WTF Is The Difference Between Antiperspirant and Deodorant?

Chances are you may not have given much thought to what you’re swiping on those pits. Plus, these days it’s tough to even figure out what’s what when you’re looking at a million different labels and trying to understand ingredients. Deodorant, antiperspirant, it’s all pretty much the same right? Actually no, it isn’t. There are some major differences and they definitely matter. So, how about we demystify what’s happening here?

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Maybe it’s obvious, but antiperspirant and deodorant are two different types of products. Anti-perspirants are products formulated specifically to prevent or block the natural perspiration process, aka, they stop you from sweating. De-odorants stop you from being odorous, meaning they prevent or cover up your stank. It’s kind of like the bourbon vs whiskey debate. Like all bourbon is whiskey but not all whiskey is bourbon, typically all antiperspirants are deodorants (as they both block sweat and deodorize), but not all deodorants are antiperspirants (they only block odors and deodorize). Make sense?

Furthermore, the most important difference between antiperspirant is actually one specific ingredient, aluminum. If that stink stick contains aluminum, the product is an antiperspirant. Aluminum is the sweat blocking active ingredient in antiperspirant products, which aims to control or prevent sweat entirely. Metallic salts and aluminum chloride are the active ingredients in antiperspirants. The aluminum in your antiperspirant is activated when you start to sweat. It then gets absorbed into your sweat glands, and forms a plug that blocks sweat from leaving your body. So even though your body is producing sweat it isn’t able to reach the surface of the skin.

If using harsh chemicals and aluminum to stop a natural (and healthy) bodily function sounds kinda rough, you’re right, it is. Is also brutal on your skin. Since your sweat glands are actually being plugged to stop both sweat and unwanted chemicals and toxins from escaping through your pores, they’re trapped inside your body. When combined with the harshness of the aluminium and chemicals, these factors can lead to irritation. Also, since these are products that are applied to your skin on a daily basis and left on for virtually 24 hours a day, the potential for irritation is even higher than from wash-off products. Plus, there’s those pesky, nasty yellow armpit stains to deal with also.

Switching to a natural deodorant is going to prevent potential skin irritation, save your precious shirts from the highlighter treatment, and it’s going to keep you fresh and have you smelling better, all without harsh chemicals and aluminum. Natural deodorants fight odor and keep you fresh with ingredients like charcoal, arrowroot, and probiotics without relying on harsh or irritating ingredients to do their work for them. The naturally-derived fragrances are also much gentler on skin and won’t exacerbate potential irritation like generic fragrances can. Plus, they smell like a man should, not like a middle school locker room.

So, next time you find yourself considering what to slap on those pits, you’ll know the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant. Not to mention why the best move is to swipe right on an effective, natural deodorant, not an aluminum packed antiperspirant.