They say that there are no toxins in cosmetics, that they are safe if used in small amounts, but what happens if we use several products daily or the same product several times a day? accumulating in our body the amounts of safe toxins of each of them? Yes, accumulating...because many of these ingredients are cumulative and do so in our body!Among these ingredients considered "safe" toxic and the one you should avoid yes or yes in your deodorant, is aluminum. Let's go into detail
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Why is aluminum used in deodorants?
Aluminum is the ingredient you'll find in all antiperspirant deodorants. It creates a plug in the armpit that prevents sweat from escaping naturally, causing the toxins expelled by the sweat glands to accumulate inside the body. In short, by creating this cap it prevents sweat from coming out, that is, it transpires and hence its name antiperspirant.
Ignorance on the part of consumers and their demand for deodorants that eliminate sweat make the industry offer this type of deodorant. Likewise, its low cost for the chemical industry represents a competitive advantage over deodorants with natural ingredients whose natural active ingredients are infinitely more expensive, but also... healthier!
Although it seems somewhat annoying to us, sweat, that is, perspiration, is the natural mechanism of our body to regulate body temperature and refresh the skin as well as eliminate toxins. We must normalize sweat, there is no solution to try to keep it inside us. In a future post we will talk about sweating and its benefits. Yes, because the body is wise, very wise!
And...why use deodorant without aluminum?
There are several studies that associate the use of antinaspirants with an increase in cases of breast cancer. Dr. Phillipa Darbre is one of the researchers who has carried out different clinical studies on aluminum as an endocrine disruptor and its relationship with cancer.
We share below some of them carried out for various researchers:
Aluminum (Al) has been measured in human breast tissue, and may be a contributory factor in breast cancer development. Dr.Phillipa Darbre
Aluminium is known to have a genotoxic profile, capable of causing both DNA alterations and epigenetic effects, and this would be consistent with a potential role in breast cancer if such effects occurred in breast cells. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry
Frequent use of UCPs may lead to an accumulation of aluminum in breast tissue. More than daily use of UCPs at younger ages may increase the risk of BC. EBioMedicine
Conventional deodorants with aluminum usually also contain ingredients such as silicones, phthalates, triclosan, ethoxylates, among other substances with different types of toxic effects, among which are parabens (chemical endocrine disruptors capable of mimicking our hormones and, therefore, , of altering the correct bodily functioning and negatively affecting our health) The list of endocrine disruptors is very long. More than a thousand chemicals with this disruptive capacity have been detected. Although these have recently been banned by the WHO, unfortunately today some products sold under the slogan "paraben free" continue to contain endocrine disruptors permitted by the WHO, such as Triclosan.
It is a worrying fact for the scientific community the evidence of the increased use of deodorants with aluminum with the increased risk of breast cancer.
How to identify aluminum in a deodorant?
Knowing what you're putting on your body requires you to look at the product's ingredient list before you jump in to buy it. As we have seen before, putting "Paraben free" is not a guarantee.
Check the product label or the list of ingredients published in the online store (If the ingredients do not appear on the web, be suspicious, it is probably not a natural product or contains controversial ingredients that they do not want to publish) Demand the seller the list of ingredients of your cosmetic, you have the right to know what you are buying. Sadly, many cosmetic brands use marketing to pass off natural products that are not, which is why it is essential that you read the INCI to know what you are buying.
We detail below the nomenclatures with which you can find aluminum in deodorizers:
- Aluminum chlorhydrate
- Aluminum sesquichlorohydrate
- Aluminum zirconium pentachlorohydrate
- Potassium alum
Also below you can see hereafter other ingredients to avoid in your deodorant:
- Phthalates: Phthal, phthalate, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).
- Ethoxylated: They end in -eth; laureth, pareth, steareth, oleth or beginning with PEG; PEG-2, PEG-20, PEG-40...
- Petroleum derivatives: paraffinum, paraffinum liquidum, mineral oil, silicone quaternium, polyquaternium, methylsilanol, petrolatum, siloxane, iclopentasiloxane, mineral oil.
- Phenol:nitrophenol, phenolphthalein, chlorophenol ; Phenyl:n-phenyl-p-phenyl-enediamine, phenylenediamine sulfate.
There are many more, the Reach (the chemical agency of the European Union) recognizes that of 99% of the chemicals that exist in the European Union, there is no data on how to use them safely or their consequences. But the question is clear, can a poison be safe? Is simply putting less % in the formula safe? Here one is very clear.
TIP: Whenever you invest in a natural deodorant, in addition to investing in health, you invest in peace of mind
If you still have doubts about which deodorant is for you, do not hesitate! to ask us!
