Recognizing The Differences And Functions Of Deodorants And Antiperspirants

JAKARTA - Body odor is often a problem for some people. To deal with this disorder, the use of deodorants and antiperspirants can be very helpful. Body odor can be caused by sweat. When hot, the body will sweat. However, it is not sweat that makes the body smell, but the bacteria on our skin.

Sweat mixed with bacteria will cause odors, spots, or damp stains. Deodorants and antiperspirants are the mainstay of this product. However, they are often considered as two of the same product. Whereas deodorants and antiperspirants have different roles in fighting body odor and sweat.

Even some people can't tell the difference and call antiperspirant a deodorant. For that, let's recognize the difference between antiperspirant and deodorant.

Antiperspirants work by reducing sweating. Antiperspirants contain aluminum which forms a gel when applied which temporarily adheres to the skin's sweat glands, blocking and reducing the amount of perspiration absorbed.

The types of aluminum commonly used in antiperspirants are aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium trichlorohydrex glycine, aluminum hydrobromide, aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminum chlorohydroxy lactate.

Antiperspirants can be applied to areas other than the armpits. Most antiperspirants offer 12 to 48 hours of protection, so unless you're sweating, you probably don't need to reapply antiperspirant during the day.

Deodorants were created to combat body odor. Sweat is actually odorless and colorless. Body odor occurs when sweat mixes with bacteria on the skin. Deodorants prevent the buildup of bacteria. That way, body odor will be prevented by inhibiting skin bacteria from breaking down sweat into acids.

However, deodorants do not protect against sweat or wetness. After using deodorant, sweat will still be able to come out as usual. Deodorants only serve to counteract the odor produced after fats and proteins emitted from cells migrate to the skin's surface.