The Secrets to Being Stink-Free

Summary

The Wirecutter Show — "The Secrets to Being Stink-Free"

Date: June 30, 2026
Hosts: Christine Cyr Clisset & Kyra Blackwell
Guest: Abby Kazalczyk (Wirecutter Senior Beauty Writer)

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Episode Overview

In this lively and practical episode, hosts Christine Cyr Clisset and Kyra Blackwell are joined by Abby Kazalczyk, Wirecutter’s senior beauty writer, to demystify everything about deodorants and antiperspirants. They cover the science behind sweat and odor, break down product differences, share results from months of rigorous testing, delve into memorable (and often hilarious) anecdotes, and provide targeted product recommendations for a variety of needs—including sweaty teens, sensitive skin, and those suffering from dreaded pit stains.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant: What’s the Difference?

• Deodorants neutralize odor (BO), while antiperspirants actually prevent sweating by plugging sweat ducts with aluminum compounds.
• In the US, antiperspirants are classified as FDA-regulated over-the-counter drugs due to their aluminum content.
  • “A deodorant is something that by definition deodorizes or gets rid of B.O., and that is all it is meant to do...Antiperspirant...is an FDA-regulated over-the-counter drug and has to contain...an aluminum compound.” — Abby Kazalczyk (05:25)

Timestamps:

• Difference explained: 05:12-06:42

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2. Health Myths: Aluminum, Cancer, and More

• Long-circulating rumors linking aluminum in antiperspirant to Alzheimer’s and breast cancer are unsupported by scientific evidence.
  • “The Alzheimer's Association, American Cancer Society...maintain that there is no demonstrated correlation between the aluminum in your antiperspirant and a risk of either Alzheimer's or dementia or breast cancer.” — Abby (07:41)
• The only real risk is for a rare allergy to aluminum, which can cause a rash.

Timestamps:

• Myths addressed: 07:23–08:53

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3. Is Blocking Sweat Unhealthy?

• Dermatologists agree the armpit area is small; enough of your skin can still sweat, so blocking sweat ducts in this area isn’t risky for most people.

Timestamps:

• Discussion: 09:00–09:41

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4. Wirecutter’s Rigorous Testing Panel

• Testing included a cross-section of ages (teens to seniors), climates, and levels of activity, with products used in hot summers, cold, humidity, and even directly on various fabrics.
  • Panelists included teenagers, parents, and adults up to their 80s.
• Products evaluated for:
  • Feel and texture
  • Dry-down speed
  • Residue on skin/clothes
  • How well they prevent odor/sweat

Timestamps:

• Panel details: 09:41–11:57

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5. The World of Professional Armpit Sniffers

• Brands employ “noses” to professionally sniff and evaluate armpit odor during product testing.
  • Testing protocols include sniffing dozens of armpits behind a curtain at scheduled intervals throughout the day.
  • “Personal care brands will hire these people, these noses. You have to have a really refined nose.” — Abby (12:34)
  • Memorable moment: the job's anonymity and thorough grading for “malodor” (the technical term for BO).

Timestamps:

• Sniffer segment: 12:19–15:08, memorable moment repeat 00:34

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6. Personal Chemistry & “Armpit Topography”

• Everyone’s unique mix of skin microbiota means one product can work brilliantly for someone and not at all for another—even from one armpit to another!
  • “Scientists say that these colonies of bacteria are as individual as fingerprints...even two armpits on the same person might disagree with each other.” — Abby (20:24)
• Armpit shapes and sizes (concave, flat, hairy, shaved) affect product performance.
• Testing accounted for all variations, including application on hairy vs. smooth pits.

Timestamps:

• Chemistry and topography: 15:17–18:10, 19:57–22:15

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7. Practical Selection & Usage Tips

• Trial and Error: Even top picks might not work for everyone; give each new product at least a week to “settle in.”
• Switching from Antiperspirant to Deodorant: Allow a “clean-out period” for residue to dissipate (about one week).
• Application Timing:
  • Dermatologists advise heavy sweaters use antiperspirant at bedtime for best absorption and effect; deodorants are best after showering and drying off (24:25–26:19).
• Formats Galore: Sticks, roll-ons, gels, balms—even “the deodorant that divided our newsroom” (Act London balm).
  • Half the team loved it; half found applying by hand off-putting, but it was highly effective.

