How to know what’s best for you: aluminum-free deodorant vs antiperspirant

As the world reopens and many of us return to the office either on a full-time or hybrid basis, we’re resuming our morning refresh routines and leaving our sweatpants at home.

Whether you’re an evening-before or shower-the-morning-of type of person, one thing you probably don’t want to forget about before you head out the door is some form of odour protection — especially if you plan to attend a post-work fitness class.

But with so many options to choose from, it can be confusing to know which is the right product for you and your lifestyle. That got us thinking about two options on the market: aluminum-free deodorant and antiperspirant.

So, let’s take a closer look at what sets them apart in terms of function, ingredients, and underarm protection.

Aluminum-free deodorant

While most deodorants often just mask odour, Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant works to keep the bacteria under your arms from creating body odour throughout the day — with the help of an added scent — a one-two body odour punch.

This happens because the deodorant helps reduce bacteria that thrive in perspiration and cause the smell we associate with body odour. Secret is a brand that has been innovating odour-protection tools as far back as the 1950s, and it has adapted to provide wearers with an aluminum-free option offering up to 48 hours of sweat-activated odour protection.  

A dry stick formula, Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant is free from aluminum, parabens, dyes, glycol, and baking soda. The easy-to-apply product, which comes in three refreshing scents (lavender, coconut, and cotton), has also been dermatologist-tested, designed to be gentle on the skin, and — like all Secret deodorant products — is certified PETA cruelty-free. 

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Antiperspirant

Perspiration stimulates odour-causing bacteria, and like deodorant, an antiperspirant works to help reduce body odour. Antiperspirants also reduce wetness and help limit sweating altogether by using aluminum, which plugs the sweat duct, as an active ingredient.

Other than physical activity, what makes us sweat? And why do we even sweat in the first place? In addition to exercise, stress, hormones, and emotions can activate our sweat glands, and when this happens, the brain sends a message to the body — telling it to cool you off with its natural coolant (aka sweat). This is your body’s way of maintaining your core temperature, something that’s essential to your overall health.

Products like Secret Clinical Strength Soft Solid Deodorant have been formulated to help stop odour and sweat before it starts. This PETA-certified cruelty-free product gives you twice the amount of sweat protection than that of an ordinary antiperspirant.

It keeps you protected from sweat and odour for up to 48 hours. Plus, the invisible solid formula goes on dry with a smooth, even application, which is something to appreciate if you’ve dealt with clumpy formulas by other brands in the past.

Secret

At the end of the day, whether you’re team aluminum-free deodorant or team antiperspirant, you can always take time to see which product works best for your lifestyle and individual needs and test them each over a week or two.

If you care more about odour control but you don’t tend to sweat a lot, why not reach for aluminum-free deodorant? Alternatively, if you’re super active or tend to sweat heavily and regularly, you could consider Secret’s clinical protection.

You can find both Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant and Secret Clinical Strength Soft Solid Deodorant at Shoppers Drug Mart and all other major retailers.