Deodorants have been classified as cosmetic, but in some jurisdictions where the rules on consumer protection are more stringent, Aluminum containing Antiperspirant deodorants remain over-the-counter (OTC) products with some level of scrutiny, like the FDA label that requires one to consult with a doctor before use in case of kidney disease, and other such similar precautionary statements.
So the eye has been keener on these more than the conventional cosmetics; and that small detail draws us to why that is so or even why it may be most appropriate to toe the same line in the seemingly laissez faire markets worshipping the deregulation philosophy in some economic spheres. From their advent, the marketing of antiperspirant deodorants moved towards addressing questions that progressively arose, especially on safety, sometimes more than what the product was actually for. And many of the Aluminum containing antiperspirants have for long been under the watchful eye and subject to rigorous research to ensure that they aren’t a health hazard. Especially after they are now found in many products of everyday use.
Here we discuss the biggest concerns of aluminum containing antiperspirants and these include:
- The link to breast cancer:
Breast cancer is a serious disease, and is the most common invasive cancer in women, affecting 1 in 7 women worldwide. So when readers at one time woke up to a news item that linked many of the antiperspirants to breast cancer, there was uneasiness. And it went on to further explain how the nature of work of antiperspirants inhibited the removal of toxins that found their way into body lymph nodes and contributed or interfered with cellular mechanisms, and hence breeding cancerous cells as a result. Rigorous research commenced to address the concern.
However, one thing remains clear, that all the worries pertaining to antiperspirant use stem squarely from its sole active ingredient, Aluminium. The concerns were raised because it was thought that the shaving exposed the skin to infiltration of Aluminium, a meal element thought to interact with cellular DNA and cause changes.
But experts have determined that there is no real or noteworthy scientific evidence to substantiate claims that antiperspirants are linked to breast cancer or that any other inactive ingredients in the products are a danger to human health.
In some reputable medical circles, experts have gone on to say that the worry about antiperspirants might sway attention from actual breast cancer risks, that usually involve interventions under their direct control, like eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and limiting alcohol
- The links to early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
When a study was done in the 1960’s that discovered presence of aluminum in brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, the focus quickly turned to the sources of aluminum to determine level of risk, antiperspirants and household items among other items were not spared and these were now looked at in a different light in a world were aluminum use was on the rise.
But research on the link between Aluminum in antiperspirants didn’t yield much definitive evidence to show noteworthy or worrying correlation. And the realization that aluminum in antiperspirants didn’t even go into the body put so many of the worries to bed. But this was an issue of shaving cuts, but it was discovered that these too only admitted an amount so negligible and many times didn’t sufficiently penetrate the substantial deposits of cutaneous fats in the commonly shaved regions in the underarms.
The sum of it all is that there has been no evidence to support these claims of the ingredients being a danger or potential health hazard and use of antiperspirants is regarded as generally safe in accordance to information available.