Timestamps:

• Trial and error: 23:15–24:15; Application timing: 24:15–26:19; Formats: 26:19-29:38

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8. Product Picks for Every Scenario

Pit Stains & White Streaks

• Degree Ultra Clear Black and White: Best for avoiding pit stains and white marks (30:45–31:20)
• Runner-up: SheaMoisture Antiperspirant (31:20–31:32)

Sweat-through Situations

• Mitchum Women’s Antiperspirant: Strongest for excessive sweat (32:10–32:31)

Odor-focused Users (minimal sweating)

• Hume, Necessaire, Salt Air: All offer unique/fragrant deodorants (32:37–33:08)

Sensitive Skin

• Dove Aluminum-Free (Sensitive Skin variety): (33:13–33:40)
  • “Dove Aluminum-Free Deodorant, specifically in the variety for sensitive skin, did well for our sensitive skin testers.” — Abby (33:13)

Natural/Aluminum-free/“Crystals”

• Act Deodorant Balm: Has “sweat-mopping” botanicals—clay, diatomaceous earth, arrowroot (33:46–34:43)
  • Crystal deodorants largely didn’t perform for testers (29:48–30:14)

Hot, Humid Climates

• Degree Ultra Clear or Mitchum; for a deodorant (not antiperspirant): Dr. Squatch (34:44–35:21)

Teens

• Dove Clinical Protection (for very stinky/sweaty teens); SheaMoisture (for gentle, moisturizing option) (35:21–36:35)
• Also referenced: dedicated puberty guide at Wirecutter

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The number of times I asked friends and family to smell my armpits…and it was really unbecoming.” — Abby (12:01)
• “New dream job unlocked.” — Kyra (15:08, on armpit sniffers)
• “Even two armpits on the same person might disagree with each other.” — Abby (20:24)
• On Act London balm: “We call that one the deodorant that divided our newsroom.” — Abby (27:08)
• “Malodor is the official industry term for B.O.—I’m going to start using ‘Malodor’ instead of BO. It just sounds classier.” — Christine (38:12)
• On rigorous testing: “I was risking it all for science and work. And I stayed eerily fragrance free, let's say, for days. It became almost a sport: what more can I do to test this poor deodorant?” — Abby (28:11)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------|--------------| | Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant | 05:12–06:42 | | Health Myths (Aluminum, Cancer) | 07:23–08:53 | | Is Plugging Sweat Unhealthy? | 09:00–09:41 | | Wirecutter Testing Panel | 09:41–12:19 | | Professional Armpit Sniffer | 12:19–15:08 | | Personal Chemistry & Topography | 15:17–18:10, 19:57–22:15 | | Trial & Error/Selecting Your Product | 23:15–24:15 | | Application Best Practices | 24:15–26:19 | | Formats (balm, stick, gel, etc.) | 26:19–29:38 | | Crystal Deodorants/Natural Picks | 29:38–30:14, 33:46–34:43 | | Product Recommendations (Scenarios) | 30:40–36:35 | | Key Takeaways & Wrap-up | 36:41–38:38 |

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode is equal parts educational and fun, mixing evidence-based product recommendations with laugh-out-loud moments—like the inside world of professional armpit sniffers and the varied, very human experiences of sweat, odor, and finding products that (sometimes miraculously) work. The hosts and guest leave listeners reassured that it’s normal for product performance to be highly individual, and that experimenting is part of the journey to finding your stink-free solution.

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For More Information

Explore Wirecutter’s full guides and recommendations for deodorants and antiperspirants at nytimes.com/wirecutter.

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If you want to skip the science and anecdotes, and just get to the Wirecutter picks for your specific sweat or stink struggle, see the “Product Picks for Every Scenario” section above!

