The drugstore’s latest deodorant offerings can now block your every drip, drop and drench (and the manky smells that come with them) from head to toe…
By Adriana Ermter
Ten years ago, when Snoop Dogg sang about how he “just wanna make you sweat,” we couldn’t get enough…of the hip-hop icon’s cheeky bedroom lyrics, that is. As for the actual sweat factor? There is nothing sexy about pitted armpits, a clammy groin area and clothes that stick to your back. Sure, head-to-toe perspiration is normal – our body’s millions of eccrine sweat glands work hard to control our ever-fluctuating internal temperature (a.k.a. thermoregulation) by releasing water through our skin’s pores to keep us cool – but it doesn’t make the process any less uncomfortable, embarrassing or stinky. Beyond drugstore, prescription and Botox options for our underarms and feet, though, we’ve literally had to go with the flow that emanates from our other schvitzing body parts. Until now.
Beauty and grooming brands like Athena Club, Lume and Happy Nuts, to name a few, have created deodorant sticks, sprays and creams to dam full-body sweating. And their promise for dryness everywhere has been an Insta-hit, earning the aptly named hashtag #fullbodydeodorants more than 23 million views on TikTok to date.
“Consumers are looking for ways to feel protected in spots where deodorant isn’t normally or traditionally used,” explains the Dove team in Canada. “As a leader in personal care innovation, Dove knew it needed to expand its deodorant portfolio to solve this whole-body consumer need with its trusted level of care and protection.”
It makes sense. After all, sweating, for most of us, occurs beyond the pits. According to Stevens & Lowe’s Human Histology, there are some physiological differences between men and women, although they have similar numbers of sweat glands. Men tend to have larger and more active sweat glands, resulting in higher sweat rates compared to women; while hormonal fluctuations, particularly during menstruation, can influence women’s sweating patterns throughout the menstrual cycle. For transgender individuals undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT), changes in hormone levels can also impact sweating patterns. Transgender women may experience decreased sweat production and changes in body odour as estrogen levels increase, while transgender men may experience increased sweat production and changes in body odour as testosterone levels rise. Along with hormones and rising body temperatures, participating in fitness workouts, as well as your actual fitness level, environmental factors, age and genetics can also contribute to feeling and looking damp.
“It’s unavoidable; we all sweat,” affirms Dr. Nowell Solish, MD, FRCP, the founding board member of the International Hyperhidrosis Society and cosmetic dermatologist for his eponymous clinic in Toronto. “Odour, though, is a different story. It’s usually a different gland – the apocrine sweat glands, found in areas such as the groin and in the armpits – that secretes odour. Sometimes that odour is made from sweating a lot; other times it is from bacteria that grows on broken-down, wet and moist skin, like when your shoes, socks and feet have gotten wet.”
Skin folds – where a layer of skin overlaps with another layer of skin – can often trap moisture between them, which can result in a higher risk of bacterial growth and, with it, unwanted odour, adds Dr. Solish. Our other body parts – you know, the ones typically hidden between our legs and a couple of layers of clothing – are also susceptible to this. Obviously, good hygiene is crucial to eliminating that sticky swampy feeling, but there are only so many soapy showers you can take in a day.
The need for an extra layer of support is real. In a 2023 report by Mintel, 39 per cent of US consumers confirmed this by stating their desire for an all-over body deodorant or antiperspirant for increased comfort.
“This [consumer need] pushed [us] to create a formulation that not only contains Dove’s unique odour protection technology, which kills odour-causing bacteria at the source and traps any odour that is already present, [but also] offers all-day odour protection that also helps to absorb unwanted moisture,” says the Dove team. After dedicating six years of lab time, from conception to reality, the brand has now launched two versions of their solution to the problem: the Whole Body Deo line of invisible creams and a Dove Mens+ Aloe+Bamboo with Vitamin E deodorant stick, spray and cream.
Along with solid testing for efficacy, the skincare brands behind each iteration simultaneously seek and infuse ingredients such as botanicals, food derivatives and oils, essential oils and vitamins, that are safe for full-body external use. So much so that Raw Sugar lists what you won’t find in their deo sticks – aluminum, parabens, baking soda and talc – smack dab on the front label, while Athena Club highlights their medical board of advisors on their website. Prudent choices to satiate savvy shoppers to be sure, and also to guarantee maximum comfort, to prevent irritation (in even your most private areas) and to ensure maximum efficacy. These over-the-counter items are also typically tested by both dermatologists and gynecologists to substantiate their claims of safe external use – from your armpits, chest and beneath the breasts to your stomach, groin and even between your toes. And, of course, to make sure that they block and stop your sweating and any residual smells.
