Deodorant, antiperspirant – and breast cancer?

Your body mainly removes toxic compounds by excretion with other waste products. Into the toilet. Your liver and kidneys do most of the heavy lifting here, not your armpit. For example, in healthy people, the kidneys eliminate most aluminium from the body.¹

Plus, antiperspirants reduce the amount of sweat, they do not completely prevent sweating. 

Aluminium-based ingredients work by temporarily blocking sweat ducts to prevent the flow of sweat to the skin's surface.

The 2004 study did not demonstrate a link between parabens and breast cancer; indeed, serious flaws in this study  have led to its widespread criticism from other researchers in the field.³

In fact, no study has established a link between parabens in underarm products and breast cancer.

It has also since been demonstrated that parabens can be present in breast tumour tissue even when underarm deodorant or antiperspirant is not used.⁴ 

Studies have not found an association between deodorant or antiperspirant use and breast cancer risk.

According to the Australian Cancer Council, ‘there is no evidence to support the claim that deodorants or antiperspirants cause cancer. This link was first suggested in an email hoax, and rumours have circulated ever since.’⁵

An often-cited 2002 study of over 1600 women, half with breast cancer and half without, found no overall difference in the use of underarm products (or shaving practices) between the two groups.⁶

A 2008 review by a group of clinical cancer experts on whether there is evidence for a link between use of deodorants and antiperspirants was titled ‘The use of deodorants/antiperspirants does not constitute a risk factor for breast cancer’.⁷

AICIS, the Australian regulator, evaluated the human health impacts of aluminium in antiperspirants in 2022. AICIS reviewed existing data and concluded that ‘the risk to the public from using aluminium in antiperspirants is considered to be low’ ⁸ Other reputable organisations agree. The US National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, Cancer Research UK, to name just a few.

The American Cancer Society also emphasises that there is no established evidence that using antiperspirant after shaving allows chemicals to enter the body from the armpit and increase your breast cancer risk. 

‘Deodorants and antiperspirants may contain chemicals such as parabens and aluminium compounds and are applied close to where breast cancer develops...However, studies have not found an association between these chemicals and breast cancer risk.’⁹