Transcript

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[Abby Kazalczyk]

And so you stick your arm out the curtain and the person sticks her nose into your armpit and takes meticulous notes. And she is grading for things like malodor, which is the official industry term for bo, but also the integrity of the fragrances that are intended to, to mask that bo.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I'm Christine Cyr Clisette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell and you're listening to the Wirecutter show,

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Kyra Christine. It is officially summer. It's officially hot New York City summer here for us.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Smelly, stinky, sweaty, all of it.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Yeah. Which is, it is a stinky time of year and it not just because of the hot garbage on the New York City streets. It is the time of year where we start worrying about smelling and you know, do we have pit stains and all that stuff? I'm curious, do you have a deodorant or an antiperspirant that you like?

[Kyra Blackwell]

No, I don't. And I've been searching for an embarrassingly long amount of time. I think. I always think that I find the one and then it just doesn't work for me anymore. I don't know what that is. What about you?

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Well, I actually just use my husband's whenever I need it. I just yoink it out of the, out of the medicine cabinet. So clearly I'm not thinking about it too, too deeply. But today, maybe we'll solve your problem and maybe we'll discover a product that I'll like as well. So we are going to talk about deodorants and antiperspirants today. We're going to get into it. We're going to talk about how to pick one. We're going to talk about the recommendations we have. We have tested a ton of them. Our beauty team has tested them. There are so many options and it's a very personal choice. I really react to scents, to fragrances, and so I'm really turned off to a lot of deodorants and antiperspirants because of that. So there's just a lot of factors that go into it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, it's really hard to pick these pretty much anything. But definitely deodorants and antiperspirants. So that's why we're bringing on Abby Kazalczyk, a senior staff writer on the Beauty team, to tell us everything we'll need to know about deodorants and antiperserants, even what the difference is between the two, and how to pick the right one for you.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

That's right. So after the break, Abby will join us, and she's going to share some pretty funny testing anecdotes too. We'll be right back.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

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[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back. With us now is Abby Kozolczyk, a senior staff writer on the beauty team who's covered everything from eye creams to makeup for mature skin. She's written the guides to deodorant and antiperspirant. And before her time at Wirecutter, she spent years as a beauty editor and writer at Glamour, Allure and Cosmo, among other women's magazines, in addition to reporting at the Times.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Abby, welcome to the show.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Thank you so much. I'm very happy to be here.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Well, I am excited to talk about this topic today. I feel like people use the term deodorant and antiperspirant interchangeably. It's just the way we talk about these products. But there is a difference. So what is that difference?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So the easiest way to get at the difference is just look at the names of the products. So a deodorant is something that by definition deodorizes or gets rid of. BO and that is all it is meant to do for a product to be considered an antiperspirant, which is to say something that is antiperspiring or anti sweat. In the US Legally, it is an FDA regulated over the counter drug and has to contain by definition one of several aluminum compounds. And those exist in sort of maximum allowable percentages. And all of that is regulated and all of that is specific to antiperspirants and not at all to deodorants.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

And it's the aluminum, then that is what is stopping the sweating from happening in antiperspirant.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Exactly. The aluminum, through sort of a complicated process, causes a plug to form in your sweat duct. And after that, at a minimum, you can expect a reduction in sweat, if not an outright stoppage of sweat for some time.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So how would somebody even really know if they need a deodorant versus an antiperspirant? Why choose one over the other?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Completely up to you. Some people like to have both in a whole sort of armpit wardrobe, if you will. Some people really don't like the feeling of sweat. And if that's you, you definitely want an antiperspirant. Of course, some people don't mind sweat and simply don't wanna smell. And for those people, deodorant alone does the trick. Maybe you're somebody who most of the time doesn't mind sweating, but you have a big presentation coming up or a wedding. And, you know, for those exceptions, you might want an antiperspirant in the mix, but for the rest of your life, you might be fine with just a deodorant. So it's really Personal preference.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

When I was growing up, I think there was this sort of rumor about antiperspirants and aluminum, and the aluminum potentially causing really scary health consequences like Alzheimer's or breast cancer. Yeah, I think this has been debunked, but let's talk about it. What is the truth here?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So, for decades now, scientists and organizations have been discrediting those initial studies that did point to some fear about an association with Alzheimer's or. And. Or breast cancer and aluminum. So when I was working on the antiperspirant guide, I went back to the scientists and organizations who have been discrediting those claims. The Alzheimer's association, for one, American Cancer Society. I spoke to scientists there who maintain that there is no demonstrated correlation between the aluminum in your antiperspirant and a risk of either Alzheimer's or dementia or breast cancer. The one thing that did come up, though, with aluminum, that there is, in fact, a demonstrated risk for is an allergy. So there are very few people who have an aluminum allergy. But if you do have an aluminum allergy, clearly you want to avoid antiperspirants, because they can lead to, at the very least, an unpleasant rash if you

