The aluminum in your deodorant is not a health risk

Opinion on the safety of aluminum in cosmetic products

You may be concerned about aluminum in cosmetics because you’ve heard that aluminum can be harmful to your health. It’s important to consider that just because something has the potential to cause harm, doesn’t mean that we are exposed to it in a way (or at an amount) that will always cause harm. Aluminum, much like other ingredients, can be safely used in cosmetics if manufacturers follow safety limits. Scientists evaluate these safety limits and continually test them using scientific research methods to understand aluminum safety in different products. Since we can be exposed to aluminum in many other ways, like through food and medicine, it’s important to look at the total amount of aluminum we might be exposed to from all sources, not just cosmetics.

The SCCS is an independent committee of experts from different EU countries that provides opinions on health and safety risks on non-food consumer goods in the EU. This is a reputable committee, whose opinion is often leveraged worldwide to institute regulations governing cosmetics and other non-food categories. In the European Union, the European Commission considers SCCS opinions when making final decisions about rules and regulations on all consumer goods. The SCCS has advised on aluminum safety in cosmetics 3 times between 2014–2022. In 2024, they released an updated opinion based on new information collected in this fourth round of testing. This document updates what we already know about aluminum safety by including new calculations on how much aluminum is in different products, the appropriate safety levels and how our body absorbs it. Additionally, since the way we use cosmetics has changed over time, the safety testing and calculations were revised using this new information.

In the study, researchers used different ways to best calculate how much aluminum a person may be exposed to. This was done using information about product type and the product’s known aluminum content as well as how regularly and how much of each product is generally used. They also considered how and where each product is used and how that affects whether any aluminum may enter the body through the skin or mouth. At the end of the study, the SCCS repeated their previous finding that aluminum is safe in cosmetics–as long as it is used within the specific limits calculated in the study.

You may be wondering why this document is called an opinion. It is called an opinion because it is the recommendation of experts based on the current and available scientific evidence. This means that it is backed by scientific evidence but is not absolute proof, because scientific knowledge is always evolving and so recommendations can change based on new findings. The SCCS notes that there are certain questions on aluminum that need more studies to be answered. For example, we do not currently know how aluminum may be absorbed by the body through the nose or whether some people might be more sensitive to aluminum even at lower levels within safety limits. Answering these and any future questions is important because they will help make sure our safety tests work and that recommendations for consumer safety are always improving.

For further information read the full paper.