Your Ultimate Summer Deodorant And Antiperspirant Guide

Every straphanger worth her salt (spray) knows that finding a good deodorant or antiperspirant formula for the hazy, humid days of summer isn’t just polite, it’s necessary. With a veritable aisle’s worth of delivery systems – solid, gel, stick, roll-on – how to choose?

Yahoo Beauty tapped cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson to discuss the difference between antiperspirants and deodorants, application types and ingredients common in many of the forms in which these under-arm accoutrements arm you from sweat and odor. “Antiperspirants have drugs to reduce sweating while deodorants prevent odor by adding ingredients that control the levels of odor causing bacteria,” Wilson says. Though the formula looks pretty different in spray form versus, say, roll-on, most deodorant formulas are similar. Here, a comprehensive look at the various types of deodorants and antiperspirants.

Stick

This drugstore-friendly product by Secret won’t disappoint if you forgot to put on deodorant before leaving home. (Photo: Secret)

The most common, stick deodorants go on dry and are typically solid white and are simply rubbed onto the armpits. These are “silicone-based sticks that come in two types, invisible and regular,” says Wilson. “The difference is the addition of ingredients to keep the products clear.” Some formulas can leave an all-black outfit with “abstract art” in the form of white streaks, but Secret Invisible Solid Antiperspirant and Deodorant leaves no destruction in its wake on your LBD. If you have hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and/or are drawn to words like “clinical,” then this is your go-to.

Gel

Mitchum for Women Clear Gel Advanced Invisible Solid is the only deodorant you’ll need this summer. (Photo: Mitchum)

These are “water-based formulas that don’t leave skin or clothes white,” explains Wilson. Great for steamy, summer months, gel-based deodorants dry clear and are downright rude on a chilly, winter morning, but yield a cooling feeling upon application that’s pleasant when the temperature tops 70. One to try: Mitchum for Women Clear Gel Advanced Invisible Solid in Shower Fresh.

Cream

Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Cream is an ideal formula for individuals who really want to feel their deodorant. (Photo: Kiehl’s)

These are also known as semi-solid deodorants. Wilson notes that some prefer this texture because it feels as if it is yielding better coverage. “Heavy sweaters should use at night and use something like the stick or cream because you tend to get better coverage even though the levels of actives are the same. I would also look for the clinical strength (again, use at night),” says Wilson. One to try: Kiehl’s Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Cream, which mitigates underarm perspiration using micro-sized drying molecules for sheer absorption without residue.

Roll-on

Roll-on deodorants like Ban Roll-on Antiperspirant are foolproof. (Photo: Ban)

These are lotion-based, Wilson says, and can take longer to dry than the other forms. Roll-on deodorants have a ball at the top of the bottle that rolls and applies the product in liquid form to the skin in a thin layer. If you don’t want your deodorant to compete with your fragrance, Ban Roll-on Antiperspirant Deodorant comes in an unscented version. Roll-ons also typically packaged smaller and narrower, making them ideal for travel.

Spray

Dove’s Dry Spray Antiperspirant is a gym bag beauty must-have. (Photo: Dove)

Long popular overseas in Europe, spray formulas staged a comeback in the last couple of years. Wilson notes that this type of deodorant is “an aerosol and goes on light and dry.” Try out Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant, which feels dry to the touch and doesn’t transfer onto clothes. Plus, it lends a fresh scent, even after a particularly grueling workout. Wilson notes, however, that “sprays and gels may not be the best vehicle to deliver the actives because the person may not apply the product evenly.” So be sure to try to spritz the entire underarm area if you go this route.

Fancy Fragrance

Perfume meets deodorant with Kai by Gaye Straza’s fragrant deodrant. (Photo: Kai)

Many perfume franchises feature a stick-form offering as a deodorant, but few tackle sweat well. One that earns my respect is Kai Deodorant. I’d switch to harder stuff for 80-plus degree weather, but these are good options for temperate climates or a day when you’re skipping SoulCycle.

Natural

You won’t have to sacrifice wetness protection with this yummy-scented natural deodorant stick by Lavanila. (Photo: Lavanila)

If the mere mention of aluminum or parabens makes your pits itch, Lavanila’s offerings boast fantastic protection from wetness and odor in perfume-quality scents like coconut vanilla. Test out Lavanila The Healthy Deodorant, which blends essential oils and beta-glucan technology to keep you smelling divine.

Go forth and arm your underarms with the formula that’s best for you this summer! Here’s to eschewing the olfactory effects of Super-soaker levels of sweat on your skin.