No Sweat - How Does Deodorant Work?

Welcome to the beginning of a new mini-series – all about deodorant.

Yay! (I hear you thinking)

As we examine what exactly goes on in armpits (and in the products we apply to them), we'll meet such fascinating ingredients as potassium alum, aluminum chlorhydrate, aluminum zirconium, farnesol and triethyl citrate. I promise not all of these are as scary as they may sound. As a matter of fact, I'm betting you may find yourself falling for one or 2 of them before we're done.

Deodorant? That's Not Very Sexy!

I am a reluctant developer of deodorant. It didn't interest me to work on such an 'unsexy' product, and wasn't until my husband and I had exhausted all of the available commercial and 'natural' brands with absolutely no satisfaction that I got serious about developing my own. At the time, all of the 'natural' brands we tried were too sticky, or didn't work for more than a hour, or both. The 'non-natural' brands had even less going for them – they were too sticky, far too perfumed, and all seemed to irritate our skin in one way or the other. There was nothing for it but to get cracking. Today, I'm glad I did. Not only do I have something that works really well for me (and my husband), but deodorants are among my most popular sellers.

The Quest For The Perfect Pit
One would think it a matter of simple chemistry to put together a non-sticky, effective-yet-mild, mildly-scented, skin- and planet-friendly deodorant. In theory – it is.

In reality, it has been a bit of a quest that has taken me several years and countless batches to develop. (Well, not countless, but I'd have to dredge up a lot of notes to get exact numbers. Suffice to say – it's a whole heck of a lot that borders on countless).

Going Green
I work with plant-based ingredients, using as many organic and planet-friendly ingredients as I can source (and there you have my definition of green). To make a 'green' deodorant, there is a fairly limited range of choices as to active ingredients, yet more than one might imagine. The ideal green solution for me has been a question of combining several different actives in just the right proportions. 

But before we get to the make-up of a deodorant, let's take a peek at what it is that makes us use deodorant in the first place.

Sweat is Unscented by Nature

Human sweat is actually pretty odorless – until it meets bacteria – the kind that thrives in hot, humid environments – like armpits. When bacteria moves in and starts partying on sweat (which it really loves to do), it releases a substance called trans-3-methyl-2-hexonic acid. It is this substance (that you can now practice saying out loud) that causes sweat to smell bad = body odor.

Washing isn't All That, But it's All We Have

We wash our armpits to remove body odor, but washing also causes the skin to loose its acid mantle. It actually disrupts the skins barrier – opening the door for a bacteria party. Even though washing the armpits helps create the perfect bacteria-growing area, it also provides a clean base for applying a trans-3-methyl-2-hexonic-acid fighting substance – like deodorant.

Coming Up
Next time, we'll start looking at some of the basic ingredients that make up a deodorant.

Stay tuned!

Do Tell!
Do you prefer deodorant or antiperspirant?

Visit the Deodorant FAQ Page