Everything you need to know about antiperspirants
What is an antiperspirant?
What is an antiperspirant?
An antiperspirant inhibits perspiration. Antiperspirants have been used to combat excessive sweating for over 100 years. Their advantage over other measures is that they act on the surface of the skin. Aluminium chloride, the active ingredient in odaban® antiperspirant, narrows the openings of the sweat glands in the skin. As a result, less sweat is secreted and the skin and clothing remain dry. The insolubility of the aluminium complex prevents it from being absorbed into the deeper layers of the skin, so that the treatment is actually limited to the uppermost layer of skin. The effectiveness of aluminium chloride as an antiperspirant was proven as early as 1972 in an experimental study by skin specialist Prof. Dr Hagen Tronnier and his colleague Rentschler. They were able to show that the number of active eccrine sweat glands decreased by an average of 70% and sweating by 64%.
How an antiperspirant works
How an antiperspirant works
When applied to the skin, aluminium chloride causes the skin cells to contract (astringency). This narrows the openings of the sweat glands. The aluminium chloride forms a complex that can be imagined as a small plug of sweat, sebum and skin flakes. This complex closes the sweat gland outlets so that no sweat can reach the skin. After a few days, the astringency wears off and the effect of the antiperspirant diminishes.
No sweat - no smell
No sweat - no smell
When sweat comes into contact with specific microorganisms that are part of the natural skin flora, it produces an unpleasant odour. Corynebacteria (mainly in men) and micrococci (mainly in women) break down sweat. This produces unpleasant-smelling substances that are perceived as sour to pungent. However, if sweat is not secreted in the first place, it does not produce any odours. As an antiperspirant, odaban® promotes a natural, pleasant skin odour.
Antitranspirant vs Deodorant
How does an antiperspirant differ?
How does an antiperspirant differ?
Antiperspirant or deodorant? How does an antiperspirant differ from a deodorant?
Antiperspirants differ fundamentally from deodorants in terms of their effect and application. Antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat produced by forming plugs in the pores or redirecting sweat to areas of the skin where perspiration can occur more easily. Deodorants contain odour-inhibiting ingredients that mostly mask or absorb the smell of sweat. Although deodorants also contain sweat-inhibiting ingredients, these are usually in such small quantities that deodorants do not reduce the problem of underarm wetness.
Differences in application between antiperspirants and deodorants
Differences in application between antiperspirants and deodorants
While deodorant is applied daily, usually after your morning hygiene routine, antiperspirants are applied less frequently. Odaban® should only be applied in the evening before bedtime. After initial daily application, use can quickly be reduced to just 1-2 times per week. This gives you a great deal of independence and freedom, as you no longer have to think about applying deodorant every day. These differences are noticeable in both the effect and the price. Deodorants usually cost only a few pounds, whereas antiperspirants are usually more expensive, depending on size and quality. However, the higher price of an antiperspirant is put into perspective when you consider that just 30 ml of antiperspirant can last for six months when applied under the armpits. A deodorant, on the other hand, usually only lasts a few weeks. This effectively saves money, reduces the hassle of repurchasing and protects the environment.
Skin compatibility
Skin compatibility
To prevent skin irritation, an antiperspirant should always be applied in the evening, ideally just before going to bed. Another important aspect when using the odaban® antiperspirant products is that the skin must be completely dry at the time of application. There should be no residual moisture on the skin. To achieve this, the skin can be pre-treated with a commercially available talcum powder, available from any pharmacy. A hairdryer can also be used to remove residual moisture from the underarms, for example. There is a very simple reason why the skin should be dry when applying an antiperspirant. The active ingredient in an antiperspirant is usually an aluminium compound or a combination of various aluminium salts. When this active ingredient comes into contact with water or sweat, an undesirable by-product called aluminium hydroxide is formed. This by-product can cause skin irritation, resulting in a slight burning sensation and redness. To counteract this skin irritation, odaban® antiperspirant does not contain water as a carrier substance, but high-percentage alcohol. Another advantage over water as a carrier substance is that the alcohol evaporates very quickly during spraying and only a small percentage remains on the skin surface – this means that the active ingredient ‘aluminium chloride’ has no chance to react with the water.
