In my experience, as someone who gets hot and sweats a lot (to the point that I avoid travelling on the hot London Underground as much as possible), I only feel really self-conscious about my smell when it comes to the classic areas: armpits, crotch, sometimes feet.
Sweat outside these areas, on the back, chest, or arms, while annoying and slightly uncomfortable or even embarrassing, is not an issue of odour. Yes, it has the hum of a human body but I think that is natural, even nice. It isn’t something that makes other people recoil (I think).
So I was intrigued by the new concept of a “whole body” deodorant. Why? Who is this for? What is it trying to achieve? And, crucially, do I need this?
Sure UK has launched a whole body deodorant, designed to be used wherever you sweat. As their tongue-in-cheek ad testifies, that includes everything from bum to boobs to back to balls – with the promise that any body odour can be dealt with at the source. (Not to be confused with an antiperspirant, which is designed to stop you sweating, it is solely to deal with BO).
This is not an entirely new product – the independent company AKT has sold its natural deodorants as full body since 2020, and Sure already has a version popular in the US.
In the new range are three different formulations – stick, aerosol, and cream – in scents for women (“fresh citrus” and “wild rose”) and men (“ocean rush” and “active fresh”).
They all work in the same way across the body but are designed for different use cases, explains Monique Rossi, head of deodorants at Unilever UK. “The gliding stick is designed to be used all over. The lotion is a much more controlled application. You can rub it, for example, between your thighs. Spray can be used easily on your feet before you put your shoes on”.
According to Unilever’s research, one in three UK adults are currently using some sort of existing deodorant for parts of their body beyond their armpits, and 72 per cent said they feel very self-conscious about body odour. Indeed, there are reasons we might all be feeling more sweaty and odour-conscious in the modern world, say experts.
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Our diet, our increasing reliance on synthetic fabrics, and global warming are all making us that bit sweatier. And, though it’s now been five years, the psychological effect of the pandemic (which made us hyper aware of our bodies and the space surrounding them) has inevitably made people more smell conscious.
Why would we need deodorant over our entire bodies?
Sweat in itself does not cause body odour and it is an important biological function to regulate body temperature. It’s the reaction that that sweat has on our skin that can cause the funk. Barry Murphy, microbiome science lead at Unilever Labs, explains: “Different bacteria feed on different secretions on our skin, which produce smells. There are roles that these molecules play with the bacteria in our skin, but to us we perceive them as body odour.”
We actually have two different types of sweat production in our bodies: the eccrine glands which cover the majority of our body and secrete a watery fluid that contains electrolytes, and the apocrine glands which are found in the armpits, groin, and areas around the nipples, and secrete a thicker, oilier fluid. This substance has a much more pungent reaction with the bacteria on our skin, resulting in that unmistakable ‘sweat’ smell.
This is why, traditionally, deodorants and antiperspirants have been targeted in the armpits. But the people at Unilever make the case that deodorising should go beyond the pit. They argue that each part of your body produces a specific bacterial breakdown and therefore a specific scent which the consumer can now deal with as they see fit.
“The key thing to remember is that while a lot of odour is associated with the apocrine glands it is not all of the odour,” says Murray. “Take cheesy feet. That is caused by the bacterial breakdown of amino acids in sweat into compounds called isovaleric acid. Isovaleric acid is what you would recognise as that really tart smell that you can get from trainers etc. That has the potential to be produced at all body locations.”
Their solution is what they’ve called “odour adapt technology” which not only controls the growth of the smell-producing bacteria at any body site, but also “binds the odour molecules that have already been produced, and then the next time you have a shower or wash they go off down the drain without you smelling them.” This is proprietary technology they are very proud of. So I wanted to put the product to the test.
Does it really work?
In an effort to test the limits of the product I put myself through sweaty pursuits and then waited to see if I would smell bad once my heart rate had settled and the sweat had dried.
I smeared the roll-on over my upper stomach, underboob, pits, thighs and lower back. These are all areas that I am prone to sweat from and would be most likely to generate something akin to odour. Then I tried a 30-minute bodyweight class at home.
After half an hour of throwing myself around my living room, my face and body were red and slick with sweat. My wife said the room “smelled like a body” but didn’t smell bad. After a cool down I was impressed to find that even that “body” smell wasn’t strong. The heat was there but instead there was a faint citrusy scent.
I took this further the next day by going for a run. The sun was out, the wind was roaring and my sweat was on. I wanted to see if I could face jumping on the tube after this run. Even as a relatively un-squeamish person this, to me, seems real proof that you can trust the product.
After a short and speedy sprint, I stopped to catch my breath and gave myself an unbecoming sniff. I didn’t really smell of anything – I was good to go.
However, by the time I got home – about an hour since I first applied it and after my journey on public transport – I noticed I was distinctly human scented. Not bad by any means but I certainly did not smell citrus fresh.
I concede that all body deodorant seems to work up to a point at its proposed goals, but I am not convinced that anyone needs it. I’d rather not take on another ideal, of never smelling like a human despite being one, and stick to my antiperspirant. But for those who feel the need for it, maybe it’s worth it.
If you are one of the many who are self-conscious about sweat and body odour, there are products out there that deal with the sweating itself (such as overnight antiperspirants). As for body odour, the Sure range is definitely convenient, especially if you have a long walk and are known for honking feet. But it’s not a miracle and cannot deny the fundamental truth – we are all human and smell that way, for better or worse.
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