Allergens and Marketing Claims of Popular Over-the-Counter Deodorants

Deodorants are a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis and a commonly used product by patients. Most contain known allergens, leaving patients unaware of the risks for adverse events.

Evaluate ingredient allergenicity, marketing claims, and pricing of popular over-the-counter deodorants.

"Deodorants" was searched on 3 major retailer websites. The top 50 products from each retailer were filtered for ≥4 stars. Data collected were product rating, price per ounce, number of reviews, product vehicle, ingredient list, and marketing claims, which were recorded. Ingredients were evaluated against the 2020 American Contact Dermatitis Society Core Allergen Series, and students t test was used with P <0.05.

On average, most products (94%) had 2.3 allergens (0-7; Standard Deviation [SD], 1.7). Most prevalent allergens were fragrance (90%) and butylated hydroxytouline (46%). Products labeled "unisex" (10%, P = 0.0436) and "fragrance free" (6%, P = 0.0175) had significantly fewer allergens. The most common active ingredient was aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydex (42%). Mean price was $4.13/oz ($1.51-$18.82/oz; SD, $2.65/oz).

A high prevalence of contact allergens was present in the analyzed deodorants. Fragrance-free products may lower the risk of adverse reactions for patients with skin barrier dysfunction. Clinicians should counsel patients on practicing caution when selecting deodorants and examine ingredient labels rather than relying on product labels.