Link Between Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer

Angie wrote to me recently:

I wanted to tell you that my deodorant is still working great and I love it!! Have you tried to sell this at Cancer treatment centers? If not, you should. There are so many young women getting breast cancer, it’s the 3 negative kind. No one knows why they are getting it and I truly believe it’s due to the hormones in foods, preservatives, aluminum, etc. Girls are getting their periods sooner and having to use deodorant much younger these days. I really believe that this could be a cause for breast cancer. Your deodorant really works and I think you need to get it out there!!!

While I personally believe that natural deodorants are much much better for you than antiperspirants, I am uncomfortable selling my products as a way to avoid bad things. Yes, we are inundated with chemicals, hormone disrupters, plastics and we’re clearly being impacted by these environmental factors. On the other hand, our psychological well being is also important. Living in a way to avoid all bad environmental factors is difficult at best, impossible at worst.

I couldn’t live with myself if I purposefully instilled fear in someone in order to sell a product. I’d like to think that people who are concerned about breast cancer are seeking out alternatives to antiperspirants. Since the studies are not conclusive that antiperspirants cause breast cancer, I am unwilling to suggest that they do. While I think it is wise to avoid using unnecessary chemicals under your arms, some people will find that they need to for very good reasons. I hardly feel it would be fair to tell them they are going to get cancer if they do so.

Cancer.org, sponsored by the American Cancer Society states in their article “Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer Risk” that studies prove that the idea that antiperspirants cause cancer are “largely untrue”.