Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a list of questions that we are frequently asked about antiperspirants and health - just click on the questions below to jump directly to the answer. If after reading this information, you still have a question, why not ask us directly. We will do our best to find you an answer and from time to time will update the list of questions on this page.
- Is there any proven link between the use of antiperspirants and breast cancer?
- Have there been any scientific studies that specifically investigated the possibility of a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer?
- Does using antiperspirants stop me 'sweating out' harmful toxins?
- Is it true that ingredients from antiperspirants can penetrate the skin and accumulate in the breast tissue, potentially damaging DNA and leading to breast cancer?
- Can antiperspirants affect hormone levels and thus cause cancer?
- Is there a link between increased incidences of breast cancer and the increased use of antiperspirants?
- Most breast cancers occur in the upper, outer quadrant of the left breast near where right handed people apply antiperspirants. This sounds like plausible evidence for a link - is it?
- If antiperspirants are safe, why are women told not to use them before having a mammogram?
- Is there an association between an increased risk of breast cancer, or any other adverse health effects, and using an antiperspirant after shaving?
- Is it true that antiperspirants contain preservatives called parabens, which have been linked to breast cancer?
- Is it true that you can buy antiperspirant crystals which reduce sweat in a similar way to antiperspirants. Is this a safer alternative to spray and roll-on antiperspirants?
- Is there a link between the aluminium in antiperspirants and the effect of oestrogen on development of breast cancer?
- What do I do about excess sweating?
1. Is there any proven link between the use of antiperspirants and breast cancer?
There is no scientific evidence that the risk of developing breast cancer increases if you use antiperspirants. Indeed, there is strong evidence to show that antiperspirants are safe and do not cause health problems. A recent and comprehensive clinical study found no links between the two - a position that is backed up by cancer specialists, charities, and governmental bodies across the world (see Useful links for further details).
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2. Have there been any scientific studies that specifically investigated the possibility of a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer?
Yes. A recent large study of women aged 20-74 published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October 2002, examined the use of antiperspirants in women with breast cancer. The researchers compared antiperspirant use among a group of women who had contracted breast cancer and a second group who were matched in age to the first group, but who had not contracted cancer. Both groups of women used antiperspirants in similar ways, and the scientists running the study found no link between the antiperspirants and breast cancer.
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3. Does using antiperspirants stop me 'sweating out' harmful toxins?
No. This argument forms the basis for an email that began circulating a few years ago, and it has also appeared in some newspaper articles. However, experts in this field do not agree with this theory for two reasons:
- The body does not sweat to 'flush out' toxins
- Antiperspirants do not alter the body's overall ability to sweat, to any significant degree
The overwhelming majority of toxins, around 95 per cent are removed from the body by the liver and kidneys. The body sweats to control temperature and not to remove toxins - sweat consists almost entirely of water, with some sodium and fat, none of which are toxic.
Sweat is produced from 2 - 5 million sweat glands around the body, and antiperspirants only affect those in the armpit. Surprisingly, there are relatively few sweat glands in the armpit and they produce only about one per cent of the body's sweat - we are just more aware of it because the sweat can't evaporate as easily from under the arm as from other areas of the body. Antiperspirants work by dissolving in sweat to produce a thin coating on the skin that temporarily reduces underarm sweating, but does not alter the body's release of sweat to any significant degree.
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4. Is it true that ingredients from antiperspirants can penetrate the skin and accumulate in the breast tissue, potentially damaging DNA and leading to breast cancer?
The suggestion that ingredients such as Aluminium and Zirconium salts might damage cell DNA is sometimes raised in newspaper articles, but there is no evidence that they accumulate in the breast tissue, or that they can affect human DNA. In fact, aluminium is one of the most common elements on earth, and one that humans come into contact with everyday. It is estimated that exposure to aluminium from antiperspirant use is about 2.5 per cent of the amount of aluminium present in a typical diet, which doesn't take into account additional exposure from airborne particles.
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5. Can antiperspirants affect hormone levels and thus cause cancer?
There is no evidence that antiperspirants can affect hormone levels, and recent research has found no link between antiperspirant use and breast cancer. It is true that the hormone oestrogen can promote the growth of breast cancer cells, and that rising levels of oestrogen in women in developed countries may be responsible for the increase in breast cancer prevalence. However, this is not due to antiperspirant use.
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6. Is there a link between increased incidences of breast cancer and the increased use of antiperspirants?
It is certainly true that the prevalence of breast cancer is rising in developed countries. However, there are many scientific studies linking this rise to factors other than antiperspirants, and no evidence that antiperspirants are the cause. Indeed, there is strong evidence to show no link between antiperspirant use and breast cancer.
The majority of doctors and scientists who have studied this area attribute the increased prevalence of breast cancer in developed countries on the 'western' lifestyle adopted by residents over the last 50 years. The following are known risk factors for breast cancer:
Diet
The rich, calorie-laden diets typical of developed countries and sedentary lifestyles result in women producing higher levels of oestrogen than women in developing countries. This additional oestrogen, and the fertility boost it provides, is thought to be a reaction to an abundance of food, but the additional exposure to oestrogen puts women in developed countries at a higher risk of breast cancer.
Smaller families
Ironically, the problem of increased oestrogen is compounded by another characteristic of life in developed countries - the tendency for women to have fewer children. Oestrogen levels are lower during pregnancy and breast feeing, and women in the developing world tend to have many children, helping them to reduce their risk. However, women in the developed world tend to have smaller families, meaning that they do not benefit from this protective affect. Scientists also believe that the higher average age for women having their first children in developed countries increases the risk of breast cancer.