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

are having some kind of strange reaction after using a product.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Stop.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Stop.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Okay, Absolutely.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Just a good overall rule of th.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What about the idea that you're plugging up your armpits with antiperspirant? That sounds a little bit unhealthy. Is it as unhealthy as people might think?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Well, what dermatologists will say typically is that your armpit is such a small piece of real estate in the grand scheme of your body. And so, yes, you want your body to be able to sweat. If you're inhibiting such a little expanse of skin, there's enough skin that can still perspire plenty while you are stopping just the tiny bit that's in your armpit.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

We always like to talk on this show with our writers about how they test products. This is such a personal product. So how did you test this? What was the testing panel like? Because I would imagine you would want to test with a wide variety of people for deodorants and antiperspirants.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yeah, absolutely. And it's funny, because when we put the call out to staffers about who wanted to test for us, so many parents said, you must make teens test this, too. And, you know, and then there was this whole sort of separate discussion about how impossibly stinky everybody's teenage kids are. And any deodorant or antiperspirant that we included had to pass muster with the teens. And so we were very thorough in including a number of teenage kids, kids going through puberty, up to people in their, I think, 70s and 80s. And we tested across the country. So really we tried to go for every sweaty context, every age group, every climate imaginable. And we were testing mostly in summer, but then we also got into autumn a bit. So we were able to test even against different kinds of fabrics. You know, there's sort of that, oh. Moment that people sometimes realize when they have, like, exposed skin against wool. And there can be sort of an unpleasant, like, oh, my God, did I remember to put my deodorant on? And we made sure to include, you know, enough cool weather testing that we could account for wool and armpits, but also plenty of cotton and armpits, or just exposed armpits and bathing suits and tank tops. So we really, really tried to cover the gamut, I would say.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

What were you actually testing for?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

We were testing for everything from how the product felt going on, how long it took to dry down, you know, did it leave a really unpleasant, clammy feeling for too long in your armpits? Did it stain clothing? But really, the. The main concern for deodorant is how long did the product keep bad smells at bay? And in the case of antiperspirant, how long did the product keep. Keep sweat at bay?

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

And did they have to have a buddy to smell them to, like, actually,

[Abby Kazalczyk]

the number of times I asked friends and family to smell my armpits and it was really unbecoming. Yeah, I mean, to be a tester for this story, you have to be really not at all self conscious, and you have to be willing to ask people to just get up in there and sniff.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Well, that actually leads to my next question. Cause I saw in your guide you mentioned that you consulted with a professional armpit sniffer. I did. What? Okay, who employs them? What is their job?

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Is it on their business card?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, like, what is the title?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

I wish that were on her business card? Yeah, the companies do employ these people. I had to go with a retired armpit sniffer because typically these people are in house with particular brands. And so, you know, because we want our sources to be impartial and not affiliated with any brands. I had to speak with a woman who was recently retired from this line of work, but she had been in house for a very long time at Colgate Palmolive, and she's just one of my favorite sources ever. I wish I could do an Entire story about her and this line of work. But basically, personal care brands will hire these people, these noses. You have to have a really refined nose. But one of the main functions these professionals serve is if you are testing a deodorant, for example, you might line up a sample of 30 or 40 people to come in for a 24 hour period, apply the deodorant in question, and then have this sniffer smell each armpit at regular intervals. So you might start at 15 minute intervals going down the line, armpit to armpit, that each person, at least in the experience of the woman I spoke to, each person whose armpit she smelled was behind a curtain. So there's a degree of anonymity. And you just sort of stick around

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

a TV show about it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Right.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

I know it could be its own reality show. And so you stick your arm out the curtain and the person sticks her nose into your armpit and, you know, sort of one by one goes down the line and takes meticulous notes. And she is grading for things like malodor, which is sort of the official industry term for bm, but also the integrity of the fragrances that are intended to mask that bo. So if you have put a lot of resources into a beautiful floral fragrance for your deodorant, you want to know that that fragrance is not only stopping Mallowder, you want to know that the fragrance is sort of holding up on its own as a nice fragrance. So professional noses are hired for these kinds of things and they just, yeah, for 24 hours will smell the same set of like 30 or 40 armpits and grade the performance of the product over time.

