A new kind of deodorant that is meant for whole-body application has been populating social media feeds and becoming prevalent in drugstores. But are all-body deodorants really necessary?
Whole-Body Deodorants: Should You Use Them or Not?
The ads of these products claim that they can be used from "pits to bits" or "head to toe." However, dermatologists have something to say regarding these products.
Dr. Karan Lal, a double board certified dermatologist and a member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology, says that it is fully unnecessary to use these products.
Aside from Lal, dermatologist Dr. Afton Cobb from the Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in Wyoming also says that she does not encourage deodorant applications all over the body. Rather, one may try targeting other areas outside the armpit with caution.
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Samer Jaber from Washington Square Dermatologist also agrees that there is no need to apply deodorants in body areas without odor. Dr. Jaber also explains that deodorants are essentially perfumes that are sprayed in order to cover body odor.
However, Secret and Dove, which are two brands that offer these products, say that the whole-body product has been seeing a demand. Pranav Chandan, Unilever's US head of deodorants, explains that though some may think that whole-body deodorants are unnecessary, they know that the product has a demand. Research from Unilever discovered that 15% of Americans have been searching for a whole-body solution. Their research also discovered that under 1% of the sweat produced by the body is from the underarm. Chandan then proceeds to say that given this, why not make a solution that is meant to be applied to other sweat-producing body parts?
Dr. Maiysha Jones, the principal scientist at Procter & Gamble's North America personal care, says that they asked almost 4,000 people regarding body odor. They discovered that 50% to 60% of individuals worry about the odor of their groin, 20% to 30% worry about under breast and chest odor, while 30% to 50% worry about food odor.
Safety Warning
When it comes to these products, dermatologists have a few warnings. The first one comes with the matter of fragrance. Dr.Jabner says that though deodorants are generally safe, individuals with sensitive skin may experience skin irritation, itchiness, or redness.
Lal also says that this matter is not just the reactivity of skin towards fragrances. Rather, there could also be neurological reactivity, such as headaches and migraines. He explains that these products have a lot of fragrance and that several people are more sensitive to fragrance than imagined. Hence, it is important to be careful in using such products among people who could be sensitive to fragrance.
There are also concerns regarding where the deodorant is applied, particularly in the groin region. Lal explains that, for women, applying things to the vaginal area could pose the risk of messing up the vaginal microbiome. This is something that women should be very careful about.
Smelly Sweat
Dermatologists say that it is a misconception that sweat is what is smelly. Lal explains that when it leaves the body, sweat doesn't smell for the most part. However, unless a person eats certain spices or foods, it does end up smelling.
As sweat exits the glands, there are particular skin bacteria that end up breaking sweat down. They end up producing such an odor.
In order to decrease armpit and sweat odor, Dr. Jaber recommends decreasing the production of sweat, decreasing the bacteria that breaks sweat down and produces the odor, or masking the odor with a fragrance.
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