Professor Myung Seung-kwon from the National Cancer Center and his research team have published a meta-analysis study indicating that antiperspirants and deodorants, commonly used to reduce underarm sweat and odor, do not increase the risk of breast cancer. Professor Myung analyzed seven case-control studies published in international journals between 2002 and 2021, and presented the findings on the 23rd.
According to the study, sweat is a naturally odorless liquid composed of water, electrolytes, and proteins. However, odor is generated when bacteria residing in the armpits produce volatile odorous compounds. Although antiperspirants and deodorants contain aluminum compounds, which have been previously suggested through experimental and animal studies to potentially cause breast cancer by increasing genetic toxicity and estrogen activity, this study found no such link.
The research compared breast cancer patients with healthy individuals in these case-control studies, demonstrating no association between the use of antiperspirants or deodorants and breast cancer risk. Professor Myung explained, “The amount of aluminum absorbed through the skin is extremely low, insufficient to cause genetic toxicity and consequently breast cancer.”
He further noted that while case-control studies have inherent design limitations, future confirmation through prospective cohort studies—which involve collecting data from a large population and conducting comparative studies decades later—is necessary. However, he emphasized that for now, no link has been found.
The results of this study are published in the oncological international journal ‘Cancer Investigation,’ which has an Impact Factor of 1.8 for 2023.