[Kyra Blackwell]

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[Christine Cyr Clisette]

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[Abby Kazalczyk]

Right.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So I just came back from Japan and I noticed that all the deodorants there are tiny. They're like these little tiny cylinders. And I'm like, who? I mean, I guess people's armpits are this small. Mine definitely aren't. But can you talk a little bit about the topography of armpits and, like, what you might be looking for there too?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Well, it's something I hadn't considered all that carefully before, working on these guides. Only at Wirecutter are we sort of getting into the nitty gritty this way. And so when we're asking panelists to talk about what they enjoyed or didn't in a particular product, they might talk about how easily or not it sort of navigated the shape or the flatness or lack thereof in their own armpits. And in fact, when I was speaking to this armpit sniffer. She was confirming that there's just this incredible variety of topographies in people's armpits. And some people have, you know, really small concave pits, and other people have very sort of broad and flat ones. And it doesn't even necessarily divide along the gender lines you might imagine. And so we wound up sort of at adding in addition to efficacy, when we were naming our picks, we talked about picks that were good across broad, flat surfaces and others that did well, like a small roll on for somebody who has, as one of our testers did, a very small concave armpit. And so it's just that you really don't realize until you get deep into this research how variable armpits are and then how variable tastes are according to maybe the shape and size of your armpit.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

What about pits that have hair? You know, lots of people don't shave under their arms. Does that impact the efficacy of antiperspirant or deodorant?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

It could, and it also impacts how people experience whether they're gonna like a particular formulation or not, whether that formulation is gonna feel goopy in armpit hair or imperceptible in armpit. Ha. We really did make sure to test among people with lots of armpit hair, people with completely smooth pits, just to make sure that we were getting the full range of experiences. And one tip that came up when I was interviewing a dermatologist about how to make sure that you're getting the most efficacy out of your deodorant or antiperspirant is that even if you like to have hairy armpits, that you maybe considered trimming them a tiny bit. Because even a slight reduction in surface area gives those bacteria that cause BO in the first place just a little bit less of a habitat to thrive in.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're going to take a quick break, and then when we're back, we're going to get into how to pick the right deodorant for you. Be right back.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

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[Abby Kazalczyk]

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[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Welcome back. With us now is Abby Kozolcic, senior staff writer on Wirecutter's Beauty Team. Abby, now that we understand the basics of deodorant, we've gotten really deep into professional noses and armpit topography. We've covered it all. I'm curious. It is such a personal product. Why does a specific deodorant or antiperspirant work really well for one person and it might just not work at all for someone else?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So it comes down to just personal body chemistry. We all have our own It's a little bit gross, but but we all host our own unique communities of bacteria and other microbiota in and on our bodies. And scientists say that these colonies of bacteria are as individual as fingerprints. And so what works to curb my bacterial colony might not work to curb yours. Vice versa. And so there is a caveat with all of our picks, and that is that even if these picks worked for the majority of people who tested for us, it's entirely possible that an individual listener's bacterial flora will be just different enough that the product doesn't work. And we apologize in advance, but there's always going to be a bit of trial and error because of that. And even two armpits on the same person might disagree with each other, no? Yeah. So for example, Alex Aciman, a colleague of ours, wrote an ode to to a deodorant in which he noted how prolific his right armpit is and like how only one deodorant in history has been able to tame that particular armpit. Which, by the way, again, because Everybody has different body chemistry. His favorite deodorant actually didn't do very well with panelists. And so that's actually a really good illustration of just how individualized this can become. And in fact, the armpit sniffer I spoke to noted that in her experience of sniffing many, many Armp over the course of her career, she did notice that in some cases, what worked on somebody's right armpit did not work at all on that same person's left armpit.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Wow, that's so wild.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

