Indications of PFAS "Forever Chemicals" Found in Deodorants — Guide

Does your favorite deodorant contain indications of PFAS “forever chemicals?” PFAS “forever chemicals” are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances used as stain-resistant, water-resistant, and oil-resistant chemicals in commerce. These chemicals are very useful, but also incredibly persistent and toxic. Mamavation was asked if any deodorants contained indications of PFAS and we were not sure unless they were tested.

So we sent several off to an EPA-certified laboratory to find out. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest period underwear without PFAS “forever chemicals,” safest green beauty makeup sans PFAS, or safest laundry detergent sheets without PFAS “forever chemicals,” now join us for our latest consumer study on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” in some popular deodorants.

Disclosure: This consumer study is released in partnership with Environmental Health News. Scientific reviews were performed by (1) Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, (2) Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program and Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, and Yale University, and (3) Scott Belcher, Associate Professor with the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University.

This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware.

This post contains affiliate links, with some to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you!

Mamavation’s Lab Finds Indications of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Deodorants

Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” after analyzing 15 popular deodorants. PFAS is found in many other areas of our homes with some examples being cookware, makeup, drinking water, contact lenses and dental floss.

These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because PFAS are so toxic, Mamavation has commissioned our own scientific studies on indications of PFAS in products to make recommendations for deodorants using PFAS-free materials. Read Mamavation’s articles on these products to find which brands are organic-fluorine-free.

For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 15 deodorants from 14 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for indications of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.” Here’s what we found:

Linda Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program and Scholar in Residence at Duke University, and Adjunct Professor at both University of North Carolina, and Yale University had this to say:

“Because deodorants are applied every day to our bodies, it’s imperative the deodorant industry needs to find this contamination and address it immediately to ensure that women (and men) are no longer exposed when using their deodorants.”

PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ Have Problematic Health Effects

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic for human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. In fact, many of these PFAS chemicals can last for years or decades in our bodies. The health effects from exposure to PFAS on the armpit areas right next to breast tissue are unknown.

It’s also unknown what happens when it is absorbed into our tissues and travels around in our bodies. However, we do know that these areas can be vulnerable to toxic chemicals like PFAS “forever chemicals” because of the proximity to breast tissue and the lymphatic system.

Therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water, and consumer products like deodorant. Mamavation is dedicated to helping you do that when you are shopping for deodorant. Here are some of the health effects of different PFAS “forever chemicals:”

Reduction in immunity	Reduced vaccination response
Increased risk of allergies and asthma in young children	Affected growth, learning, and behavior of infants and older children
Increase cholesterol levels	Metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes
Cardiovascular disease	Lowered a woman’s chance of getting pregnant
Lowered male fertility	Increased risk of kidney and testicular cancers
Causes endocrine disruption	Disrupted normal thyroid function
Increases risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children

It’s also very clear based on biomonitoring evidence from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that PFAS are in all Americans. Therefore, these exposures can harm most Americans.

“Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University said, ‘Can we learn to put the seductive technical and cost performances of PFAS compounds into a perspective that appropriately accounts for the horrible health, environmental and fairness performances?’

The answer, simply put, is ‘Yes!’ In 2021, Maine became the first state to enact a PFAS ban in all products (by 2030), unless the use is deemed ‘currently unavoidable.’

Hopefully more states and the entire Union will follow suit. In the meantime, each deodorant company could protect its customers by investing in finding out how much PFAS is in their products and disclosing this on their product labels. They should look well below the 10 parts per million limit that Mamavation can afford. Some PFAS compounds are endocrine disruptors.

Wherever endocrine disruption operates, serious toxicity can be elicited at parts per trillion or at even lower doses.”

Additional Key Ingredients in Deodorants You’ll Also Want to Avoid

Many deodorants claim to be formulated by board-certified dermatologists or other types of doctors for the best odor protection, but how can ingredients that interact with hormones be recommended? Should you trade body odor for endocrine disruption, especially around tissue that is very close to your breasts?

Many conventional deodorants or roll-on deodorants, contain a formula with ingredients that can be problematic to human health. So what types of chemicals should you avoid in deodorants? Here are some of the most problematic.

Parabens — Parabens are those sneaky little ingredients linked to cancer, and developmental and reproductive toxicity. In fact, they are typically found inside breast cancer tumors. Parabens are used in cosmetics to prevent mold, yeast, and odor-causing bacteria from forming. And they are used in cosmetics to give the product a longer shelf life. Are there alternatives? Yes. But parabens are cheaper to use and allow the product to stay on the shelves for years and years and years … until it’s sold. So this is why cosmetic companies use them.

Formaldehyde releasers — These ingredients are known to release formaldehyde in trace amounts. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen.

Undisclosed fragrance (can contain any of thousands of chemicals and ingredients are not listed individually) — “Fragrance” or scents are either made from petroleum (synthetic fragrances) or botanical raw materials (natural fragrance) or both. It can also contain ingredients like solvents, stabilizers, UV absorbers, preservatives, phthalates, and dyes. These types of chemicals vary in toxicity. But there is lots of mystery surrounding “fragrance” in personal care products. Companies that make perfume buy chemicals from other companies called “fragrance houses.” This means it is possible for a brand to not even know the fragrance chemicals inside their own product. However, as companies and states are moving toward fragrance ingredient disclosure, this is slowly starting to change. (You can make a difference here by only purchasing from brands that are doing 100% ingredient disclosure to help!) The biggest problem is the mystery because no one has any idea what is inside the word “fragrance.”

