Scent Solutions

What was once a taboo subject-body odor-is now a convo more and more people are happily having.

- Pia Velasco

Like everyone, I have a busy schedule, and sometimes I don't have time for a full workout. So, I try to squeeze in activity whenever possible, and one of my tricks is to bike everywhere-to work, to dates, to drinks with friends. Problem is, I don't want to arrive smelly to a, say, nice dinner. I needed a way to freshen up. That's when I discovered full-body deos.

Most of us are familiar with the funk of BO, which happens when sweat interacts with bacteria on our skin, triggering a reaction that causes odor.

But perspiration isn't isolated to the armpits; just 2 percent of our body's sweat glands are located in that area. In fact, research shows that we have three types of sweat glands-eccrine, apocrine, and apoeccrine. They're all over, including on the back, chest, feet, forehead, inner thighs, and genitals. And odor solutions for those areas are becoming more plentiful.

Birth of a Trend

For decades, people have created their own DIY concoctions to tackle body stink, using items like baby powder, coconut oil, and even lemon juice. "Talc, clays, baking soda, and tapioca starch work to absorb sweat, preventing wetness and odor," says Ron Robinson, a cosmetic chemist and founder of the skin-care brand BeautyStat.

But recently, some of these remedies have come under fire, with major class-action lawsuits alleging that talc-containing products are filled with known carcinogens such as asbestos. Scary health concerns aside, simply figuring out the right balance of ingredients can be tricky to do in your kitchen anyway. So, a slew of brands have launched readyto-use formulas.

You might've seen one of the biggies on TV or social media recently.

We're talking about Lume-the brand that popularized the idea of full-body deodorants in 2017.