"The increased prevalence in developed countries is almost certainly due in part to increased oestrogen levels. High oestrogen levels are a known risk factor for breast cancer and because oestrogen is produced by fat cells in postmenopausal women, the fatter you are, the higher that level is likely to be"
Professor Valerie Beral, Cancer Research UK
Lifestyle Choices
Increased drinking amongst women, as well as rising levels of obesity, have all been linked to the rising prevalence of breast cancer and many other diseases.
"The evidence suggests that the more a woman drinks, the greater her risk of developing the disease. Women are drinking more now than they used to and, if this pattern continues, it's bound to impact on breast cancer rates"
Professor Valerie Beral, Cancer Research UK
Improved healthcare
The increased availability of breast cancer screening has led to far better detection of breast cancer, giving the appearance of a dramatic rise in occurrences. Additionally, breast cancer tends to occur in women over the age of 50, and the well documented 'ageing' of the populations of developed countries means there is a greater proportion of women of this age group in the population, and therefore higher numbers of breast cancer diagnoses in any given year.
"Breast cancer rates have gone up because British women are drinking more alcohol, are fatter, and are having children later - all factors known to increase risk. There is no need to be concerned about deodorants"
Dr Tim Key, Cancer Research UK
7. Most breast cancers occur in the upper, outer quadrant of the left breast near where right handed people apply antiperspirants. This sounds like plausible evidence for a link - is it?
It has been known for over 50 years that breast cancer predominantly affects the left breast, but this is not because of 'over application' of antiperspirant by the majority right-handed people. Detailed consumer research, which involved placing a recording device into aerosol antiperspirants and measuring exactly the volumes applied to both armpits, has shown that there are no significant differences between the amounts of antiperspirant applied to either armpit, regardless of whether you are right or left handed.
Research in the late 1990s has attributed the prevalence of breast cancer in the left breast to development in the womb, during which time early growth of the heart in the left side of the chest means that additional blood supply is needed in this area. It is the extra arteries, veins, and capillaries on the left hand side of the chest that make the left breast more vulnerable to cancer.
It is also well documented that 60% of breast cancers occur in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. However, this is also where 60% of breast tissue resides, which explains the prevalence of breast cancers in this area.
"Breast cancer starts in the epithelial cells, which line the ducts and the glands and the milk-producing bits of the breast. In young women, the whole breast is composed of dense, glandular tissue. As women age, the glandular tissue retreats from the medial aspect by the breastbone towards the upper-outer quadrant, and is replaced by fatty tissue... it seems logical that if the upper outer quadrant is where most of the tissue is, that is where most of the cancers will develop"
Dr Rosalind Given-Wilson, South West London Breast Screening Service
8. If antiperspirants are safe, why are women told not to use them before having a mammogram?
This has nothing to do with the safety of antiperspirants. Women should not use any deodorant or antiperspirant before a mammogram in case it appears in the x-ray and is mistaken for an abnormality in the breast.
9. Is there an association between an increased risk of breast cancer, or any other adverse health effects, and using an antiperspirant after shaving?
The overwhelming scientific evidence is that there is no correlation between breast cancer and the use of antiperspirants after shaving. However, shaving does cause tiny nicks in the skin and some antiperspirants, particularly those that are also deodorants, contain alcohol which causes stinging and irritation to freshly shaved skin.
10. Is it true that antiperspirants contain preservatives called parabens, which have been linked to breast cancer?
Parabens are a type of preservative found in many everyday products, including cosmetics, shampoos, hair gels and even some foods. However, they are not used in any Unilever antiperspirants or in the vast majority of antiperspirants currently available. This is not because parabens are unsafe, but because antiperspirants are generally self-preserving. Additionally, the EU is satisfied that parabens are safe and has given approval for their use in a whole range of products.
11. Is it true that you can buy antiperspirant crystals which reduce sweat in a similar way to antiperspirants? Is this a safer alternative to spray and roll-on antiperspirants?
In parts of Asia, people reduce their sweating by rubbing ground up crystals of alum, know locally as tawas, into their armpits. The antiperspirant crystals that you can buy, and which are often marketed as a 'healthy' alternative, are also made of crystal of alum. Crystal of alum is an aluminium salt, and reduces sweating in exactly the same way as a 'modern' antiperspirant - by mixing with sweat to form a thin coating that temporarily reduces sweating. Indeed, the active ingredients of modern antiperspirants are also aluminium salts; usually Aluminium Chlorohydrate (ACH), or Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY (AZAG). These salts have been tested thoroughly by antiperspirant manufacturers and relevant health authorities and provide the safest and most effective means of controlling sweat.
12. Is there a link between the aluminium in antiperspirants and the effect of oestrogen on development of breast cancer?
There is currently no evidence that aluminium can alter the effects of the hormone oestrogen in people, or that aluminium in antiperspirants is linked to breast cancer. Some evidence suggests that certain metals can enhance activity of oestrogen, which promotes the growth of breast tissue. In particular, cadmium has shown oestrogenic effects in some studies. However, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that aluminium in antiperspirants is in any way linked to oestrogenic activity in human breast tissue. Indeed, many authoritative studies have demonstrated the safety of antiperspirant ingredients for human health.
13. What do I do about excess sweating?
All people past puberty experience axillary (armpit) sweat and odour, and these are normal bodily functions. Excessive armpit sweating is known as axillary hyperhidrosis and is a variation of the normal sweating process. We understand that this can be a distressing problem for those who suffer from it. Whilst antiperspirants can be effective in reducing normal levels of armpit sweating, there are occasions when the body requires something stronger.
Unilever as a manufacturer and not a healthcare organisation is not in a position to suggest alternatives for your treatment, however, there is a great deal of information on the internet where you can review advice offered by experts about axillary hyperhidrosis.
Our best suggestion if you are worried about excess sweat is to arrange to see your doctor and discuss with him/her possible treatment alternatives.