Deodorant feels like something people have always used. It is younger than you might think. The first deodorant dates back to 1888, and plenty of people did not think they needed it until advertisers convinced them. Here is the short version of how we got from there to the stick in your bathroom.
1888: The First Deodorant Was a Zinc Cream
The first deodorant, called Mum, dates back to 1888 in Philadelphia, according to the Smithsonian and other histories. It was a cream you rubbed into your underarms, and it was made with zinc. McGill University's Office for Science and Society describes it as a paste that contained zinc oxide, which has some antibacterial properties. In other words, the very first deodorant worked on odor, not on sweat.
1903: The First Antiperspirant
Fifteen years later, in 1903, Everdry arrived. It is generally considered the first commercial antiperspirant, and it used aluminum chloride to cut down sweat. That split is still with us. Deodorant works on odor, and antiperspirant uses aluminum to reduce sweat. Our guide to deodorant vs. antiperspirant covers how each one works today.
1912: Atlantic City
In Cincinnati, a surgeon named Abraham Murphey made a liquid to keep his hands dry in the operating room. His daughter, Edna Murphey, named it Odorono and set out to sell it. Like Everdry, it used aluminum chloride. Sales were slow until the summer of 1912, when she took it to an exposition in Atlantic City. As the weather heated up, so did interest.
1919: A Frank Discussion
Even then, many women did not think they needed it, according to research by Odorono's ad agency, J. Walter Thompson. So in 1919, copywriter James Young ran an ad in the Ladies' Home Journal headlined "Within the Curve of a Woman's Arm," with the line "A frank discussion of a subject too often avoided." Some readers were so insulted that they canceled their subscriptions. Odorono's sales still rose 112% the next year, to $417,000.
The 1950s and 1960s: Roll-Ons and Sprays
In the late 1940s, Helen Barnett Diserens, who worked for the company that made Mum, came up with an underarm applicator based on the newly invented ballpoint pen. Roll-ons reached stores in the early 1950s. Aerosol sprays followed in the 1960s.
Back Where It Started
More than a century later, natural deodorant has a lot in common with that first zinc cream. Our baking soda free formula uses zinc oxide to fight odor, and our jars are a paste you smooth on with your fingertips. Our extra strength formula uses baking soda instead. Neither one uses aluminum. Both do the job deodorant was invented to do, which is control odor.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was deodorant invented?
The first deodorant, Mum, dates back to 1888. It was a cream made with zinc that you rubbed into your underarms.
What was the first antiperspirant?
Everdry, from 1903, is generally considered the first commercial antiperspirant. It used aluminum chloride to cut down sweat.
When did roll-on deodorant come out?
Roll-ons reached stores in the early 1950s. The applicator was inspired by the ballpoint pen.
What was the first deodorant made of?
Its active ingredient was zinc. McGill University's Office for Science and Society describes it as a paste that contained zinc oxide.
The Frank Bottom Line
Deodorant started in 1888 as a zinc cream that worked on odor. Antiperspirant came along in 1903 and used aluminum to cut down sweat. More than a century later, natural deodorant is back to that first idea. Try our baking soda free jar or baking soda free stick, both made with zinc oxide, or our extra strength baking soda stick.
