Have you experienced a boy in your family or yourself worrying constantly about how you smell? There are few things more worrisome to an insecure teenager than how he or she smells. So it shouldn't be very surprising that new deodorant body spray introductions have increased 43 percent this year over last, according to market researcher Mintel. It also shouldn't come as a surprise that marketers are very savvy about marketing these products to teenagers, who have a healthy amount of disposable income and haven't yet learned the art of moderation. Yet, while marketers are counting their dollars, adults are holding their noses.
"When my oldest son used it, I could smell it all day long," says Carmen Staicer, a mother of six from Virginia. "I could smell it in the car after I drove him to school." The "it" she's referring to is Axe Body Spray, which is the best-selling deodorant spray on the market and the bane of households--and schools--nationwide. When she worked in a local school cafeteria, Staicer says, "Every person who worked there made mention of how smelly Axe was, and how overpowering it was to have a line of 30 to 45 hot, sweaty boys come from PE class with a fresh application of Axe." It doesn't help that teenage boys have biology working against them: Boys reportedly have noses that are 200 to 1,000 times less sensitive than a woman's, plus oily skin, a hallmark of teenage years, holds scents much longer than dry skin.
Whether a teenager is addicted to Axe or any of the dozens of other deodorant sprays on the market, getting him to back away from the spray isn't a bad idea. These fragranced body sprays contain synthetic fragrances that are in reality chemical cocktails made up of hundreds of chemicals, such as hormone-disrupting phthalates and synthetic musks, and the Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database consistently rates Axe, Old Spice, and other commercial body sprays as moderate or high hazards. A recent analysis of popular perfumes, including Axe, Old Spice, and fragrances from popular chain stores, found that many contained chemicals linked to sperm damage.
"Phthalates are anti-androgenic, or anti-testosterone," says Maida Galvez, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the department of community and preventive medicine and the department of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, referring to the fact that the chemicals lower the body's testosterone levels and boost estrogen levels. And, she notes, research has found that teenagers have higher phthalate levels in their bodies than adults do.
It's easy to imagine that these chemicals could have unknown long-term effects on the teens that use them, considering that they're in the midst of the hormonal upheaval that is puberty. A 2009 study from EWG found that teenagers may be particularly susceptible to hormone-disrupting chemicals like phthalates because of the way the chemicals influence the rapidly developing reproductive system. Animal studies have found that male rats exposed to phthalates during puberty had more testicular problems because of the way they absorbed and metabolized the chemicals. And of course girls--who are the ones that desire nice-smelling boys most of all (if you believe the advertisements for these products)--are undergoing changes in their mammary glands, and exposures to hormone-disrupting chemicals during this phase of their lives could trigger biological changes that may result in breast cancer later in life, according to a recent report from the Breast Cancer Fund.
Staicer's sons have opted to put down the body sprays for the sake of their mom and their asthmatic siblings. "They know I hate it," she says. But if you think getting your teenage boys to do the same might be a Herculean feat, take heart, says Judy Shils, founder and executive director of Teens Turning Green, a California-based advocacy group that was started by teenagers to educate other teenagers about the hazards of chemicals in personal-care products. "Boys typically roll their eyes when you talk to them about chemical dangers in personal-care products," Shils says, "but they do start caring once they start hearing from their girlfriends about how overpowering the scents can be."
Boys' concerns run even deeper, she adds, when you present them with the science. One of Shils' responsibilities as director is visiting high-school science classes and educating students about the body burden of chemicals in consumer products. Often, she has kids bring in one of their favorite products and then consults the EWG Skin Deep database to find its hazard rating. "One thing I noticed was that guys, more than girls, were completely blown away by this stuff," she says. "They'd look at the rating for a shaving cream and get angry and ask, 'Why are we being told this is OK to use?'" After her visits, she says, she'd often get calls from parents asking what safer products are out there. "When they hear information like this from a third party, they can take it home and affect change in their family," she says. "It's empowering." And probably way more so than a body spray that claims to boost your self-confidence.
It's not always easy for parents to convince their teenage boys to ditch odiferous body sprays, but there are ways you can subtly steer your child in a different direction:
- Use the Internet.
As Shils says, third-party sources usually have more of an impact than an parent's nagging pleas to axe the Axe. Let your teenage boy play around on EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database and look up products he currently uses. - Contact a Specialist
Or, at least, a local chapter of Teens Turning Green in your area, who can come talk to your child's school. If one doesn't exist, students can start a chapter with a simple toolkit available from the organization's website. - Consider a body spray ban at school.
If your child isn't addicted to sprays but suffers when other students wear them, you have the basis for complaint. "Kids should know that perfumes can be overwhelming to those who are either asthmatic or sensitive to scent," says Carmen Staicer, who recalls one instance where a student used a fragrance in class and gave the teacher an asthma attack. School districts in some northeastern states and Minnesota have already launched public-education campaigns about the allergenic nature of perfumes and body sprays, in the hopes of getting kids to cut down on overusing them. Shils says that school principals are usually the best point of entry if you're trying to enact a ban on perfumes in schools. - Use the power of the purse.
If all else fails, restock your teenager's medicine cabinet with less-smelly deodorants that he might like (most body sprays are used as fragrances, but they're technically considered deodorants) and refuse to buy body sprays. Teens Turning Green often employs college guys to try out new products to see which ones work, and Shils says that guys who formerly used Axe have given props to Liken Plant from a company called Earth Science and deodorants from Weleda and Aubrey Organics. But, she says, you usually have to remind guys that these less-toxic deodorants need to be reapplied. "They don't always work as beautifully as the ones riddled with chemicals," she says, "but we tell guys, you're lessening the toxic load on your body, and those around you will appreciate it."
