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Whole-body deodorant is trending, but do we need it тАФ or are we being scent-shamed?

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Deodorant for your armpits? Sure. Deodorant for your butt crack? Well … it exists, and it’s trending.

Big brands like Secret, Dove,┬аNative and Old Spice have recently started selling whole-body deodorants, advertising sticks, sprays and creams┬аthat promise┬аto combat stink everywhere from your “pits, privates, underboobs and feet” to your chest, hands┬аand┬а“even down below.”

These more mainstream brands join companies such as Undercarriage┬аand┬аLume┬аthat have been marketing whole-body deodorants for years. Lume, in particular, doesn’t hold back punches, providing online tips on how to prevent “swamp ass” and videos suggesting its┬аcream┬аdeodorant┬аfor your “butt crack.”

“Body odour outside of the armpits is normal and something many women notice at some point in their lives, but is not often discussed,” Kate DiCarlo, senior communications director for the┬аpersonal care portfolio at┬аProcter & Gamble, said in a news release┬аannouncing Secret’s┬аnew whole-body line in February.┬а

LISTEN | Do you need whole-body┬аdeodorant?┬а

Columnists from CBC Radio3:39Whole body deodorants are everywhere all of a sudden but are they necessary?

CanadaтАЩs in for a hot summer according to The Weather Network. The long term seasonal forecast is calling for above normal temperatures in most of the country. That means a whole lot of sweating. And deodorant brands are now offering options that extend beyond the armpits. CBCтАЩs Jason Osler has a look at whether whole body deodorants are necessary.

But as deodorants for every body part are being┬аpromoted by influencers on┬аTikTok, and ads pose questions like “have you ever sat down and smelled that smell,” some experts┬аsay this push to control all our body odours may┬аbe marketable, but that’s┬аnot necessarily positive.

People want to control their image and how they present themselves, and these products hone in that insecurity,┬аSarah Everts, an┬аassociate professor of journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa and author of The Joy of Sweat, told CBC Radio last week.

“Sweating is one of those areas where we’re completely out of control, and as a result, people try to overcompensate.”┬а

Gynecologist Dr. Wendy Goodall McDonald, centre, mingles with guests at the launch of Secret Whole Body Deodorant on Feb. 6 in New York. (Diane Bondareff/The Associated Press for Secret Whole Body Deodorant)

Researchers have also noted that an overall focus on feminine hygiene, with advertisers using tactics to shame women about vaginal odour, is particularly troublesome.

“By capitalizing on cultural constructions of women’s bodies as dirty [vaginal cleansing product companies] set an unhealthy and even dangerous precedent for how women should take care of their vaginal hygiene and health,” says a 2022 study published in┬аSSM Qualitative Research in┬аHealth.

The big business of BO

Americans started being obsessed with cleanliness during the Civil War of the early to mid-1860s,┬аwhen good hygiene was seen as patriotic, according to the New York Times. Body soap became widely available in the late 19th century.

The first deodorant, called Mum, was trademarked in 1888, notes Smithsonian Magazine.

“It’s a┬аcentury of cosmetic care companies telling us that body odours are bad and are going to lead to social exclusion,” Everts said.

WATCH | A deodorant commercial from 1952:┬а

Today, deodorant is big┬аbusiness. The global┬аdeodorant market was worth┬а$25.61 billion US in 2023, according to Fortune┬аBusiness Insights, and was predicted┬аto grow┬аto $42.18 billion by 2032. Sprays, in particular, dominated the market, Fortune Business Insight’s┬аreport noted.

The growing demand for natural deodorants is a major driver of the market growth, noted another report by Maximize Marketing Research. Meanwhile, a┬а2023 Mintel report on the growing U.S. antiperspirant/deodorant market said there’s an “opportunity” with multipurpose products, and that younger adults are more likely to use whole-body┬аantiperspirants and deodorant.

And┬аaccording to Google Trends, Canadian searches for “whole-body┬аdeodorant” started climbing this year, along with more specific searches for brands such as Lume and Secret.

