EEMCO Guidance for the Efficacy Assessment of Antiperspirants and Deodorants

Abstract

Overproduction of sweat, sweaty skin and body odours are unpleasant for many social groups. Body cleansing products are designed to combat these undesirable features of skin. In addition, antiperspirant and deodorant products are more specifically used in the underarm site by a large part of the adult population. Antiperspirants are offered to control emotionally triggered sweating in the armpit. Deodorants are designed to combat malodour generated from bacteria-modified sweat. This review summarizes the physiology of eccrine, apocrine and apoeccrine sweat glands. The mechanisms of action of antiperspirants and deodorants are described as well as the factors influencing their efficacies. A series of tests using various measurement methods can be used to demonstrate the efficacy of antiperspirants. These include the gravimetric method, water evaporation quantification, electrodermal measurements, staining procedures, dye injections and cyanoacrylate skin surface strippings and casting replicas. Deodorant efficacy can be evaluated by sensory assessments performed by an expert panel. Indirect support is provided by visualization of apocrine gland excretion and collection of sweat and volatile compounds. Microbiological assessments and chromatographic analysis also provide indirect information.

Influence of Applied Volume on Efficacy of 3-Minute Surgical Reference Disinfection Method prEN 12791

“…This finding may have various explanations. After 3 h in a surgical glove the microbial density on the skin depends on various factors, like the distribution and abundance of skin bacteria (14) and the number and activity of sweat and sebaceous glands, which may bring up more resident skin bacteria out of the ducts onto the stratum corneum (2,17). Although the sweat glands do not contain any bacteria themselves (19), the ducts of the sweat glands do.…”

Sweat Gland Awakening on Physical Training: A Skin Capacitance Mapping Observation

“…It results from spasmodic contractions of periluminal myoepithelial cells once distended by the flow of sweat. Apparently, the different glandular groups are active alternately [3]. Even in case of profuse sweating, about 50% of the pores do not give out liquid at a given time.…”

“…The pulsatility reaches about 0.3 to 12 sprouts per minute [3]. Such cyclic activity depends on individuals, circumstances, and body areas.…”

“…Both the SC structure and the Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) result from dynamic processes that are possibly altered in physiological conditions and diseases. Based on the likely relationship between the SC moisturization and the macroscopic aspect of the skin, a series of methods assessing the SC hydration and the sweat gland production were developed over time [2,3].…”

Effective axillary malodour reduction by polyquaternium‐16‐containing deodorants

“…Almost the entire body surface is covered with different types of sweat glands (1.6-5 9 10 6 ) [2]. The axilla, for instance, is characterized by a high density of eccrine and apocrine glands (more than 25 000 in each axilla) [3]. Eccrine sweat glands are primarily responsible for thermoregulation.…”