Sweating and Smelling: Antiperspirants vs. Deodorants

Whether we like it or not, everybody sweats. Some people sweat on their palms or soles, others on their faces or chests. Most of us sweat under our arms and do what we can to avoid embarrassing wet marks on our clothes.

In general, our glands respond to physical and emotional stresses to produce sweat. The sweat itself does not smell, but when it reaches the surface of the skin, it interacts with bacteria. The bacteria break down the sweat, which leads to that bad body odor.

Antiperspirants work by forming tiny plugs within the sweat glands to physically prevent the sweat from reaching the skin. Deodorants, on the other hand, counteract odor. They do nothing to prevent perspiration. Deodorants either mask the body odor with fragrances or actually help kill the bacteria that cause it to begin with. Antiperspirants on the other hand, can both prevent wetness and decrease odor.

The active ingredient in most antiperspirants is aluminum salt. As the salt is transported into the sweat gland, the pH of the gland transforms the salt into a jelly like consistency that plugs up the gland. "Aluminum free" deodorants use natural stone crystal that can help prevent odor formation, but do not work well as antiperspirants. Even these "natural" deodorants do contain aluminum, although it is not the same form as the salt contained in formulated antiperspirants. "Maximum strength" or "clinical strength" antiperspirants have a higher percentage of the aluminum salt in them compared to other antiperspirants.

Antiperspirants work best when you put them on when you are sweating the least. For most people, this actually means putting on your antiperspirant at night before bed. You can apply it again in the morning for an added benefit.

If you are a big sweater, an antiperspirant is for you. If you don't sweat much and are more bothered by the odor under your arms, choose a deodorant.