To prevent body odor caused by bacteria feeding on sweat, you can use a deodorant or antiperspirant. Although the word “deodorant” is sometimes used interchangeably, they don’t work the same way. “Antiperspirants are FDA regulated and contain aluminum salts that reduce underarm sweating,” says Dr. Jones. These aluminum salts plug the sweat glands, slowing or stopping the release of sweat. Most antiperspirants are only tested for underarm use and are not intended for full body use.
Deodorants, on the other hand, don’t stop you from sweating, but they do contain antibacterial agents that react with sweat to inhibit the growth of microbes in your armpits that cause body odor.
The birth of body odor marketing
The first commercially available deodorant Called Momwas introduced in Philadelphia in 1888 and marketed exclusively to women for use under the arms, on the soles of the feet, and in sanitary napkins. The name is a play on the proverb “Mum’s the word,” meaning “done in secret.” According to historian Dr. Kari Casteel of the University at Buffalo, it was nearly 50 years before Top Flight, the first deodorant designed for men, made its appearance in America. In the meantime, the first product marketed specifically as an antiperspirant, called Everdry, was released in 1905, followed a few years later by Odrono (get it? Smelly! Oh no!).
Odlono really changed the game, creating ads that played on anxiety about sweat: it was not just unpleasant, but if you were a woman, it made you socially frowned upon and ostracized. Early ads for deodorant and antiperspirant targeted at men often warned that they might not get a new job unless they bought something to address body odor. By this century, for most American women and men, rubbing or spraying deodorant or antiperspirant under their arms had become as commonplace as brushing their teeth.
In 2024, the concept of body odour prevention will evolve further, with the emergence of mass-branded full-body deodorants and breaking new ground in body odour marketing. Words such as ‘protection’, ‘freshness’ and ‘control’ will feature frequently, as will themes of confidence and freedom. “While all body odour is normal and armpit odour is a natural part of being human, odour from other parts of the body has historically been seen as abnormal. I am determined to change that perception,” she says. Shannon ClingmanClingman, M.D., a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is a pioneer in full-body deodorant and founder of Lume, whose marketing relies heavily on a leading authority on body odor, from videos of satisfied customers on the brand’s Instagram page to a photo on its website of Dr. Clingman himself smiling between a patient’s legs as she sits in the stirrup.
How a full-body deodorant works
Most full-body deodorant formulas don’t contain aluminum salts; they’re true deodorants and won’t stop you from sweating. (Lume Cream Tube Deodorant + Sweat Control is a rare exception; it does contain aluminum salts, and the brand says the formula can be used in the armpits, pubic area, under the breasts, belly button, butt crack, and more.) These deodorants target odor-causing bacteria with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like lactic, glycolic, mandelic, and malic acids. AHAs can lower the skin’s pH, and “the higher the skin’s pH, the higher the concentration of odor-causing bacteria,” say cosmetic chemists. Kelly A. DobosMany underarm deodorants released in the past few years, such as Necessaria, Drunk Elephant, and Kosas, are also made with this formula.
