Are you kind of confused about whether conventional is deodorant healthier for you? There is certainly a lot of contradictory information out there. The safe limits of exposure to certain ingredients in off-the-shelf products are being challenged, and the worst offender is aluminium. Women and young girls are exposed to more harmful chemicals on a daily basis than any other group of people.
On average we use 12 personal care products every day, adding up to 2KG per year. The long-term effect of low, daily exposure to the synthetic chemicals in conventional product is still being studied, but more and more research is showing how dangerous they may be. We believe that natural deodorant is healthier for you and here's why:
#1.
Many off-the-shelf deodorants and antiperspirants contain controversial chemicals that stay on your skin after you shower. Aluminium, triclosan, phthalates, parabens, propylene glycol and formaldehyde (to name a few) are absorbed into your bloodstream and, although you may not be able to detect them, they cling to your skin for another to 24 hours.
#2.
Some of these chemicals are known endocrine disruptors (often referred to as oestrogen-mimickers or xenoestrogens), and others, like aluminium, accumulate in your body over the course of your life.
#3.
Lifetime over-exposure to oestrogen is an established risk factor for breast cancer in both men and women. Children and teenagers are even more susceptible to xenoestrogens than adults.
#4.
Aluminium is absorbed when applied to the skin. Studies show that six, yes SIX, times more aluminium is absorbed into the bloodstream after shaving. This is because we get teeny, tiny micro-cuts from the razor blade.
#5.
Aluminium accumulates in your kidneys, brain, lungs, liver and thyroid.
#6.
Lifetime over-exposure to aluminium has also been linked to neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
#7.
Aluminium has been measured in human breast tissue, breast cysts and nipple fluid. In nipple fluids, levels of aluminium were higher in women with breast cancer than those without.
#8.
Breast Cancer UK supports a ban on the use of aluminium compounds in under-arm products. Their report concluded that, based on current knowledge, aluminium in deodorant is not a healthy inclusion.
Is natural deodorant healthier for you? As always, you’ll have to decide for yourself. But with everything you are exposed to on a daily basis – in the environment, at work, your food and water, the air you breathe – why not take deodorant off your list of concerns?