So keep in mind that deodorant may be a better option opposed to keeping your body from doing a natural thing! You should make sure there is absolutely no aluminum in your deodorant, even in natural crystal deodorants stay away from the ingredient “alum”. Alum is simply a different kind of aluminum that is still toxic and should not be in your body. Any of the toxic five chemicals found in deodorant you want to avoid, especially if you have sensitive skin. It is also important to steer away from any fragrances as well. When the ingredients list fragrance, that is just a loophole companies can use in order to list more chemicals in a more appealing package called fragrance. Baking soda is a common ingredient of natural deodorants, but if you have sensitive skin baking soda can cause some irritation. Also, if there is a wide variety of chemicals, it is best to look for a deodorant with less than five. Some effective and healthier deodorants are Green Tiding All Natural Deodorant, Young Living’s AromaGaurd Meadow Mist Deodorant, and Primal Pit Paste All Natural Lavender Deodorant. These products are some of the best natural deodorants and antiperspirants I found online. It is important to do your own research when looking for a new deodorant or antiperspirant because we all have different skin so only you will know what will work for your own skin through trial and error just make sure the products are

You would never knowingly ingest toxic cosmetic ingredients that are known to cause harm to humans, but we do this almost every morning in small doses when we use our deodorants and other beauty products. What is terrifying about the toxic five being active ingredients in your deodorant is that some of them can enter your bloodstream without being metabolized because they entered through the skin. And because they are not being properly metabolized their health effects are stronger. The toxic five all have different concerning health effects on the human body, and yet people still argue if these toxic chemicals are actually the root cause of certain health defects and disease. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter if they are or are not the confirmed cause, what matters is that there is proof that these toxic chemicals do cause certain health risks to our bodies. If anything can cause harm to my body, to any degree, I would rather not have that product exposed to me. We are all taking a calculated risk with the products we use, whether it is just the ignorance we chose to embrace in order to shield ourselves from the frightening truth or not, these chemicals still persist within our bodies.

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