“Consumers are looking for ways to feel protected in spots where deodorant isn’t normally used,” Kristen Denega, associate director of marketing performance and operations for deodorants┬аat Unilever, said in an┬аApril┬аnews release announcing Dove’s launch of its whole-body products.

Moving into whole-body deodorant is a smart business move, Everts said, because it requires a lot more product to be used over a larger surface area.

“If you can┬аconvince people to put your product over┬аall of your body, then effectively you’re going to have to buy that product again real soon.”┬а

Body deodorants
Native’s new body deodorants are seen in this photo provided by the company in a Jan. 24 news release. (Native Whole Body Deodorant)

Does it even work?

But then there’s the matter of whether whole-body deodorants are necessary, or even effective, which, according to Dr. Jaggi┬аRao, a dermatologist and clinical professor with the University of Alberta,┬аthey aren’t.

“I would suggest only using deodorants on areas where odour is specific and not pleasant …┬а such as the armpits,” Rao told CBC News.

These products can be irritating, he added, especially in areas of the body with thinner skin, such as the face and eyelids. People who are sensitive or allergic to specific ingredients in these products may experience skin reactions, Rao said.

If someone is experience excessive odour or┬аsweating beyond the armpits, Rao says a good topical moisturizer can sometimes help by diluting and reducing the natural┬аoils┬аthat may be causing the smell. Over-the-counter anti-bacterial washes can also help, he added.

“If more is needed, I suggest evaluation by a skin expert.”

Two sticks of  Secret and Sure deodorant are shown on a store shelf
Secret and Sure deodorant are seen in a 2005 file photo. Dermatologist Dr. Jaggi Rao recommends only using deodorants in the armpits. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The problem of ‘intimate areas’

Some of the whole-body deodorants either allude or specifically state they can be used to mask genital odour.

Secret, for instance, advertises its┬аAluminum Free Whole Body Deodorant Invisible Cream as “ideal for use in intimate areas.” Dove, too,┬аsays its products can be used in “intimate areas.” Lume is more forthright, explaining on its company blog that its hypoallergenic deodorant “can be rubbed onto the clitoral hood, labia majora┬аand continue back further to the perineum.”

On its website, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists┬аnotes┬аthat a certain amount of vaginal odour is normal.

“If you feel that you need to cover up the odour, you may have a medical condition that needs treatment. Sprays, deodorants┬аand douches are not recommended and may make things worse,” the┬аassociation says.

A 2018 study from the University of Guelph in southern Ontario found that women who use feminine hygiene products such as creams, moisturizers and wipes are three times more likely to have experienced some type of vaginal infection. This may be because these products┬аdisrupt the growth of healthy bacteria, psychology professor┬аKieran O’Doherty┬аsaid in a news release at the time.

WATCH | The truth about vaginal detoxing:┬а

The truth about vaginal detoxing

Health Canada has stopped the sale of a natural health care product that is marketed as a way to “detox” vaginas, following an investigation by CBC’s Marketplace. Our investigation found that Goddess Vaginal Detox Pearls’ claims of cleansing and healing from sexual trauma could lead to serious mental and physical health impacts.

“Our society has constructed female genitalia as unclean, and the marketing of vaginal hygiene products as something women need to attain the ideal is contributing to the problem,” O’Doherty said.

In the┬а2022┬аstudy published in SSM Qualitiative Research in┬аHealth, researchers seeking to understand why women use vaginal hygiene products despite the adverse health affects found that women┬аexperience “societal pressures to attain an idealized vagina.”

But it’s not just female body parts being scent-shamed.┬аDove’s men’s line of whole-body deodorants are also advertised for use on “privates,” and its parent company, Unilever, claims┬аthat searches for┬а“What is the best deodorant for b-lls?’ is one of the most-searched┬аdeodorant-related trends on Google.

Everts, author of┬аThe Joy of Sweat, said she wishes the body positivity movement would extend to include smell.

“Why make this so taboo?┬аWe all have our own unique odour.”

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