Deodorant is losing its popularity among young folks, a new survey has found.
Around 40% of participants, aged 18 to 24, said they hadn’t used any deodorant or antiperspirant for the last one month.
Nearly 31% of participants, aged 25 to 34, said the same. And for the participants aged 35 to 44, 22% of respondents admitted to having stopped using deodorants.
Among people aged beyond 45, just 16% of participants said they had shunned them.
The poll, conducted by YouGov, provided more evidence into the growing trend of ‘natural deodorant’ as well as the increasing calls for natural, organic, chemical-free, and authentic products among the Generation Z – the world’s youngest folks.
A recent study by Viacom concluded that eight out of 10 Gen Z-ers and Millennials considered beauty as ‘being yourself’ rather than artificiality.
The success of deodorant, however, has been entirely based on the fact that it’s not a natural substance, as it hides your natural scent.
When antiperspirants (designed to prevent sweating) and deodorants (designed to mask body odor) first appeared in the market in the late 1800’s, they didn’t get any attention.
However, these two products started attracting people in the early 1900’s when advertisers gave some intellectual backing to them.
Marketers brilliantly devised campaigns to target both men and women. Campaigns developed to attract women focused on the romantic aspects.
For instance, one 1937 advert said, according to Smithsonian: ‘You’re a pretty girl, Mary, and you’re smart about most things but you’re just a bit stupid about yourself.
‘You love a good time—but you seldom have one. Evening after evening you sit at home alone. You’ve met several grand men who seemed interested at first.
‘They took you out once—and that was that. There are so many pretty Mary’s in the world who never seem to sense the real reason for their aloneness.
‘In this smart modern age, it’s against the code for a girl (or a man either) to carry the repellent odor of underarm perspiration on clothing and person.
‘It’s a fault which never fails to carry its own punishment—unpopularity.’
According to historian Dr. Cari Casteel, during the Great Depression, the campaigns targeted at men said they would never get a job if they didn’t hide their bad smell.
Fast forward to the 21st century, the deodorant industry is booming with a worth of more than $18 billion.
However, natural deodorants are now gaining popularity, especially after a number of Millennial celebrities have endorsed them.
Justin Bieber, with his new vegan deodorant stick – Here + Now – is the latest star to do so.
The way forward from here cannot be guessed simply, Dr. Christine Ko, MD, a professor of dermatology and pathology at Yale University, told Daily Mail.
‘Some people do sweat more than others,’ Dr. Ko said. ‘For people that do feel they are sweating more than normal, they should consult their dermatologist, and deodorants, anti-perspirants, or even Botox [prescribed for severe perspiration conditions] may work for them.’
Dr. Ko also revealed that our sweat is originally odorless.
‘That watery, wet substance is actually odorless before it hits the skin,’ Dr. Ko said. ‘But everybody has different bacteria on their skin and that creates the odor.’
‘I do think that more and more people of younger generations are concerned about things being organic and chemical-free and natural, so it does make sense to me that they are [moving towards natural deodorants],’ the doctor added.
Recommended Video!
“Fan Draws Justin Bieber’s Face In One Of The Viral Videos”