Walk down the beauty aisle in any Target or drugstore, and you’ll see a myriad of natural deodorants and antiperspirants touting their aluminum-free status. And “natural” deodorants are seemingly everywhere these days — even celebs and influencers have been known to promote various natural deodorants and antiperspirants on social media. Even some of the most popular brands are now selling aluminum-free products, making deodorant-shopping a bit overwhelming with all the kinds to choose from.
But what’s the big deal with aluminum in deodorant, anyway? Is it really something to worry about? We talked to scientists and chemists to get to the bottom of the concerns, and checked out some of the options available on shelves today. Ahead, find out everything you need to know about aluminum and deodorant so your next beauty-shopping trip can be a breeze.
Before We Begin: A Word About Deodorant Vs. Antiperspirant
We tend to use the word “deodorant” to refer to anything we swipe on our underarms, but in actuality, there’s a notable difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. Deodorant is designed to only curb body odor, while antiperspirant is meant to limit sweat (AKA perspiration).
The reason it’s important to make this distinction is that when we’re talking about aluminum in these products, we’re typically referring to antiperspirants. “Antiperspirants [sometimes] contain aluminum salts that help plug your pores so you don’t sweat as much,” Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist and cofounder of The Beauty Brains, tells Teen Vogue. “These are over-the-counter drugs that are controlled by the FDA [in the U.S.]. Deodorants do not contain aluminum, and they don’t stop you from sweating. They only reduce body odor, by using fragrance or antibacterial compounds.”
The aluminum compounds found in antiperspirants, Schueller says, not only reduce wetness by blocking your underarm sweat ducts, but they also minimize body odor by inhibiting the bacteria that feed on your sweat and cause even more of it.
To make matters more confusing, many products are combinations: as in deodorants and antiperspirants, rolled into one. (Think: just like two-in-one shampoo and conditioner.) Bottom line: If you want to know whether there's aluminum in your antiperspirant/deodorant, flip it over and look at the ingredient list. The active ingredient at the top could be listed as aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly.
What Are the Health Concerns About Aluminum?
There are two main health issues usually cited when talking about aluminum in antiperspirant: Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer.
Aluminum Deodorant and Alzheimer's Disease
“During the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum was identified as a possible suspect in Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease,” Keith Fargo, the director of scientific programs and outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association, explains. “This suspicion led to concern about exposure to aluminum through everyday sources such as pots and pans, beverage cans, antacids, and antiperspirants.”
Those concerns were amplified in 1985 with the release of another study that examined the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s. “Researchers found that Alzheimer’s patients had high levels of aluminum in their brains,” Schueller says. “There have been a number of studies since then; at least one, done in 1990, did suggest a link. Researchers tracked aluminum exposure of 130 Alzheimer’s patients — but the study has been discredited because it relied on other people to provide data for the patients.”
Scheuller added that that particular study was deemed unreliable, and experts today have said there appears to be no confirmed link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease.
Aluminum Deodorant and Breast Cancer
The concerns about the risk of breast cancer largely have to do with the proximity of the underarms to the breasts. Some studies have indicated that many breast cancers develop in the upper outer quadrant of the breast because that section is closest to the underarms, where antiperspirants — which theoretically get absorbed by the skin or can enter through razor nicks — are applied. The logic here is that the aluminum gets into the lymph nodes and then travels to the breasts. Going along with that are fears that because aluminum plugs the sweat ducts, the body cannot rid itself of any potentially cancerous substances in the sweat that is not expelled during antiperspirant use.
In addition to aluminum, there has been research conducted surrounding concerns of parabens, which are preservatives found in some deodorants. However, NIH’s National Cancer Institute notes that there have been conflicting results in research dedicated to the link between antiperspirants with aluminum and breast cancer. A 2002 study didn’t show any increase in risk for breast cancer for people using underarm deodorant/antiperspirants, while a retrospective 2003 cohort study found that “frequency and earlier onset of antiperspirant/deodorant usage with underarm shaving were associated with an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis.” but was criticized for not including a control group of those without breast cancer. Overall, experts have concluded that there’s currently no established scientific link between deodorant/antiperspirant usage and breast cancer, and more research would be needed in order to declare causation.
The Bottom Line: You Don’t Need to Throw Away Your Antiperspirant/Deodorant With Aluminum
Here's the thing: The fact that there have been older studies here and there indicating links between aluminum and certain diseases doesn’t mean those links are seen as firmly established by the scientific and medical communities. As Schueller noted, that 1990 study indicating a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s was discredited. And, he said, there have been more recent studies indicating that there is no connection.
Fargo made the same point. “Since [those first studies in the '60s and '70s], studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer’s,” he says. “Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminum pose any threat.”
As for the talk of a potential link to breast cancer, experts — including those at the American Cancer Society — cite problems with the studies that have made that connection as well as the reasoning surrounding the various claims that have been circulating in the public sphere.
“The long-standing myth around aluminum in antiperspirants operates under the belief that the aluminum present enters the body through your sweat glands,” emergency medicine specialist Robert Korn, M.D. tells Teen Vogue. Korn adds that this belief is false, explaining, “Skin acts as a barrier to your internal systems and bloodstreams, keeping the substance from getting through.... Additionally, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest a link between breast cancer and aluminum in antiperspirants.”
For its part, Secret, which does sell antiperspirants containing aluminum and, understandably, may have a vested interest in continuing to sell those products, points to the many organizations that have denied any definite link between aluminum and cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. “An overview of the extensive research conducted on antiperspirant safety can be found on sweathelp.org, where there are quotes from the likes of the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, Alzheimer’s Association, and breastcancer.org,” Susan Biehle, a principal scientist at Procter & Gamble, which makes Secret, tells Teen Vogue. “All of these organizations report there is no scientific proof of a connection between the aluminum in antiperspirants and any of the respective diseases studied.”
If You Still Want to Buy Aluminum-Free Deodorant/Antiperspirant, There Are Plenty of Options Available
Ultimately, based on the evidence out there right now, you’re likely fine to continue using antiperspirants containing aluminum, which, both Biehle and Schueller note, is the only active ingredient approved by the FDA for curbing sweat in antiperspirants. But if you want to play it safe and opt for “natural” products, you certainly won’t be alone.
“The movement toward…safer beauty products is part of a larger shift in consumer awareness in health and wellness that is growing every day,” says Danielle Raynor, founder of Lavanila, a beauty brand that offers deodorant. “With increasing evidence that certain ingredients in the beauty industry are linked to health complications, customers are demanding better, more natural options.”
Of course, there are plenty of aluminum-free deodorants available to consumers that may not have sweat-stopping ingredients, but they can do a solid job of keeping body odor at bay. But as you shop, remember: Just because a product is (or claims to be) natural, doesn’t mean it’s automatically safe — or effective. Schueller points out that crystal deodorants, a popular natural option, sometimes use alum crystals, which contain aluminum. As for effectiveness, deodorants (like all cosmetic products) work differently on different people, so you may just need to do a bit of trial and error before you find the one that works for you.
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