Aluminum salts — Some concerns have been raised about aluminum salts that are concerning. However, more studies need to be done to link them directly to health effects like breast cancer or Alzheimer’s.

Phthalates — Phthalates are another class of ingredient that is also hormone-disrupting and found in most conventional deodorants. And when I say hormone-disrupting, I’m meaning links to things like obesity, hyperactivity in children, and the kicker is infertility in men by degrading sperm quality. In fact, phthalates are so problematic to male fertility, they are being restricted in places like China. Phthalates, although worse for men, are also problematic to women.

Propylene glycol (PEGs) — According to the Center for Disease Control “Propylene glycol breaks down in the body in about 48 hours. However, studies of people and animals show that if you have repeated eye, skin, nasal, or oral exposures to propylene glycol for a short time, you may develop some irritation.” This chemicals is considered “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS by the Food and Drug Administration, yet is not recommended as a precaution because of how irritating it can become and how often people are allergic to it.

Cyclopentasiloxane — This is a silicon-based cyclic compound that may be associated with environmental toxicity.

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) — These ingredients are known hormone disruptors that are linked to liver damage. They are another example of harsh preservatives.

Ethoxylated Ingredients — Ethoxylated ingredients are generally of low concern on their own. However, they can be contaminated with ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, and 1,4-dioxane, reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. They may also be linked to organ toxicity and reproduction toxicity.

Solutions: What to Do if Natural Deodorant Brands Don’t Work on You

When you pick a more “natural” deodorant without petroleum-based ingredients and find that it doesn’t work on you, don’t fret! There are things you can do to train your underarms to respond better to natural deodorant. You may not be able to control how much you sweat or moisture that comes from your sweat glands, but you can cut down on the bacteria and unpleasant smell that comes from your armpits with natural deodorants by doing an armpit cleanse.

Mamavation’s Armpit Cleanse Routine

There are a few simple steps you need to take to detox and safely switch to a natural deodorant. The following four steps make up Leah Segedie’s recommended cleanse:

Note that the first day you start this armpit cleanse, you may be repeating these steps 5 to 10 times in the first day, but with each application you should be able to go longer and longer. You may want to start this cleanse when you have time to spend indoors at home, like on the weekends. My own cleanse ended after the 4th day, and the average person takes 4 to 7 days to complete this cleanse. After this cleanse, your natural deodorant should work better and last longer.

If you find that you are sensitive to baking soda, red spots or irritation may develop on your armpits. Don’t worry, just pick up another type of deodorant that doesn’t have baking soda. Once you stop using it, those spots should go away.

Other Categories of Products Mamavation Has Tested for Indications of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

Before we launch into the raw data from our lab, we wanted to remind you about all the other studies we have done on indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the food and consumer products you may bring inside your home. Each one of these studies were done in a similar fashion as this study with brands sent independently to the lab and raw data of those labs at the bottom of the post.

Soft contact lenses	Green beauty makeup
Lip balm	Condoms and lubricants
Dental floss	Toilet paper
Period underwear	Tampons
Sanitary pads, pantiliners, and incontinence pads	Powdered electrolytes
Butter wrappers	Pasta and tomato sauces
Nut butters (peanut butter, etc.)	Cooking oils (olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, etc.)
Ketchup	Activewear (Yoga pants)
Sports bras	Parchment paper
Cupcake liners	Plastic-free straws
Fast food packaging	Children’s probiotics
Kids’ backpacks	Baby strollers

Mamavation’s Investigation of Deodorants and Indications of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

Deodorants were purchased between February 2023 and February 2024. For this consumer study, all products were purchased by Mamavation either at Walmart or from Amazon. Each product was recorded in our database and then sent directly to the lab within its original packaging.

Testing: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory uses marker testing to identify the potential presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in deodorants. Organic fluorine is a marker for PFAS because all PFAS chemicals are carbon-based compounds that contain fluorine. The specific lab method used to test for total fluorine was the Determination of Total Fluorine by Oxygen Flask Combustion and Ion-Selective Electrode.

If total fluorine was observed at a detection level of 10 ppm or greater, the lab did the Determination of free Fluoride Ion in the product by Ion-Selective Electrode and then subtracted that from the Total Fluorine to determine the amount of organic fluorine. This marker testing is likely to show the presence of PFAS.

Organic fluorine can also capture other fluoropolymers, pharmaceuticals, and common hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, such as 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (commonly known as R-134a) and 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (commonly known as HFO-1234yf), which are all also PFAS. None of which you want around your food, or personal care products like deodorants!

Scott Belcher, Ph.D. and Associate Professor with the Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS at North Carolina State University says “fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are extremely common forms of PFAS that could be contributing to the organic fluorine found in deodorants. Methods used for detecting individual PFAS, such as PFOA or GenX, cannot directly identify PTFE.

However, the analysis of total organic fluorine (TOF) does account for all PFAS contaminants in deodorants, including PTFE. Therefore, this method of testing serves as a good ‘spot-check’ of consumer products.”

Mamavation’s Raw Data on Indications of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Deodorants

About the Author

Leah Segedie is the President and Founder of Mamavation.com. Mamavation produces award-winning content and independent consumer studies examining the intersection of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and everyday products brought into American households. She’s been referred to by many as “the real FDA.”

Since 2008, Mamavation has been helping everyday moms navigate the grocery store by commissioning consumer studies on food, beverages, personal care products, and other such products and thus democratizing science and testing for everyone.

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