The Difference Between Deodorants and Antiperspirants
The words antiperspirant and deodorant are often used quite interchangeably, but they are different products that work in different ways. Here’s a run-down of the differences to help you decide which product is right for you.
Antiperspirant
An antiperspirant works to fight body odour by stopping you from sweating. To see why sweating is often associated with odour, read our post here. Antiperspirants work by blocking the sweat glands: the active ingredients (usually Aluminium and Zirconium) dissolve in the sweat on your skin and create a gel which temporarily plugs the glands, reducing the amount of sweat that reaches your skin. Without sweat on the skin the bacteria that live there cannot create the unpleasant odour associated with BO. The antiperspirant gel plug is washed away when you shower or bathe, so antiperspirant needs to be used on a daily basis.
Deodorant
Unlike antiperspirant, deodorant doesn’t stop you from sweating. However, it does combat the smell of body odour by reducing the odour-causing bacteria that live on your skin. Sweat in itself is practically odourless – the smell of BO is created by the process of bacteria on the skin breaking down sweat. The active ingredients in deodorant (like Triclosan) make underarms too acidic or salty for these bacteria to live, and without bacteria no BO smell is produced. Most deodorants need to be applied at least once daily. Once their effect wears off you’ll do best to wash the underarm thoroughly before reapplying deodorant, as there is no point in applying deodorant to an already odourous armpit.
Health impacts
While not sweating sounds great, there have been some concerns raised about the health impacts of using antiperspirants. Sweating is a natural and healthy bodily function: it helps us to regulate our temperature and to remove harmful atmospheric toxins like arsenic and mercury from our systems. Reducing the amount of sweat that is released inhibits these vital functions.
Deodorant - while leaving you to sweat au-naturel - inhibits the odour often associated with perspiration, so your body can do its thing while you do yours.
Trust Anti-odorant allows your body to sweat naturally while inhibiting the odour-causing bacteria. However, unlike other deodorants, Trust is active for 3 to 6 days and can withstand showering, sports and bathing, so you only need to apply it once every few days for a reliable long-lasting effect. Trust is also free of aluminium and other harmful chemicals that are used in antiperspirants, and it contains natural and herbal ingredients that are kind to your skin.
