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Science Vs

Deodorant: Is It Dangerous?

Science Vs

Spotify Studios

Education, Science, Health & Fitness

4.412.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2022

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today, we’re diving into your armpits! We’ll find out why some of us are so freaking smelly. And then we’re asking: Are deodorants and antiperspirants safe, or should we ditch our sticks? We’ll talk to microbiologist Professor Gavin H Thomas, microbiologist Research Associate Professor Julie Horvath, epidemiologist Associate Professor Hanno Ulmer, and epidemiologist Professor Julia Knight.  Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/sciencevsdeodorant  This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Michelle Dang, Disha Bhagat, Rose Rimler, Courtney Gilbert, and Wendy Zukerman. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Additional editing help from Caitlin Kenney and Nicole Beemsterboer. Wendy Zukerman is our Executive Producer. Fact checking by Erica Akiko Howard. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all our listeners who left voicemails about their stinky pitties. And a big thanks to the researchers we spoke to, including Professor Philippa Darbre, Dr. Andreas Natsch, Dr. Rianne de Ligt, Dr. Cory Hartman, Dr. Kanika Khanna, Dr. Chris Callewaert, Dr. Caroline Allen, Professor Kris Graham McGrath, Dr. Adeline Kikam, Dr. Jamie Alan, and Professor Cornelia Baines. Special thanks to Krystal Hawes-Dressler, Hannah Chinn, Stevie Lane, as well as Jonathan Goldstein. He read our old timey deodorant ad. By the way, Jonathan’s show, Heavyweight, is BACK! The new season is here and it’s great. You can find it here: https://spoti.fi/3hB3F9a  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, I'm Merrill Horne filling in for Wendy's Echermann, and you're listening to Science

0:04.4

Versus from Gimlet.

0:07.8

This is the show that pits facts against foul odors, as we tackle deodorant.

0:17.7

Because it turns out that a lot of you are really stinky.

0:20.9

Hi, I'm Smelly.

0:24.5

I have the worst body odor.

0:27.2

I've always been a pretty stinky person.

0:30.1

I don't know why to check.

0:31.6

I am so smelly.

0:33.4

I mean, this happens to people that we all know and love.

0:37.2

My sweat smells so bad that my mom used to smell me before I even reached the house and

0:43.8

be like, when do you take a shower?

0:48.3

Yep, even Wendy's a stinker.

0:51.1

So it seems like the obvious solution here is to slather on some deodorant or antiperspirant.

0:56.6

But a lot of you were like, hold on a second.

1:00.5

What exactly is in this stuff?

1:03.5

Like some of these sticks and sprays are chock full of chemicals.

1:07.8

So are they really safe?

1:09.7

I know that I've heard a lot of buzz about different metals in deodorants and the risk of

1:13.7

breast cancer, and I would really like to go back to using antiperspirant that I'm

1:18.5

terrified of like, what is in it that I'm just worried now about chemicals in the deodorants

1:23.7

and how it's affecting me?

...

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