It is wild. And even wilder is that because of hormone fluctuations, mainly what works on you at one point in life might not work on you the very next week, depending on how much your hormones are fluctuating. So perimenopause would be a really excellent example of that.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Great time to reassess your problem products.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It also kind of sounds like it will be smart for people who do go through hormonal changes or whatever. Like maybe you have one armpit that disagrees with the other to just have like, what did you call it? A wardrobe.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

A wardrobe of deodorants and antiperspirants.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. So you don't maybe need just one deodorant if you find that your body is a little bit funny like that.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Exactly.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

To tag on to that. If you are one of these parents that's navigating the teen situation, maybe getting a few, have your kid try them out.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Right.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So if you are kind of looking to switch or maybe you realize that you do need more than the one that you have at home, what is the best way for somebody to do that? How do you just stand in an aisle at a drugstore and just pick the right one?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

It's really tough. I would say you have to prepare for a bit of trial and error no matter what. If you are trying a new product, you probably, according to the derms I spoke to for these guides, you want to give it at least a week to see if it's working or not. And in particular, if you're switching from an antiperspirant to a deodorant, you want to allow for a little bit of a clean out period between the two before you assess how your new deodorant is doing for you. Because you could still be dealing with the residual effects of the antiperspirant that's still sort of dissipating and coming out of your ducts. But even if you're switching from one deodorant to another, you still want to wait a little while to see if the New one is working a week generally, because even certain deodorants are particularly good at clinging to your skin through sort of standard showering.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Basic, very basic question. I assume the best time to put on deodorant is after you've taken a shower, you've dried off, you put your antiperspirant or deodorant on for the day. Is that right? Is that the best time?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

That really depends. Heavy sweaters who are going to be using antiperspirants. Some dermatologists will encourage application at bedtime.

[SoFi Advertiser]

What?

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

At bedtime?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

At bedtime? Yeah.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

If you put on your night cream, people are nodding at me and like,

[Kyra Blackwell]

that's what I use that.

[SoFi Advertiser]

Really?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

I didn't know that. Okay, well, I sweat a lot when I sleep. Well, also, I mean. So you're bucking the trend, Kyra, because the reason typically given behind that advice is that you are less sweaty at night, unless you're going through a big hormone. I don't shift. Okay, Abby, so am I. But sort of broadly speaking, your body temperature comes down a bit, you're a little bit less sweaty. So your ducts are a bit more efficient at taking up the aluminum that will then form the plugs that help reduce sweat the next day. That's sort of the oversimplified version of why dermatologists might recommend that for heavy sweaters who use antiperspirant, the process is best begun at bedtime, and then you maybe reapply the next morning, or you apply just a deodorant the next morning. And that is really an ask your dermatologist kind of thing. If you are using a deodorant, generally the best time to do so is after you have showered and dried your skin. But there's no harm in applying on the fly if you've forgotten or you notice that you are starting to get a bit of breakthrough BO as we call it in the biz. But at that point, you're gonna be relying more the masking fragrances, and you probably won't get quite the same level of efficacy as you would if you were applying too freshly showered and dried skin. But you'll get a little something.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So people might associate antiperspirant and deodorant with just the classic stick versions, but there are a lot of options on the market these days. I've personally seen something that horrified me, which is like a gel that you rub onto your armpits. And I think that's a crime against humanity, but people need that, so that's fine.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Can you Tell us more about all the different wonderful ways you can put on deodorant or.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yeah, well, I think, you know, sort of the best known, quote unquote traditional ones are sticks and roll ons and gels, but the kind of gel that comes out of a tube, I think the one you're alluding to is the balm Act London, the deodorant balm has had this viral sensation of a journey and we. We call that one the deodorant that divided our newsroom.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Because like you, many of our testers do consider it the devil's spawn and think there is nothing grosser than putting a dab of cream on your or balm on your fingertips and then sort of rubbing that directly into your pits and then having to wash that hand and then use the other hand to get to the other pit. But then we had 14 people testing that product. Half thought it was perfect or near perfect. And I was in the camp that really, really liked it.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

What did you like about it?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

I liked the efficacy. I put it through the grossest imaginable tests. I decided to forego standard hygiene for a probably not recommended period of time. And all of the things you have

