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Written by Organics
We love to smell great, in fact, it is estimated that 90% of Americans put on deodorant daily. That is a lot of deodorant being applied to armpits daily! However, this seemingly safe daily hygiene can have serious consequences for your health, if you choose the wrong products. And it’s very easy to do so as majority of the deodorants today have harmful ingredients, that a very little amount of people understand. Here are the 7 harmful ingredients in your deodorant that you should avoid.
Parabens are a very common ingredient that are found in every day cosmetic products and your deodorant as well. You may have seen “paraben free” labels, and it’s a good thing. So why is everyone so down on parabens after it has been used for nearly 70 years? During a study done in 2004, parabens have been linked to breast cancer. They are said to disturb the body’s hormonal balance and to mimic estrogen, as estrogen is said to play a part in breast cancer formation.
Dangers for health: linked to breast cancer.
Aluminum compounds within deodorants act as a plug within the sweat ducts and temporarily stop the flow of sweat. However, these compunds can be absorbed by your skin. Just as the parabens, these compounds can mimic estrogen, which promote growth of breast cancer cells.
Dangers for health: linked to breast cancer.
Silica is a known skin irritant, it may also be contaminated with crystalline quartz which is a carcinogen (capable of causing cancer).
Dangers for health: cancer, allergies/immunotoxicity
Triclosan is another ingredient that can irritate your skin and cause contact dermatitis. Your body contains good as well as bad bacteria, but triclosan kills both. The FDA classifies triclosan as a pesticide, while the IARC has it listed as a possible carcinogen.
Dangers for health: skin irritation, contact dermatitis, cancer.
IARC, claims that if Talc contains asbestiform fibers, then it is considered a carcinogen. The quantity of sbestiform fibers in deodorants is unclear as it is not regulated in cosmetic products.
Dangers for health: linked to cancer.
Propylene glycol is another common ingredient with health hazards. It may cause delayed allergic reactions, and is considered a neurotoxin, which may cause kidney and liver damage.
Dangers for health: delayed allergic reactions, possible kidney and liver damage.
The “n” stands for a number. So the label may say for example, steareth-1. It is actually derived from vegetables, but it is reacted with a known carcinogen, ethylene oxide.
Dangers for health: linked to cancer.
Fragrance – skin irritation, harmful to the environment, allergies and organ system toxicity.
Most common deodorants on the shelves like Axe, Secret, Old Spice, Dove, Right Guard typically contain at least one of these ingredients.
To help you, Skin Deep has a database that contains over 69,000 products and examines them based over 50 toxicity databases and gives them a safety rating. You can find if your deodorant is on the safe side or if it’s a serious health concern. Otherwise, just this list to avoid these harmful ingredients.
Beauty requires sacrifices, but none of them should be your health. There are plenty of deodorants out there that don’t contain harmful ingredients and get the job done naturally. You can even make your own deodorant at home. If you need help in finding healthy alternatives, or have any suggestions on which deodorants are safe, share with us below.
