Deodorant or Antiperspirant: Which One Should You Use?

Sweating is the body’s natural way of cooling down and this work is down by an estimated 2.6 million sweat glands in the human body. The sweat itself doesn’t have any smell but when it stays on the body for a certain amount of time, the bacteria in the air mixes with it and these then cause foul smells. This is primarily the reason why armpits smell bad because the sweat in this area doesn’t dry up quickly due to its lack of exposure to air. The natural control of sweat from sweat glands and the foul odor emanating from it is a near impossible task and it is for this reason that people resort to buying deodorants or antiperspirants.

Astonishingly though most people don’t even have parameters when deciding between a deodorant and antiperspirant because they remain ignorant about the differences between the two. Sure enough, both work towards combating body odor; however the way they function is markedly different. We discussed earlier that rather than the sweat, it was bacteria that mixed with sweat which resulted in foul odor. Killing this bacteria and making the sweat odorless is the primary function of deodorants.

On the contrary, antiperspirant as the name suggests works towards lowering the perspiration levels in the body. With the help of active ingredients it dissolves the sweat on the skin surface that then forms a gel. This gel then plays a key role in reducing the amount of sweat released. Apart from this, the antiperspirant also has its very own fragrance that contributes towards reducing the stench arising from the sweat.

So given a choice between a deodorant and antiperspirant, which one should you opt for? The preference shouldn’t be on personal likes but instead be made based on the chemical makeup of your body. We all have different levels of sweating and the amount of sweat generated by a person in a 5 minute workout may be vastly differ from another person who does the same routine. Also some may smell stinky following this given time frame while others may not.

Therefore while making the choice between a deodorant and antiperspirant, two factors should influence your decision – The amount of sweat which you generate and the level of smelliness of your sweat. If you are a heavy sweater and if it is the quantity of sweat generated that is leading to bad odor, then your choice of product must be an antiperspirant but if you are someone who sweats moderately yet has a bad smell, then you should go for a deodorant.

Thus if you know your body type, selection between a deodorant and antiperspirant will prove to be a much easier task.