Origin Of Deodorants!

OH! HE STINKS.!!

From Versace or Tom Ford to Park Avenue or Axe, the story of deodorants is not a young one.

We all sweat. It is our body’s natural mechanism to cool down the temperature and humidity rise. It is a vital process, but the ‘Oh no!’ arises when an unpleasant odor accompanies it!

Sweat itself doesn’t smell bad. In a hot and humid environment, body parts having little exposure to oxygen, undergo bacterial multiplication. Thus, breakdown of sweat and secretions of bacteria results in this unpleasant odor. In such terrible conditions, our hands rush for our favorite deos! They are one of the essential dailies without which one can’t think about!

Ever wondered how did this ‘exotic daily’ originate?

Well, it is not wise to think that only the modern people are luxurious; as the luxury of deodorants run back to several centuries in the past, in fact to the stone age days, when we wandered in the caves. At that time, humans were less concerned about body odor, rather carefree. To say, humans Stunk! Anthropologists believe that the body odor was so rank that even helped keep them from falling as prey. The predators also retreated in horror at the smell and would move on to eat something else. Now that’s some intelligent defense policy!

When the Egyptians weren’t building some monument for us to stare at, they indulged themselves in masking their stench. They not only invented the scented bath but also started applying a liberal amount of scents to their underarms. They used Carob, incense, and porridge as odor-killers! Women applied globs of scented wax on their heads that gradually melted throughout the day ‘spreading the pleasant, masking the unpleasant,’ however messy it may be!

Ancient Greeks and Romans, besides bathing and dousing themselves in perfumes, used perfumes and aromatic oils! Not only this, they even soaked their clothes and doused their pets in the perfumes!!

Well, in the Middle Ages, the ‘wealthy’ covered the stink availing perfumes, a practice that crept into the 19th century unimpeded!

The ‘MUM’!

The first commercial deodorant “Mum",was unveiled and patented in 1888- creation by an unknown Philadelphia inventor. It was a zinc- chloride and wax paste applied to the underarms. What followed was named, ‘Everdry,’ the first aluminum chloride based antiperspirant in the form of solution. This flop product took forever to dry, was messy, and even ate through clothes.

By 1990, a whole-lot of antiperspirants in a variety of forms- pastes, stick, dabbers, powders, and creams stepped in the market stream. However, body odor was yet considered a private issue, and most people stepped back in buying them. Clever advertisements convinced the consumers of their benefits. The initials advertisements had to convince the Americans that they smelt BAD! Some other ads portrayed body odor as a blunder that would be an essential gossip topic behind the back.

In the 1920s, women endorsed perfumes widely, but men considered body odor as a part of masculinity. So advertisements were made targeting men and their silly insecurities, like losing their job due to body odor!

Top-Flite, the first deodorant for men, was introduced in 1935 and packaged in a black bottle.

Another male deodorant with unusual get-up was Sea-Forth. Its packing included a ceramic whiskey jug to appear manly. Cheers to patriarchy!

In the mid-1950s, inspired by ball-point pens Ban Roll-On was released by Bristol Myers!

After a decade, the first aerosol antiperspirant took off a multi-billion industry- Gillette’s Right Guard.

Moreover, at the end to talk of the present times, you could quickly go to your wardrobe to check it out.

Smells Good!!!