Application on the head
Application on the head
You can also use the odaban® antiperspirant on your face. Odaban® shouldn´t be used on irritated or inflamed skin. The odaban® antiperspirant was originally developed for use only on the underarms and feet. Over time, however, a wide variety of applications have emerged. We have many customers who use odaban® very successfully on their face. When used on the face, odaban® should only be applied in the evening. Please never spray directly onto the face, but always apply odaban® with the help of a cotton wool pad or cosmetic pad (1-2 sprays are sufficient). Please wash the treated areas of skin the next morning. For use on the face, it is usually sufficient to apply once a week or as needed. Please never treat the entire head with odaban®, but only individual affected areas of skin, as sweat also has a cooling function. For sensitive skin, we recommend testing the odaban® antiperspirant on a small area before applying it to a larger area.
Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding
Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding
The odaban® antiperspirant is a ‘cosmetic product’. By law, cosmetic products must always be safe. This also applies to pregnant and breastfeeding women. Before being launched on the German market, odaban® underwent several safety assessments, all of which were positive. You can therefore use the odaban® antiperspirant without hesitation during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The odaban® antiperspirant products shouldn´t be used during the day. The simple reason for this is that we sweat more during the day. As a result, the active ingredient aluminium chloride reacts with water to form a by-product, which can cause unpleasant skin irritation. It should therefore not be used during the day. It is also not advisable to use an antiperspirant after freshly shaving your underarms, as this causes extremely small injuries to the skin surface and can cause skin irritation after applying an antiperspirant.
When not to use the odaban® antiperspirant
When not to use the odaban® antiperspirant
An antiperspirant should not be used during the day. The simple reason for this is that we sweat more during the day. As a result, the active ingredient aluminium chloride reacts with water to form a by-product, which can cause unpleasant skin irritation. It is therefore advisable to avoid using it during the day. It is also not advisable to use an antiperspirant after freshly shaving your underarms, as this causes extremely small injuries to the skin surface and can cause skin irritation after applying an antiperspirant.
What should be avoided when using the odaban® antiperspirant?
What should be avoided when using the odaban® antiperspirant?
A very important aspect when using odaban® antiperspirant is that the skin must be completely dry at the time of application. There should be no residual moisture in the armpit. If there is still residual moisture in the armpit, the product will not be able to work optimally and the residual moisture may cause skin irritation, itching or burning. Many users who are using the odaban® antiperspirant for the first time often have the problem that they still sweat a little in the evening, i.e. that a certain amount of residual moisture is almost unavoidable. In this case, we recommend applying the odaban® antiperspirant immediately before going to bed and drying the underarms beforehand with a little talcum powder or a hairdryer. This ensures that there is no residual moisture left in the armpits. Another mistake that is often made when using the product is applying too much of the odaban® antiperspirant per application. One spray per armpit is sufficient. For sensitive skin, we always recommend applying the product with a cotton wool pad or cosmetic pad. Please wash off any product residue the next morning as usual. Once ‘initial protection’ has been established, the odaban® antiperspirant should only be applied once or twice a week. In addition, the odaban® antiperspirant should not be used too frequently, as this will prevent the product from achieving the desired effect. The reason for this is that too frequent use completely ‘blocks’ the sweat gland outlets. The sweat that accumulates behind the blockage will eventually break through it. This will result in increased sweating again. If this does happen, the odaban® antiperspirant should not be used for a period of approximately two to three weeks. After this interval without use, the effect will be the same as when you first started using the product. This means that odaban® remains a very effective and safe product for a long time.
Product advice
3 questions for your perfect anti-sweating solution
