Fight underarm sweat
What do you look for when using deodorant?
- A. No matter what's in it - I don't want to sweat.50%
- B. Aluminium does not get into my can.50%
The competition has ended.
Aluminium toxin: why you should switch to roll-on deodorants
12.6.2023
Translation: machine translated
Aluminium is everywhere: in food, drinking water and deodorants. It is particularly dangerous when you inhale aluminium. This is because it accumulates in the lungs. And may impair your ability to think in the long term.
"The neurotoxic effects of aluminium are undisputed, it is a neurotoxin," says Prof. Dr Hans Drexler from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen about a Chinese study when asked about it. A research team from Shenyang Medical Colleges had administered aluminium to several rats. As a result, the animals were no longer able to memorise their usual escape routes: This was because the metal impaired the area of the brain with learning and memory functions - and therefore the rodents' cognitive performance.
We excrete the majority of aluminium
Aluminium is also harmful to humans. A healthy person is able to excrete ingested aluminium on their own: 99.9 per cent in food and up to 99.7 per cent in drinking water. However, it is possible for very small amounts of aluminium to accumulate in the body - in the bones, lungs or brain. Aluminium is also suspected of causing breast cancer and dementia. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven.
And yet the cosmetics industry often uses aluminium. It is mainly used in deodorants. Aluminium is used here in the form of salts. These prevent perspiration locally - i.e. under the armpits - by clogging your pores. This means you sweat less.
Controversial exposure to deodorants
A pleasant effect, which is why many people like to use these antiperspirants. Although they have a bad image when it comes to health. According to a study conducted by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Germany in 2020, aluminium deodorants are less dangerous than commonly assumed. According to the BfR, only a very small amount of aluminium enters the body through the skin. However, not all researchers see it that way.
Toxicologist Marike Kolossa, for example, considers the study to be unrepresentative. The number of participants was too small and the aluminium residues were only tested using urine instead of other methods. She therefore advises using aluminium-free deodorants until a harmful effect can be ruled out on the basis of new studies.
Aluminium spray products: Aluminium should not get into the lungs
Spray deodorants are particularly sensitive. According to Drexler, inhaling the aluminium-containing fragrance cloud is particularly problematic and poses an additional risk. This is because "when we inhale aluminium, we don't have all the barriers that protect us from high levels of exposure, as we do in the digestive tract," he explains. If we inhale it, tiny particles of aluminium end up in our lungs and can potentially cause respiratory problems.
You see me rollin'
If you use deodorants with aluminium, they should be ones that do not spread a spray mist. That would be roll-on deodorants - here is a selection in the shop:
Deodorant
Quantity discount
CHF5.05 per piece for 4 units CHF118.–/1l
Garnier Mineral UltraDry
Roll-on, 50 ml
And if you want to play it safe and follow the advice of toxicologist Marike Kolossa, you can of course also switch to aluminium-free products:
By the way: I'll tell you how you can reduce your aluminium exposure through food here:
Cover picture: Maike Jensen
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