When it comes to deodorant, most people just slap on the ol’ can of antiperspirant that smells like noxious combination of plastic flowers and baby powder (or whatever’s on sale at the supermarket) and hope for the best.
But how often do you really think about what’s in your formulas? We know, we know… you’ve probably heard some mutterings about antiperspirants being linked to breast cancer, and you also probably feel like you can barely visit an amusement park these days without someone telling you that roller coasters give you tumours.
But take it from us - certified green beauty nuts - it really is worth taking a few minutes out of your busy routine to think about what it is you’re slathering under your pits. After all, there are some seriously sketchy ingredients out there.
Here’s our list of dubious ingredients we won’t EVER be using (and you will NEVER see in Woohoo Body products).
Aluminium salts
A common ingredient in many antiperspirant deodorants (which Woohoo is NOT), aluminium salts block your pores, essentially plugging your sweat glands and stopping your body’s healthy sweating process – which ends up making you smell worse over time so you have to keep using more and more. This ingredient has also been linked to serious health concerns but there is no solid evidence at this time.
Triclosan
Triclosan is used as an antibacterial, disinfectant and preservative. Hence you’ll see it in many deodorants and face washes (but not ours). Studies have found that Triclosan can disrupt the levels of some thyroid hormones, while research into its safety is ongoing.
Artificial colours
Artificial or synthetic colours come from petroleum or coal tar, which doesn’t sound like something we want to be slathering on our skin. Worse still, they are thought to be carcinogenic (cancer causing) and skin irritants. We think they’re best avoided!
Synthetic fragrances
‘Fragrance’ is a word that sounds, well, kinda ‘sweet’, but the loophole is that companies can list ‘fragrance’ without having to disclose what ingredients are used to produce the fragrance. Often this can mean a bunch of ghastly questionable ingredients aka *run for the hills*. We only use natural fragrances derived from essential oils, coz’ we care about those precious pits of yours!
Benzoyl peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is a bleaching agent and antibacterial, commonly used in acne products. For those people allergic to it, exposure can cause burning, redness and irritation. It’s also known to strip and dry the skin, which doesn’t sound like much fun to us.
Mineral oils
‘Mineral’ sounds okay (you might think natural), but when it’s teamed with the word ‘oil’ it’s bad. What’s the problem? It’s a by-product of petroleum (uh huh, gasoline—good for cars, not your face!). There are concerns that mineral oil contains contaminants, which are absorbed through our skin and may affect our health in the long term.
Parabens
Parabens preserve the shelf life of products, which might seem good but the bad news is that parabens are a whole family of chemicals that also mimic estrogen in the body. These shady ingredients can actually disrupt your hormonal balance (yup, that’s so not good!).
Animal derivatives
We love and respect animals so we choose to be cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. This means no animal derivatives such as bees wax, animal fats and oils, egg protein or gelatin make their way into our products. Power to the fluff balls!
Ingredients tested on animals
We don’t believe in nasty animal testing here at Woohoo Body HQ. In fact, we’re super proud to be affiliated and accredited by Choose Cruelty Free. The work they do is amazing (check ‘em out). Rather, we use ourselves as human guinea pigs because we don’t believe ANY innocent creature (except for Aaron - har, har!) should get harmed in the making of a beauty product.
