Antiperspirant

Deodorants

Antiperspirants , antiperspirants or antiperspirants (sweat inhibitors; English antiperspirants ) are substances that reduce the activity of the sweat glands and thus reduce body odor. They are used in deodorants as part of personal hygiene .

Mode of action

The main components most commonly found in commercial antiperspirants are aluminum compounds (a complex of glycine and aluminum-zirconium tetrachlorohydrate). There are also substances such as aluminum chloride and propantheline bromide. These substances reduce sweat secretion by temporarily narrowing or blocking the ducts of the sweat glands . The amount of sweat is reduced by around 50%. The body's temperature regulation, which is controlled by sweat secretion, is not hindered as long as the product is applied to small areas. While antiperspirants mainly block the ducts of the sweat glands by astringency and thereby reduce the secretion of sweat, the active ingredients in deodorants are mainly fragrances and bacteriostats , which are not intended to reduce the total amount of sweat, but to prevent the unpleasant odor. The starting points of antiperspirants and deodorants are different (mixed forms are also offered), but users usually rate the results as the same.

Protection against sweat odor

Sweat on its own is almost odorless; the real cause of sweat odor is the secretion of bacteria living on the skin that decompose sweat. Antiperspirants narrow or block the sweat gland outlets. The bacteria are deprived of or reduced their nourishment and accordingly the production of unpleasant smelling excretions is reduced. For a high effect, the problematic skin areas must be covered as completely as possible with antiperspirant active ingredients.

ingredients

The first deodorant consisted of a waxy cream based on zinc oxide . This was followed by antiperspirants with the main active ingredient aluminum chlorohydrate as well as other aluminum compounds.

Since aluminum salts can irritate sensitive skin, there are now preparations that counteract the typical itching and burning sensation through the targeted use of soothing lotions and caring substances such as beard lichen , carnation flowers and sage leaf . In conjunction with an antiperspirant that is as low-irritation as possible, this also enables it to be used on sensitive body regions such as the face , back , chest or in the groin area .

In the meantime, special antiperspirants have also been developed against extreme hand and foot sweat , so that those affected are offered an alternative to iontophoresis treatment. However, with at least 30% aluminum chloride , these agents must be dosed significantly higher than normal hygiene products.

Frequently used antiperspirant active ingredients are aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH) and the aluminum-zirconium-tetrachloro-glycine complex (ZAG). ACH is used in most antiperspirants today. Compared to ACH, ZAG is more effective. In terms of the rest of the composition, antiperspirant products largely correspond to deodorant formulations. Due to the possible toxic effects of aluminum, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has issued a recommendation not to use aluminum-containing deodorants on damaged skin or after shaving the armpit hair.

See also : “Studies on breast cancer risk from aluminum hydroxychloride” in the article Aluminum hydroxychloride

See also

• Hyperhidrosis

literature

• Wilfried Umbach: Cosmetics and hygiene from head to toe. 3. Edition. Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim 2004, ISBN 3-527-30996-9 , p. 369 ff.

Web links

Wiktionary: Antiperspirant  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Comparison of antiperspirants (sortable product overview)

supporting documents

1. ^ VA Lukacs, H. C Korting: Antiperspirants and deodorants-ingredients and evaluation . In: Derm Profession Environment . tape 37 , no. 2 , 1989, pp. 53-57 , PMID 2656175 .
2. ↑ A. Darrigrand, K. Reynolds, R. Jackson, M. Hamlet, D. Roberts: Efficacy of antiperspirants on feet . In: Military Medicine . tape 157 , no. 5 , 1992, pp. 256-259 , PMID 1630659 .
3. ^ WB Shelley, HJ Hurley Jr: Studies on topical antiperspirant control of axillary hyperhidrosis . In: Acta Dermato-Venereologica . tape 55 , no. 4 , 1975, p. 241-260 , PMID 52254 .
4. ↑ Jason Ladock: Antiperspirant VS. Deodorant: Which One Really Works? HealthGuidance, accessed August 16, 2014 . 
5. ^ GE Piérard, P. Elsner, R. Marks, P. Masson, M. Paye: EEMCO Guidance for the Efficacy Assessment of Antiperspirants and Deodorants . In: Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol . tape 16 , 2003, p. 324 , doi : 10.1159 / 000072072 .
6. ↑ Questions and answers on the risk assessment of cosmetic products