Acquittal for Aluminum Deodorants
Four years ago, the media was full of warnings about harmful ingredients in cosmetics. Parabens in creams that are supposed to trigger allergies, silicones in shampoo that damage hair and, above all, aluminum chloride in deodorants, which is said to cause cancer and promote Alzheimer’s disease. But to this day, the supposedly critical ingredients are controversially discussed by science and have even been partially rehabilitated.
As a result of these negative reports, the “clean beauty” beauty trend has clearly gained momentum. Of the 500 brands in the range of the German cosmetics giant Douglas, around 40 are now clean beauty. According to the American market research company NPD, 46 percent of facial skincare users report purchasing products free of sulfates, phthalates and/or gluten, representing a 6 point up-tick over the past two years. “Clean” manufacturers do without questionable ingredients, including cyclic silicones, butyl and propyl parabens, sulfates and mineral oil, but do not exclude synthetic ingredients. This is exactly the difference to natural cosmetics, which are made exclusively from natural raw materials. If you want to believe the current report published by the British Soil Association Certification in February 2019, the niche trend has long since become mainstream. Above all, Millennials and Gen Z have given the organic cosmetics and wellness market a sustained high.
Is everything else now “dirty beauty”?
Much is based on so-called “fear marketing”, which suggests to the consumer that all products that have not made it into the clean beauty ranks are automatically questionable. Above all, this happened with aluminum deodorants. Aluminum salts are used in many deodorants. They block the flow of sweat and inhibit odor formation. But they have long been suspected of being able to promote the development of cancer, since the breast tissue is particularly exposed due to the proximity to the armpit. Researchers led by Stefano Mandriota from the University of Geneva showed it in experiments with mammary gland cells from mice. “We now know enough to say that aluminum salts are toxic,” said the cancer researcher in 2015. But nothing was definitely proven. The few studies on the topic even provided contradicting results in some cases. In 2017 the Medical University of Innsbruck published an epidemiological study in the specialist journal „EBioMedicine”. This showed the correlation between the very frequent use of deodorants containing aluminum several times a day, especially at a young age, and the possibly increased risk of developing breast cancer later.… weiterlesen
CultureAndCream Author from Munich
To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn’t do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don’t know yet. But I am not only interested in “culture” and “cream”, I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell . Such unique experiences I want to share with you.