It's hard to do without a deodorant. If you're looking for an effective and safe formula, follow this guide.
The role of perspiration is essential because perspiration allows three things:
- 1. To maintain the ideal body temperature at 37° by a principle of thermoregulation (by exiting through the pores of the skin and in particular via the sweat glands, sweat acts as a natural air conditioner. By beading on all or part of the skin, then evaporating, sweat helps to lower body temperature).
- 2. The skin is one of the body's excretory organs, like the liver, intestines, kidneys, and lungs, which participates in the elimination of toxins. However, it is precisely these toxins (made of bacteria, among other things) that are the cause of the odors that we are trying to mask.
- 3. Sweat is the body's first natural moisturizer. Indeed, on the surface of the skin, it also enters into the composition of the hydrolipidic film (water + fat) which protects the skin and the entire body from dehydration. Two roles which seem contradictory but which are complementary.
Countering sweating is not such a good idea... By the way, are deodorant and antiperspirant the same thing?
Deodorant or antiperspirant, which does what?
The first, thanks to a cocktail of antibacterial agents and perfumes, aims to mask the bad odors generated by the degradation of bacteria present in sweat.
The second, as its name suggests, seeks to block or at least slow down the flow of perspiration. And therefore, to hinder the natural function of the sweat glands. The antiperspirant, with agents that form a layer on the surface of the skin of the armpits, plays a film-forming role by covering these glands. Its second effect, astringent, tightens the pores of the skin and limits perspiration. It is better, if perspiration is felt to be excessive, to resort to a gentler routine: morning and evening, and during the day if necessary, use a washcloth or a cloth wipe, clean your armpits with soapy water, rinse with lukewarm water and dry carefully. This simple and effective action naturally eliminates bacteria on the surface of the skin. Then complete with a deodorant, and not with an antiperspirant, whose formula seems clean to you. And there, we help you…
Does the magic formula exist?
You have not missed the demonization of aluminum salts which, however, still feature prominently in the composition of many so-called "effective" formulas. And for good reason, these famous aluminum salts (just like the Alum stone from which they are derived) tighten the pores of the skin and very effectively limit the action of the sweat glands.
"Labs have tried to replace them with other healthier ingredients," explains Mahault de Guibert, co-founder of La Rosée. "It's not about blocking the natural process, but just limiting its unpleasant effects. We start by absorbing excess sweat with "sponge" active ingredients such as charcoal powder, clay, corn starch, arrowroot powder or diatomaceous earth." As an aside, arrowroot powder is extracted from the rhizome of a tropical plant, maranta arundinacea, which is immersed in hot water before being peeled and crushed. The pulp is extracted, dried and then ground into powder! It gets its funny name from the fact that American Indians used it to treat arrow wounds. Diatomaceous earth comes from a siliceous sedimentary rock, diatomite. Highly porous, these ingredients absorb moisture imperceptibly and gently. Then, these sweat absorbers are combined with healthy odor neutralizers like coconut oil and magnesium.
But the most interesting thing is the new strategy that natural cosmetic laboratories have decided to explore: probiotics .
"Since we know that perspiration raises the pH of the skin and causes the proliferation of odorous bacteria, we superimpose probiotics, "good" bacteria, so that they take the place of the "bad" bacteria. Thus, the microflora is regulated in a way that is very respectful of the skin" explains Mahault de Guibert.
Exit to…
- Alcohols, ethyl alcohol or ethanol, often too irritating.
- Propellant gases (butane, pentane, propane, ethane, isopentane) which are pollutants for the environment as well as for the body.
- Preservatives such as parabens, methylparaben, except sodium benzoate, water-based and well tolerated, sodium, natural preservatives. "There are six or seven different parabens that are not equal in terms of toxicity but it is easier to exclude them. If phenoxyethanol has replaced paraben, some laboratories including ours have preferred to exclude it too" explains Salomé Aldrieux, product manager at Petits Prodiges.
- Silicones found in roll-on deodorants. While these substances offer a soft and creamy formulation, they are not popular with clean brands. "Made from silica, silicones are not natural and are particularly polluting when released into shower water," insists Salomé Aldrieux.
- Please note: aluminum salts, or aluminum chlorohydrate, sweat gland neutralizers that have long been suspected of playing a role in breast cancer, have now been rehabilitated by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, but at certain doses...
Yes to…
- "We say yes to green, clean chemistry , chosen by natural brands, so as not to end up with mold in the deodorant!" explains Mahault de Guibert. Indeed, the preservative cosgard, derived from benzyl alcohol, is one of the few to be approved by Ecocert. But there are also natural preservatives: lemon and citric acid, vitamin E, propolis extract, rosemary essential oil, grapefruit seed extract.
- Yes, of course, to formulas that exclude everything that is “out”, to those that rely on probiotics or fruit acids. “These modify the pH of the skin and limit the proliferation of bacteria, without compromising the natural process of perspiration” specifies Salomé Aldrieux.
- Yes to Ecocert-labeled brands whose charter is demanding. You are more likely to find the deodorant of your dreams in solid, roll-on or spray form without propellant gases. The “gas” format, a disaster for the planet, is increasingly difficult to convince…
- We also say yes to homemade deodorant, when the phobia of dubious labels encourages you to start do it yourself. There are many recipes but if you rely on aloe vera gel, special cosmetic baking soda, certain essential oils (palmarosa, lavender, rose), organic coconut oil, beeswax, arrowroot powder or diatomaceous earth, you will get good results.