Take a closer look at the deodorant products on the drugstore shelves and it soon becomes clear that many contain an antiperspirant too. While both of them can help to reduce body odor (although having a smell is a perfectly normal thing), they go about this in different ways.

What is deodorant?

Deodorant doesn’t stop sweating – instead, its role is to neutralize odor-causing bacteria on the skin, or at the very least mask the smells that they create. But how does this work?

Some of the body areas we might consider to be the most stink-prone contain apocrine glands, one of the three types of sweat gland and activated during puberty. Contrary to popular belief, sweat produced from these glands is actually odorless, but it does contain fats and proteins. 

Bacteria on the skin see these fats and proteins as delicious snacks, which they thank us for by metabolizing them into usually unpleasant smelling byproducts. Deodorants help to prevent this by containing ingredients that either neutralize the compounds or straight-up kill off the bacteria.

Armpits make a suitably wet and warm home for many odor-causing bacteria, and generally they’re the region deodorants are designed to be applied to. However, recent months have also seen the appearance of so-called “whole body” deodorants – despite the fact that in many places in the body, sweat is unlikely to lead to odor.

What is antiperspirant?

Unlike deodorant, antiperspirants are designed to reduce or temporarily stop sweating. They contain aluminum-based compounds that, when applied to the skin, form a gel-like plug over the pore. This stops sweat from escaping, although the gel eventually does break down – that’s why antiperspirants need to be reapplied if you want to continue not sweating.

Though antiperspirants can be applied on their own, they’re often used in combination with deodorant. Such products are easily found in stores, but stronger antiperspirants can also be available over the counter or on prescription.

How effective are they?

Straight off the bat it should be said that the effectiveness of deodorants and antiperspirants depends on the individual and product in question. Some people sweat more than others and the bacteria within our skin microbiomes can vary from person to person too. 

The latter is what can change the effectiveness of deodorant – different bacteria means that what prevents odor in one person won’t necessarily prevent it in another. On top of that, as deodorant doesn’t stop someone from sweating, it can only be so effective at blocking smells because it isn’t tackling a key aspect of what’s causing them.

Antiperspirants will also vary in effectiveness depending on the person, the strength of the product used, and when it’s used. For someone with hyperhidrosis, a condition characterized by excessive sweating, treatment might include prescription antiperspirants, which typically contain a higher concentration of aluminum-based compounds than drugstore products. Antiperspirants also tend to work better if applied at night, as that’s when we tend to sweat less, so the product is more likely to be absorbed.

“Effectiveness” also depends on what someone considers acceptable to them – not everyone wants to completely stop sweating for long periods, or cares about body odor. In fact, getting a good old whiff from someone might even reduce social anxiety, at least according to one 2023 study on 48 women with social anxiety.

And, when it comes to the recent rise of whole-body deodorants, they’re tackling a problem that doesn’t exist for the vast majority of people anyway.

“Your arms, face, legs, stomach… they don’t smell,” Dr Mona A. Gohara, a board-certified dermatologist and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, told Allure. And if they do start smelling and it’s bothering you, it’s recommended to see a dermatologist.

Do they carry risks?

There’s a commonly circulated idea that deodorants and antiperspirants cause or increase the risk of developing cancer. This idea began back in the 1990s with an email hoax suggesting that antiperspirants led to breast cancer, followed by suggestions that aluminum absorbed into the skin was responsible. 

However, there’s no solid evidence to support such suggestions. “The absorption of aluminum by the skin is not fully understood yet,” board-certified dermatologist Dr Amanda Doyle told CNN Health, “but the carcinogenicity of aluminum has not been proved.”

That might seem confusing given that, if you’ve ever had a mammogram, you’ll have been told not to wear deodorant – but that’s not because it’s got anything to do with breast cancer, or any other harmful condition. It’s because deodorant can show up on the mammogram, affecting the results.

Though not cancer-related, deodorant or antiperspirant might still cause some issues for a small number of people. 

“Some people have allergic reactions to deodorants or antiperspirants,” Dr Benjamin Chan, a physician at Penn Family Medicine Phoenixville, explained in Penn Medicine’s health and wellness blog.

“Research indicates that this could be caused by ingredients such as propylene glycol (a chemical that gives a deodorant stick its shape), essential oils (frequently used in fragrance), biological additives, parabens, vitamin E, and lanolin.”

People with certain skin conditions may additionally be advised to avoid particular ingredients by their doctors. For anyone, if a reaction does occur, it’s best to see a healthcare provider to figure out what it is that’s causing it.

There’s also concern that, because deodorants interfere with bacteria, they could potentially have an impact on the skin’s microbiome and in turn cause skin issues – an effect that could be widespread in the case of whole body deodorants. Dermatologist Dr Kavita Mariwalla told Allure that there’s some evidence suggesting deodorants or antiperspirants can change the microbiome in the armpits, but the impact of that is yet to be seen.

“If we extrapolate that to the rest of the skin, is it possible that using whole-body deodorant daily can change your microbiome? Yes,” said Dr Mariwalla. “Will that be a bad thing? Unclear.”

All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.