Are Deodorants & Antiperspirants Safe During Pregnancy?

1. Are Deodorants & Antiperspirants Safe During Pregnancy? Pregnancy calls for many tweaks to your beauty routine. If you have always used deodorants and antiperspirants before you got pregnant or want to start now (pregnancy hormones can increase body odor and sensitivity to smells), read on to learn about the ingredients of concern and how to choose a pregnancy-safe deodorant or antiperspirant.

2. Deodorant and anti-perspirants: The difference Deodorants mask odor with fragrance or antimicrobial agents, and antiperspirants reduce sweating by blocking the pores with aluminum-based compounds. One is not better than the other, and which one is used depends on personal preference. I want to point out that no matter what the advertisement tells you, there is no true antiperspirant besides aluminum compounds. Aluminium-free products are considered deodorants, and they help mask body odor but do not control sweating. The concern with deodorants Deodorants mask odor with fragrance or antimicrobial agents. They do not contain aluminium, so if you are concerned about aluminium, deodorants are an option for you as long as you eliminate certain chemicals that are best avoided while pregnant. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are commonly used in skincare and cosmetics, and deodorants are no exception. Some of these chemicals are triclosan (an antimicrobial) and phthalates (used in artificially perfumed products). Formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers are also commonly used preservatives, which should be avoided during pregnancy. I have already covered these chemicals previously, and I will link them here: ● Triclosan ● Phthalates ● Formaldehyde ● Formaldehyde Releasers So, yes, deodorants are safe to use while pregnant if you avoid certain commonly found pregnancy-unsafe chemicals in your product. Ensure your product does not contain the above chemicals for a pregnancy-safe deodorant.

3. The concern with antiperspirants The ingredient of concern here is aluminum. (And of course, the chemicals listed above- triclosan, phthalates, formaldehyde, and formaldehyde releasers.) Aluminium is a known teratogenic agent (i.e., an agent that can cause fetal abnormalities), but it is so at extremely high doses, which is unlikely with antiperspirants. Also, aluminum is naturally present in the air, soil, food, water, and commonly used medicines like antacids and aspirin. You will constantly be exposed to it via the air you breathe and the food or water you consume, which is expected to be much more than from the use of antiperspirants. Over the years, it has received a lot of bad rep and has been associated with diseases like breast cancer. The perception is that it can be absorbed through the underarm skin, travel to the breast, and cause malignancy. Yes, some in vitro studies (i.e., those done outside the body in test tubes or petri dishes) have shown that aluminium interferes with the normal function of estrogen in the breast, which promotes the growth of cancerous breast cells. A lab study found that maternal exposure in rats and mice to high levels of ingested aluminium that did not produce maternal toxicity still caused neurodevelopmental difficulties in the progeny. However, how much aluminum is absorbed through the skin from antiperspirants is unknown. It is probably a small amount, as shown in this study, which found that only 0.012% of aluminum applied to the underarms was absorbed. A 2023 study titled Correlation between daily life aluminium exposure and breast cancer risk that reviewed studies up to the year 2022 found no concrete evidence that could link the use of antiperspirants with breast cancer.

4. So, yes, aluminium-containing antiperspirants are considered pregnancy-safe antiperspirants and are also safe for all life stages. Trivia If you have ever had a mammogram, you must have been instructed to avoid using deodorants and antiperspirants on the day of the procedure. Many of these products contain aluminium and can show up on the mammogram as tiny white specks, which can look like one of the abnormalities that can be suggestive of cancer. Takeaway ● Both deodorants and antiperspirants are safe to use while pregnant as long as certain pregnancy-unsafe chemicals are not present in your product.

5. ● Aluminum can cause fetal abnormalities, but only with extremely high doses, which is unlikely to happen with the use of antiperspirants. ● Aluminium in antiperspirants is safe to use, and there is no concrete evidence right now to suggest that it can cause breast cancer. ● Aluminium containing antiperspirants are considered pregnancy-safe antiperspirants as there is no significant absorption of aluminium through the skin to cause fetal abnormalities.