The instinct to treat a wedding dress like a soon-to-be-precious heirloom is only natural. When else might you own a garment that makes you look like an angel that just touched down from the heavens? Before investing in vented garment bags to protect it on the big day and archival boxes to preserve it long-term, take a look at your daily beauty staples. If you’re still using those aluminum-based antiperspirants commonly found at the drugstore, not only do they have a myriad of health concerns being studied, but it also may be putting one of your most impressive wardrobe investments at risk. “What many people don’t know is that it’s not sweat that causes the ugly yellow stains on clothing, it’s the aluminum in their antiperspirants,” explains Greg Laptevsky, founder of Myro, which shocked the market by accruing a 16,000 strong waitlist for their line of sleek refillable options. “Aluminum-free, naturally-effective deodorants will not only keep you fresh and smelling great, but also offer a safe choice for keeping your wedding gown or tux in pristine condition.”
For a better idea of this hotly debated chemical element, I turned to one of the most ingredient-obsessed experts in the natural beauty field. “Aluminum, along with clogging your pores, is to blame for many a white shirt being ruined,” explains Aaron Paas as we chat about his new line Wildist, which features elegantly packaged natural deodorants created with a water base that doesn’t stain clothes. His scientific explanation (in friendly layman’s terms) for the phenomenon? Since commercial versions rely on aluminum-based complexes to counteract bacteria, your clothes (and pores!) ultimately take a toll. “The aluminum ions separate from the complexes and sit in your sweat ducts, where they act as temporary plugs—the problem (in addition to fighting against your body’s natural cooling process) is that these aluminum complexes stick around for a long time, often even after you try to wash them off,” Paas explains. “The longer they stick in your pores, the more likely they are to combine with sweat and leave your clothes stained.”
The good news? Once you make the switch to natural options, your body will detox the old chemicals in about two weeks, which means the sooner you swap, the better. And thanks to handsome packaging and fragrances that sound more like pop songs than personal care (think Myro’s Chill Wave, Pillow Talk, and Solar Flare scents) it’s that much easier to step into the future. Below, the best options to keep your wardrobe, and your vanity, in pristine condition.
