What’s the Difference between an Anti-Perspirant and a Deodorant?

Not as glamorous as the usual products I review, but I’d like to save you money as there really is no need to spend more than £1.  A deodorant masks odour and prevents odour bacteria forming and an Anti-Perspirant clogs the sweat pores.

Deodorant Ingredients

Triclosan - effective against gram positive and gram negative bacteria
Alcohol – drying effect and also kills of bacteria
Perfume or Essential oils to mask odour
The rest of the ingredients will differ depening on whether the deodorant is  a aerosol, gel, stick, liquid

AP Ingredients

Aluminium chlorohydrate or aluminium-zirconium compounds  – temporarily clogs the sweat glands (removed when washing)
Soothing ingredients ie Allantonin, aloe vera
The rest of the ingredients will differ depening on whether the AP is a aerosol, gel, stick, liquid

Parabens

Very few deodorants or AP’s contain parabens because the formulations do not require as much preservation as other cosmetic products, in fact Triclosan is a good preservative.  I'm personally not against parabens a lot of the information out there is misleading, and it has recently been declared safe after an intensive review.  http://www.ctfa.org/newsroom/20120307

Effectiveness & Testing

I personally find AP more effective than deodorant and crystal rocks, but it’s a matter of personal taste.  A small percentage of people are allergic to aluminium compounds and experience skin irritancy.  I used to sell the aluminium and zirconium compounds to the personal care industry and I can share that there around 10 producers of these ingredients worldwide, they all conduct sweat tests on their ingredients to give the 24 or 48 hour protection.  The brand owners use these tests and the guideline formulations, add their own fragrance/essential oils/skin calming ingredients and the aluminium-zirconium compounds at the manufacturers recommended level.

So any AP on the market that states 24 hour protection is going to be as effective as the next one claiming 24 hour protection.  It’s all a matter of which fragrance, medium you prefer, a supermarket own brand for 60p may be identical to a luxury brand costing £5.00

Amplex Anti-Perspirant

I have used this one for the past decade, it’s non-staining, I like the clear roll on medium, not overly fragranced and costs 89p from Savers, and I have no hesitation recommending it.

Purchasing AP’s on Holiday

If you run out of your AP on holiday and the only brand you recognise in the shop seems 5 x more expensive than the rest.  Simply look at the label if it contains aluminium or zirconium compounds and says 24 Hr or 48 Hr, that you can have complete confidence in buying the cheaper one.