To manage the amount of sweat and the odours produced during the day, it’s a good idea to include either an antiperspirant or a deodorant as part of your morning routine. These products come in a variety of formulations (sprays, sticks, roll-ons, gels). In choosing the right product to suit your needs, it might help to keep in mind that deodorants are designed to control only odour, but antiperspirants actually inhibit sweat production and are often scented to provide odour protection as well. Antiperspirants contain chemical agents that reduce perspiration. The active ingredients of roll-on and spray formulations are traditionally the metallic salts, aluminium chloride and aluminium chlorohydrate. Newer generation antiperspirants contain aluminium zirconium compounds that are less likely to cause side-effects, such as skin irritation or aggravation to razor burn. These actives are formulated into preparations of varying strengths – higher concentrations (or clinical strength) are effective at controlling more intense levels of sweat production.