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

to do for these guys. It's wild.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Exactly. So I think I went at least a few days without showering and wearing questionable. Like I was wearing a pantsuit in the middle of summer that was lined with poly, which. Yeah, exactly. Like nothing to it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

In New York City.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

In New York City, nothing to inflame BO like a polyester lined pantsuit. And that was for a public appearance where, you know, my adrenaline was really pumping. You were just risking it all? I was risking it all for science and work. And I stayed eerily fragrance free, let's say, for days. I just couldn't believe it. And it became almost a sport. Like, what more can I do to test this poor. And then other members of our team were similarly, you know, somebody else was having conjugal relations with no AC in the middle of summer in this. In this with his deodorant on to see how that would go. It was sort of almost a competition. How gross? How gross can we get in the name of testing deodorant? And yeah, we really did put everything. But ultimately I really liked this particular balm just because it held up so improbably well. And other people really love the scents. It comes in sort of interesting scents. In fact, a number of the products that we tested and that wound up as pics came in fragrances that go well beyond lavender, mint, rosemary. You know, really, really creative scents, too, for people who like that kind of.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I grew up in a real hippie, dippy environment. A lot of people like to use those crystal rock deodorants. Do those actually work? Did they even make it into testing?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

They did make it into testing, yeah. People were super enthusiastic about testing the crystal deodorants, and then most testers went eerily silent. So I would say it was not. Not one of the most successful products we tested. It did work for a few people, but not for enough that it became a pick.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Right. So if you're using it and you like it, no shade, it might be totally great for you, but it's probably not going to work for a lot of people.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So, Abby, we haven't actually really gotten into any of your picks in the antiperserant or the deodorant guide, so we're going to give you some scenarios where people might want to prioritize something, and we want to hear your thoughts on what you would specifically recommend for somebody in these scenarios. Ready?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Sounds good.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Awesome. So what if somebody really struggles with pit stains on their clothes?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

I'm going to go with the degree ultra clear black and white. It did not, for any of our testers, leave pit stains marks, and we really tried hard to make it leave marks. I cannot say with total certainty that it would never. But. But as you can tell from the name, it's sort of the product's stock and trade that it's meant to be ultra clear and non staining.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

All right. Someone who is tired of having white streaks on their dark clothing.

[Kyra Blackwell]

This is me, by the way.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Exact same product.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

All right. Okay.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yeah. And then Shea Moisture, I would say, is the runner up for that one. Oh, like the hair care brand, the haircare brand. They have a really nice antiperspirant deodorant.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I had no idea.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yes. And it got to the point that I was even. This is not how you were supposed to test for these things, but because we were going sort of all out, I was just rubbing the deodorant directly onto my clothing, bypassing my skin, which is of course not how these things work, but I just wanted to see how far we could push this. And with most fabrics, I would say the SheaMoisture left almost no trace, even when I was applying it literally direct to a pair of charcoal gray sweatpants.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's gonna be my next purch. Okay. What if somebody sweats through their shirt during presentations, meetings, or stressful situations?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So the Mitchum Women's antiperspirant, that is one of our picks, was one of the hardest working. It has the highest allowable percentage of the particular aluminum compound that is in that formulation. And it just went on and on.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Someone who doesn't really sweat much, but worries about getting stinky by the end of the day.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So I would say the world is your oyster here. You, you have the most choices of, of anyone. And here I would say have a look at some of the picks that get into really beautiful or unusual or fun fragrances. So Hume was one of our picks in that category, I would say, or Necessaire. Also salt air, because there you're, you're really just looking at deodorants and you can have fun with just some of the fragrances that. That sound extra interesting to you.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What if you're someone who has really sensitive skin and might get irritation from deodorants?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So in that case, I would recommend the Dove Aluminum Free deodorant. And that is the name of the product I should clarify because all deodorants, as we've said, are by definition. If it's just a deodorant, it is by definition aluminum free. But aluminum free has become a big marketing term. So Dove Aluminum Free Deodorant, specifically in the variety for sensitive skin. That did well for our sensitive skin testers.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

