Natural Beauty—Don’t Sweat It

By Michele Meyer

As someone who divides her time between the sweltering city of Houston, Texas, and the human sandwich that is Manhattan, I know that sweat stinks. Until recently, I dealt with it the way most of us do: with daily applications of a drugstore antiperspirant. But I’ve always been slightly troubled by the rumors of a connection between the aluminum in antiperspirants and Alzheimer’s disease. And when I read the label of my antiperspirant one morning, I was floored by the list of chemicals. Was I making a mistake?

Some people think so. While the natural deodorant industry is still only a fraction of the size of the conventional one, its sales swelled 14 percent to $11 million in 2003, according to the Nutrition Business Journal. And consumer choices have multiplied. “Our selections have just about doubled in the past year,” says Allyn Jones, a spokesperson for the North Atlantic division of Whole Foods Market, which carries ten varieties by Tom’s of Maine and 17 by JASON. They’ve also gotten better. “Years ago, natural deodorants didn’t have such a good reputation,” says Kathi Danaher, who manages personal care products for Wild Oats, a natural foods chain. “But manufacturers have gotten savvier about what ingredients mask odor and bring long-term results.”

What hasn’t changed, however, is that there are no natural antiperspirants, as defined by the FDA. The only way to truly stop wetness where it starts, apparently, is with the help of those tongue-twisting chemicals on my conventional stick—aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium.

So is the aluminum dangerous? And what about polyparabens, which are used as preservatives in conventional antiperspirants and deodorants and may be tied to cancer? Should I be worried about the risk these pose to my health?

The FDA says there’s no evidence that aluminum can lead to health problems, but it’s “monitoring the situation.” And many doctors believe there’s nothing to worry about. “The aluminum you absorb from routine use of antiperspirants can’t get to a level in the bloodstream that could have any effect,” says Heidi Waldorf, director of cosmetic and laser dermatology at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

That may be true, says Paul Dompé, a naturopath and product review coordinator for Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle, but aluminum can accumulate in fatty tissues, and has been proven to do damage when present in large amounts. He acknowledges that deodorants and antiperspirants don’t contain much aluminum. “And we don’t know yet whether the amount is enough to hurt you,” he says. “But if you can get deodorants without it, why not play it safe?”

As for parabens, a recent study in the Journal of Applied Toxicology showed for the first time that they accumulate in breast tissue, heightening concerns about a possible link to cancer. And they’re everywhere: A recent review of 204 antiperspirants and deodorants by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that four out of five contain parabens, along with potentially allergy-inducing fragrances. One-quarter of the products tested include substances that are also problematic but have gotten less attention—butylated hydroxytoluene, polyethylene, and talc, all possible human carcinogens. Of equal concern, says Timothy Kropp, senior scientist at EWG, are the ingredients that may help these potential carcinogens penetrate the skin, such as urea, disodium EDTA, propylene glycol, and ceteareth-20.

After all that, how can you not want a product that lists sage, rosemary, and lemon juice as primary ingredients? So I’ve made the switch to natural deodorants and have happily discovered that they do more than smell nice; they actually make me smell nice—for a good long time. And that’s not all: Ingredients can include aloe vera and chamomile, which soothe irritated skin, and essential oils, like tea tree, lavender, lemon, eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, and lichen, which fight odor-causing bacteria. Some natural products can also inhibit dampness with ingredients like clay, cornstarch, baking powder, and rice powder.

But what I like best about my new deodorant is the way it works: superficially. That is, it can’t penetrate my skin. Antiperspirants, in contrast, contain ingredients that block pores to reduce wetness and actually change the way we sweat, something that makes me nervous.

So I’ve turned over a new leaf, and in fact, have come to enjoy my delicately sage-like aroma. Care to get close?

Enter a comment related to this article

---