Dealing With a Deodorant and Antiperspirant Allergy (2024)

If you have an armpit rash, it may be caused by the ingredients in your deodorant or antiperspirant. Underarm deodorants and antiperspirants are some of the most common sources of allergic reactions to cosmetics, often because of the fragrances in them. Other potentially irritating ingredients include the preservative parabens.

Deodorant and antiperspirant allergies can cause an itchy rash. Your skin may peel and become hot or red. Or, you may experience the red eyes, sneezing, and other symptoms common to a fragrance sensitivity.

This article explains the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of a deodorant armpit rash and other allergic symptoms from using a deodorant or antiperspirant.

Dealing With a Deodorant and Antiperspirant Allergy (1)

Symptoms of an Armpit Rash From Deodorant

Deodorants and antiperspirants are generally considered safe products. However, sometimes allergic reactionscan occur. Allergies that result from something that your skin comes in contact with are calledcontact dermatitis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies deodorants as cosmetic agents. They reduce bacterial growth and include fragrances to mask odors. The FDA classifies antiperspirants as drugs; they usually contain aluminum. Some products are considered both cosmetics and drugs.

Contact dermatitis is often limited to the area that the offending substance touched. With deodorants and antiperspirants, that's usually the armpit.

Allergies to deodorants and antiperspirants can cause the following symptoms:

Itching
Bumps
Redness
Blisters
Flaking
Peeling
Oozing

How long it takes for symptoms to appear can vary. Symptoms may occur within minutes of applying the product or as long as hours later.

Sometimes the effects resolve quickly—within an hour. But they can last for days and might not clear up until you completely stop using the product.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

You can try over-the-counter skin creams and home remedies, but if symptoms persist, call your healthcare provider. They can prescribe a topical corticosteroid or other treatment. They may need to diagnose the cause and this may require allergy testing. Seek immediate care if you have difficulty breathing, swelling in the airway, or other signs of a severe allergic reaction.

Symptoms of Anaphylaxis

How Can Deodorant Cause an Armpit Rash?

Several chemicals can contribute to contact dermatitis from deodorants and antiperspirants.

The most common trigger is fragrances. A fragrance allergy affects between 0.7% to 2.6% of all people. Elements in deodorants and antiperspirants that can cause allergic reactions include:

Limonene
Linalool
Hydroxycitronellal

Some research has pointed to chemicals in deodorants and antiperspirants as a potential cause of cancer and Alzheimer's disease, such as aluminum. There is insufficient evidence to support these claims.

Diagnosing an Armpit Rash

Allergies aren't the only cause of underarm rashes, so your doctor will want to consider other things that may be contributing to your discomfort. Other causes unrelated to deodorants and antiperspirants include:

Fungal and yeast infections (such as tinea corporis and candidiasis)
Inverse psoriasis
Acanthosis nigricans
Certain forms of cancer

Patch Test

Doctors diagnose contact dermatitis from deodorants and antiperspirants by patch testing. The only FDA-approved patch testing system in the United States is the T.R.U.E. test.

Unfortunately, this test doesn't reliably detect allergies to uncommon fragrances and propylene glycol. Therefore, your allergist might do a patch test using your deodorant or antiperspirant if they suspect it may be causing your problem.

Treating an Armpit Rash From Deodorant

The treatment for deodorant and antiperspirant allergies involves managing your symptoms and then avoiding the offending products.

Corticosteroids

The immediate treatment of deodorant and antiperspirant allergy is to apply topical corticosteroids to the underarm skin. These products reduce redness, itching, and inflammation.

Topical corticosteroids are the treatment of choice for mild to moderate contact dermatitis involving limited body areas. Severe forms may require oral or injected corticosteroids.

Avoidance

To manage and prevent allergy symptoms, avoid the chemical that's responsible for the reaction. If patch testing identifies the specific chemical, then you can select products that don't contain the chemical that triggers your allergy, such as:

Hypoallergenic products: If the particular component that's causing your contact dermatitis is not known, then you can try using a hypoallergenic deodorant or antiperspirant.
Natural products: You might consider products containing zeolite crystals available commercially as natural alternatives to deodorants and antiperspirants. These include Crystal Body Deodorant, which is available at drugstores nationwide.

If avoidance and corticosteroid treatments are not effective for treating your rash, then you should be evaluated by a dermatologist, who might do a skin biopsy.

If you are allergic to something in deodorant or antiperspirant, avoid products that contain that chemical. If it's unclear which substance triggers your allergy, you may want to try hypoallergenic deodorant products.

Preventing a Deodorant Armpit Rash

If you develop a rash or irritation in your underarm, try switching to a hypoallergenic product to see if it helps. Some hypoallergenic deodorants and antiperspirants include:

Almay Hypo-Allergenic Fragrance-Free Roll-On (deodorant and antiperspirant)
Mitchum Roll-On Unscented (deodorant and antiperspirant)
Stiefel B-Drier (deodorant and antiperspirant)
Certain Dri (antiperspirant)
Crystal Roll-On Body Deodorant for Sensitive Skin (deodorant)
Crystal Stick Body Deodorant for Sensitive Skin (deodorant)
Secret Soft Solid Platinum Deodorant Unscented (deodorant)

You may also find that products containing zeolite crystals don't irritate your skin. Always check the label for potentially irritating ingredients.

Why Is My Skin so Sensitive?

Summary

Allergies to deodorants and antiperspirants are a form of contact dermatitis. Often these allergies are caused by fragrances, but other chemicals in the product can also cause them.