{"id":137834,"date":"2021-08-10T12:38:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T17:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=137834"},"modified":"2024-06-29T20:11:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-30T01:11:08","slug":"5-best-natural-deodorants-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/leisure\/gear\/5-best-natural-deodorants-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Natural Deodorants for Men"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For decades, the deodorant\/antiperspirant market was pretty stagnant. Brands introduced new scents or improved formulas that supposedly extended the odor-fighting life of the product. But a lot of folks have pretty much been using the same stick year in and year out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately, there\u2019s been a bit of a disruption in this area of hygiene supplies with the rise in popularity of \u201cnatural\u201d deodorants. If you\u2019ve seen ads or coverage of them, perhaps you\u2019ve wondered if you should make the switch, and if so, which brand to buy. <\/span><\/p>\n

I dive pits-first into answering both questions below. <\/span><\/p>\n

What Is a \u201cNatural\u201d Deodorant?<\/h2>\n

There are no legal restrictions on how the term \u201cnatural\u201d can be used, so there\u2019s no set definition for what makes a \u201cnatural” deodorant, a natural deodorant.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as marketed by brands and understood by consumers, natural deodorants are mainly defined as those which don\u2019t contain an antiperspirant. <\/span><\/p>\n

While you likely call that thing on your bathroom counter that you roll on your armpits \u201cdeodorant,\u201d what you\u2019ve probably been using is a deodorant <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> antiperspirant, which are actually two different things. <\/span><\/p>\n

Deodorant stops your armpits from smelling. Antiperspirant keeps them from sweating (which also keeps them from smelling).<\/span><\/p>\n

So the term \u201cnatural deodorant\u201d is really a misnomer, since a deodorant without an antiperspirant . . . is simply a deodorant, i.e., when people say they\u2019ve switched deodorants to a natural deodorant, what they\u2019re really saying is that they\u2019ve switched from using a deodorant\/antiperspirant, to using just a deodorant. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to lacking an antiperspirant, natural deodorants may also tout the fact that they\u2019re free from things like phthalates and parabens too. But this can more marketing gloss, than a truly distinguishing feature; even a standard deodorant\/antiperspirant like Old Spice Sweat Defense doesn\u2019t contain phthalates<\/a> or parabens<\/a> either. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, for the purposes of this article, we\u2019re going to define \u201cnatural deodorant\u201d as deodorant sans antiperspirant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are Antiperspirants Bad for Your Health?<\/h2>\n

Many people switch from antiperspirant\/deodorant combos to straight deodorants because they\u2019ve heard that antiperspirants can cause health issues like Alzheimer\u2019s, cancer, and skin biome disruption.<\/span><\/p>\n

Antiperspirants contain aluminum, and aluminum works by blocking sweat pores, thus preventing you from sweating. At the same time, the antiperspirant cuts off the food supply that the bacteria in your armpits use, preventing bacteria from letting off the gas (yes, B.O. is basically bacteria farts) that causes your pits to stink. So aluminum keeps your pits from sweating, and stinking. <\/span><\/p>\n

The concern around antiperspirants’ functional ingredient centers on two worries: The first is that in applying aluminum to your skin, that aluminum is going to be absorbed by your body. Because some studies have shown that, in high concentrations, aluminum can be a neurotoxin and cause other health issues, it’s natural to wonder if in slathering this element on your armpits every day, you could be absorbing enough aluminum through your skin to cause health problems. The second concern is that in blocking your pores, antiperspirant will block toxins in your body from being released. <\/span><\/p>\n

But as science writer Sarah Everts noted in our podcast interview about her book <\/a><\/span>The Joy of Sweat<\/span><\/i>, decades of research hasn\u2019t found any evidence of a link between aluminum-based antiperspirants and health issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aluminum-based antiperspirants have repeatedly been shown not to have any connection to diseases like Alzeheimer\u2019s<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s more, other studies from the American Cancer Society have shown that there’s no connection between antiperspirants and cancer<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

What about antiperspirants disrupting your skin microbiome? According to <\/span>skin microbiology expert Jack Gilbert<\/span><\/a>, “there isn’t any rigorous studies that have borne this out.” <\/span><\/p>\n

And the idea that blocking your pores could trap toxins in your body? Outside your armpits, there are millions of other pores from which sweat can escape, and sweat doesn\u2019t actually detox your body anyway; that\u2019s the job of your liver and kidneys. <\/span><\/p>\n

What all this research suggests is that aluminum-based antiperspirants do not pose a proven threat to your health.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are There Any Reasons to Use a Natural\/Antiperspirant-Free Deodorant?<\/h2>\n

So if antiperspirants haven\u2019t been proven to negatively impact your health, are there any reasons to use a natural deodorant instead?<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few that each individual may find more or less persuasive:<\/span><\/p>\n