deodorantJulia Roberts said on Oprah this year that she doesn't wear deodorant. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, Cafe Kierna recently asked us Is Your Child Old Enough for Deodorant?

Personally, I've always thought it was a little weird to use chemicals to stop sweating, which is a natural and necessary process to being human. But the flip side is to smell like that weird guy in spin class, so I've always gone with deodorant.

Here are more pros and cons.


Deodorants are safe, according to the FDA:

  • The FDA issued a final rule in June 2003 establishing conditions under which over-the-counter (OTC) antiperspirants are generally recognized as safe and effective, and are not misbranded. The final rule establishes allowable ingredients and labeling for the products. (Translation: The mainstream stuff at CVS is FDA-approved.)
  • The FDA adds: The rise of the Internet has made it easy for false health claims, scary stories, and rumors to reach millions of people in a matter of minutes. One such myth says that antiperspirants may cause breast cancer. Deodorant does not cause breast cancer.

But some experts say deodorants are not safe at all:

  • Christine Harlow, a.k.a. “The Ingredients Investigator,” who has been researching the safety of the ingredients in common personal care products since 1991, says most deodorant isn't safe and is loaded with toxic chemicals.
  • In an article on MSNBC, she advises people to avoid deodorants that include parabens, aluminum, triclosan, talc and propelyn glycol.

Join the private group Organic, Natural, and Simple Living for more CafeMoms' opinions on this topic.

I just checked, and the well-known brand I use contains three of those toxic ingredients listed above. But I'm kind of torn. I've used the all-natural brands, and well, sometimes I still smell.

What do you think? Is deodorant safe?