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Amidst an air of aroma

Last Updated 27 May 2010, 13:17 IST
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Everyday, people have a morning routine, in the process of which they use many products like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, gel, moisturiser and lastly, a deodorant.
   While deodorants started out as something to cut down odour, they have turned into much more than these.

Developed in 1888, deodorants were designed to eliminate odour by neutralising the smell of the sweat, but today, these have seen many changes.

Now available in the form of aerosol sprays, creams, roll-on and even gels, they shouldn’t be confused with anti-perspirants, which clog the pores with astringents such as aluminum.

But why are deodorants  so popular with this generation?

“So that you don’t smell bad when you sweat and I sweat a lot,” says Parul Pandey, an IT professional. “They are especially necessary during summers. I can’t think of stepping out without it on at all,” she adds.

“You want to smell good because that makes you feel fresher. Body odour is a big turn off,” says Anish, a professional.  Though the basic purpose of a deodorant is to prevent body odour, these days the attention has diverted towards other things.

“With the kind of positioning that brands are going for, the focus has now shifted towards attracting the opposite sex,” says Sadiq, a professional. 

Nonetheless, how important are these for daily use?

“I don’t use a deodorant until and unless it’s necessary like if I am going to the gym or dancing with a girl in a party,” says Abhinav.  “I ensure I overuse it especially in the latter
case,” he adds.

So what do people look for in an average deo? “It should smell nice and not be very strong. Also, the smell should last half a day at least,” says Parul.

The strong smell is actually a big bother for some people. “A lot of girls overuse it to such an extent that the smell gives you a headache,” says Abhinav. “I generally wear something that is flowery or fruity,” says Elizabeth, a professional.

As far as men are concerned, masculine smells work better.

“Guys like stronger stuff, louder deodorants, things that assail the nose,” says Sadiq.

“Earlier, the most preferred fragrances were cologne or musk, but with more brands being  introduced, I like to experiment with the fragrances,” says Dinesh, a student.
“Anything which doesn’t smell weird or bad works fine. I use both strong or pleasant kind of smells depending on my mood,” says Abhinav.

 A small percentage of people though face problems due to sensitive skin or their allergies towards aluminium. “Also, the underarms tend to blacken over a period of time,” says Suja, a professional.

“Alcohol-free deodorant is available for people with sensitive skin,” says Neha Jaiswal, a general physician.

Did You Know?

-Human beings sweat the most.

-We start to sweat soon after we are born.

-We sweat either due to emotional reasons or when we work out.

-Heat makes us sweat all through our body, whereas emotions make us sweat, mostly, in our hands and in our underarms.

-Normally, our body temperature is in balance, that is, heat in is equal to heat out.
However, if the heat input increases, the balance is shifted  and we become hot.

-In order to re-establish heat equilibrium, our body needs to increase heat output. This is achieved by sweating . The evaporation of sweat cools our body and returns our equilibrium. Our emotions can make us sweat even in cold weather.

- Skin is the largest organ in the human body.  The skin of an adult man can cover an area of approximately 20 sq ft.

-Heat, movement and stress make us sweat in the underarms.

- The fitter we are, the more we sweat.

- Underarm sweat is less than one per cent of total body sweat.

- We sometimes perceive sweating more in the underarm.  This is because it does not easily evaporate.

- Sweating in our underarms does not make us cool because our arms are generally held close to our body and the sweat in our underarms does not tend to  evaporate.

-Sweating frequency changes throughout the day. Even throughout the year.

-The human skin has millions of bacteria on it. 

- Underarm sweat with bacteria is the cause of body odour.

Facts about anti-perspirant

- There is a difference between an anti-perspirant and a product which is only a deodorant. While deodorants reduce the rate of odour formation, an anti-perspirant reduces the rate of sweating to prevent odour.

- Deodorants possess no anti-perspirant activity.

- An anti-perspirant can control the flow of sweat in our body and are very good at eliminating bacteria on the skin surface. This is what makes it very effective at preventing odour.

- In many countries around the world, anti-perspirant is widely used as part of daily hygiene.

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(Published 27 May 2010, 13:17 IST)

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