Historically, there has been some confusion among the public when distinguishing between the benefits provided by commercial antiperspirant and deodorant products (8). While antiperspirants are designed to reduce both axillary sweating and malodor, deodorants provide only malodor control. The most effective deodorants are typically glycol-based products containing odor-masking fragrances. The use of a glycol base is especially effective as it augments the masking fragrance by providing microbial control of the odor causing bacteria (9). However, these products do not impact axillary sweating in any way.
In contrast, OTC antiperspirant products provide the dual benefits of axillary wetness and malodor control. Antiperspirants reduce malodor through a combinatorial effect that includes the microbial inhibition of the aluminum and zirconium salts; the deleterious effect on the odor causing bacterial ecosystem of a drier axillary vault and the ability of skin substantive antiperspirant products to extend the residence time of masking fragrances (10). For perspective, in a head-to-head clinical comparison, a fragrance-free aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex glycine-containing antiperspirant was shown to be superior to a fragrance-free glycol-based deodorant at reducing axillary malodor (11).