Aluminum-Free Antiperspirants

Many of us are not aware of the ingredients of cosmetics. Though almost all cosmetic products are made from approved ingredients, there are some negative effects that are realized in the long term. The same is the case of deodorants or antiperspirants. The basic function of these cosmetics is to prevent body odor that occurs as a result of sweating. The odor basically arises due to bacterial disintegration of moisture and minerals.

Antiperspirants are usually considered to be a subtype of deodorants. In some cases, a combination of the two is also found. The United States Food and Drug administration has classified deodorants as cosmetics. Antiperspirants or a combination of both is classified as a drug. Believe it or not, antiperspirants and deodorant, both have been linked to a variety of ailments that include breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease. This, as well as the phenomenon of aluminum allergy, has led to the development of antiperspirants that do not contain aluminum.

The Need for Aluminum-Free Antiperspirants

After every few years, some medical body, or research institute comes up with a thesis, which some or the other person resolves and turns it into a theory. We read about it in the newspapers and magazines, forget about it and then go back to doing the same thing that we did before. However, this has not be true when cosmetic manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies started modifying their products, when it was realized that these products have a potentially harmful substance, aluminum.

Facts, highlighting the potential threat of aluminum probably came to light when developers of antiperspirants, realized that the two compounds, aluminum chloride and aluminum oxide, which fulfill the most important function of keeping the skin sweet-smelling, are in fact harmful for human skin. Aluminum chloride and aluminum oxide basically from a thin layer over sweat pores and block the potential flow of sweat. This results into a backward flow and stagnation of moisture, toxins and minerals within the body. The sweat releases toxins within the body and also brings down its temperature. This flow of sweat fulfills a function that is quite similar to that of the urinary system - eradication of toxins. If you keep on blocking the glands and pores, the body is bound to react in a manner that is not exactly welcome.

So, is it really possible to have antiperspirants that are aluminum-free? Well, hell Yeah! Pharmaceutical companies, are more concerned about your health, than their profit. Well, I am no cosmetics salesman but a controversy like 'Alzheimer's or breast cancer due to xyz antiperspirants' is the last thing that a manufacturer wants.

In order to make such products that repel bodily stench, manufactures have come up with 2 options, first either modify the existing antiperspirants or second, entirely change the manufacturing parameters of antiperspirants. Cosmetic manufactures, have fortunately taken up both initiatives.