All right, this is for all my crystal rock people out there if you want the most natural deodorant.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Well, with apologies to Kyra, I'm gonna go back to the ACT Deodorant balm. It's interesting because even though it is not an antiperspirant, it does not contain any aluminum compound. It does have sweat absorbing agents, which we haven't really gotten into yet. So it creates the impression, a little bit of being almost antiperspirant ish, in that it's keeping you drier than a deodorant without any sweat mopping agents in it. But it contains no aluminum. People who tend to look for, quote unquote, natural deodorants are looking for aluminum free generally. So I would say ACT is a good way to go there.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And those sweat mopping agents that you mentioned, those are also naturally occurring.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

It's like dirt. Diatomaceous earth is one, which clay is another. Arrowroot, which is a starch, is another.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Oh, wow.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What if you're somebody who lives somewhere hot and humid and spends a lot of time outside?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So then I would go for one of the strong antiperspirants. I would go back to that Mitchum or I would go back again to that degree ultra clear. If you want a deodorant, the Dr. Squatch, it's a good one. And that also has some of those sweat mopping agents. So again, it's not officially an antiperspirant. It doesn't contain any aluminum compounds, but it can sort of give the impression of helping to mop up sweat.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

All right, our final one, the sweaty and or stinky teen. What are you recommending?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

So there's a whole other guide to puberty that Wirecutter has produced. Our friends and colleagues who work on health have put that guide together and we've talked about armpit protection. We've had sort of cross disciplinary discussion about the kinds of products that might work there. One thing that has come up is that especially for kids who are super self conscious about this initial onset of extreme stinkiness, they might want something that's labeled a clinical strength antiperspirant. And in that case case, DOVE clinical protection is something that they recommend in the puberty guide. But there's no reason that some of the antiperspirants and deodorants that we recommend in our guide as well can't work for a teen if you're not looking for something quite as potent as the clinical strength from Dove. Then again, the shea moisture is really nice, especially if you are looking for something a bit gentle and moisturized rising.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So before we wrap, we always ask our guest one last question. What's the last thing you bought that you really loved?

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Well, if you've noticed an overpowering garlic aroma coming out of my pores that no deodorant could ever mask. I haven't. It's because this morning on my way here, have you guys read our pickle guide?

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I have, yes.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

When I read the guide, I asked Maki Ozawa and the kitchen team, the author, for recommendations for half sour pickles, which didn't make it into the guide. But she sent me to the pickle guys whom she interviewed and did videos with for this story. And so I went and had some of the best half sour pickles of my entire life. And now there's a quart of them sitting in the fridge outside. But that quart of half sour pickles from the pickle guys is far and away the best thing I've bought in a long time.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Thank you so much, Abby.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Thank you, Abby. We'll have you back soon. Soon. Kyra, do you feel well educated on deodorants and antiperspirants Now I feel more

[Kyra Blackwell]

educated on the job that I never knew existed that I need to know more about. Yeah, I feel I'm.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I'm very intrigued by the nose.

[Kyra Blackwell]

By the armpits.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Yeah, the armpit sniffer. All right, going back to deodorants and antiperspirants, what are you taking away this episode?

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm definitely going to try the Shea Moisture antiperspirant. I always have those white stains in my clothes. I'm sick of them, Christine. So I'm ready to try something new.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

That is. That's a great one.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I am now going to start using Malodor instead of bo.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's just so classy.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I think it just sounds classier. And then I think when I am approached with the stinky teen phase of my family and it's coming up, it's coming. I will probably be getting a variety of things to try because the same thing isn't going to work for everybody. So.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes, I really like that. A little, you know, variety.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

That's right.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Well, if you want to find out more about any of Wirecutter's coverage on deodorant or antiperspirants, or if you want to check out any of the products we recommended Today, go to nytimes.com wirecutter or find a link in the show notes. That's it for us until next week. Thanks so much for listening.

[SoFi Advertiser]

Bye.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Bye.

[Kyra Blackwell]

The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Alicia Ba Itup, Katherine Anderson, Rowan Nimisto and Diane Wong. Cliff Levy is Wirecutter's deputy publisher and general manager. Ben Fruman is Wirec Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Thanks for listening.

[Abby Kazalczyk]

Armpit is the least of it. It's like imagine if your job were to smell feet and see how foot deodorizers hold up. Or kitty litter.

[Christine Cyr Clisette]

Wow.

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