“Antiperspirants are good; they can control your sweating, and there are lots of different ones out there,” notes Dr. Solish. “But deodorants, if you can find the right one with the right formulation for you and use it wherever you need to, to control sweating, your overall body odour will improve.”
Here are seven of our favourite options.
Athena Club All Over Deodorant
$14 for 2 oz, available at Walmart
What makes it unique: The brand’s long-lasting plant-based deodorant stick is made with tapioca starch to absorb moisture, chamomile extract to soothe your skin and coconut oil to keep it hydrated and to protect against aging. The formula dries quickly, doesn’t feel sticky and won’t leave white marks on your clothing. You can wear different scented versions too, with the line’s floral Super Bloom, fresh springlike Matchpoint, clean and aquatic Sea Splash, tropical Coconut Sparkle, and warm and intimate Vanilla Cocoon options.
Axe Premium Body Spray Fine Fragrance Collection
$12 for 4 oz, available at Shoppers Drug Mart
What makes it unique: This scent doubles as a body odour-blocking deodorant and a fashion-forward cologne. The brand recently launched a more modern and lighter-smelling Fine Fragrance collection complete with four scents: Black Vanilla, Blue Lavender, Green Geranium and Aqua Bergamot. Each one is aluminum-free, chock full of essential oils and offers 72 hours’ worth of freshness.
Dove Whole Body Deo
From $22 for 2.5 oz, available at Shoppers Drug Mart
What makes it unique: The bigwig brand has two distinct collections in their Whole Body Deodorant category: an Invisible Cream and the Dove Men+’s spray, stick and cream. The Invisible cream is hypoallergenic, vegan and cruelty-free, crafted without parabens, aluminum or baking soda, and comes in Unscented, Vanilla and Coconut scents. Also aluminum- and cruelty-free and vegan, the men’s trio contains soothing and healing vitamin E and bamboo, and is lightly infused with a refreshing woody scent.
Happy Curves All Over Deodorant
$17 for 2.6 oz, available online at www.amazon.ca
What makes it unique: It has an empowering brand name, inviting pink packaging, and a rich and creamy Tahitian vanilla scent, Boho Breeze. Designed for women, it’s made with natural ingredients like sunflower oil to eliminate and prevent skin irritations, and marshmallow extract to absorb sweat and neutralize odour. The stick is also renowned for combatting super-tough and strong body odour.
Happy Nuts Comfort Cream
$19 for 3.5 oz, available online at www.amazon.ca
What makes it unique: For starters, the cheeky (or maybe we should write, nutty) brand’s tagline reads: “High standards for low places.” Additionally, the all-over body deodorant cream transforms into a powder once it’s smoothed onto your skin. The ingredients are all natural, non-irritating and nourishing to protect your skin. And its light woody coconut scent does the job, yet won’t overpower.
Lume Deodorant Whole Body Deodorant
$33 for 2.2 oz, available online at www.amazon.ca
What makes it unique: Rumoured to be the OG of full-body deodorant, Lume (pronounced loo-mee) was created by Shannon Kingman, M.D., who was an OB/GYN resident. The brand’s plethora of all-natural, cream sticks and solid sticks are geared towards women, but effective on anyone. The scents range from Unscented, Minted Cucumber, Soft Powder and Clean Tangerine, to Lavender Sage, Toasted Coconut, Fresh Alpine and Peony Rose.
Raw Sugar Simply Deo
$14 for 2.7 oz, available at Shoppers Drug Mart
What makes it unique: Technically, the line is not a full-body deodorant, but it has made its way onto our list because it could be. Each of the stick’s four options – Beach Rose + Aloe, Santal +Verbena, Eucalyptus + Fresh Mint and Vanilla Bean + Charcoal – is gender fluid and safe to use, as clearly stated, front and centre, on each deodorant’s label. The packaging has also been crafted from eco-friendly paper, so the line is safe for the environment.
ADRIANA ERMTER is a Toronto-based lifestyle-magazine pro who has travelled the globe writing about must-spritz fragrances, child poverty, beauty and grooming.
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