100 simple things we take for granted: #6 Deodorant

#6 Deodorant

By Africanlegend
Deodorant is somewhat of an unsung hero. It is only appreciated in its absence. Usually after a long arduous days work and the effects of your deodorant wear off and you begin to suffocate in your own odor which seems to grow stronger by the minute. You may be dancing in a club and suddenly a dude walks past you and a tornado-like blast of pungent wind sweeps by you practically knocking you off your feet. He smells like a mixture of dead fish and cattle manure with a light seasoning of flatulence. Have you ever had a coworker that smelled so bad your were unable to work and the flowers you brought to decorate your cubical withered away in their presence? A person that smelled so bad you woke up in the middle of the night able to taste his bad smell in your mouth; a smell so bad it transcended your sense of smell and manifested itself in hearing, sight or even touch?

The fact is, when people smell ok, nobody stands back and says, “Wow! Thank goodness for your deodorant and the hard work its doing neutralizing your otherwise repulsive urea and salt enriched sweat.” In fact if it weren’t for repugnant, abhorrent smelling people would we even acknowledge the presence of deodorant at all?
Deodorant was invented in Philadelphia in 1888, by an inventor whose name seems to have been lost in history and marketed under the brand name “Mum.” Who ever you are, thank you for making offices all over the world a less toxic environment. In the late 1940's, Helen Barnett Diserens joined the Mum invention team and inspired the development of an underarm deodorant based on the same principle as a new invention called the 'ball point' pen. This new type of deodorant applicator was tested in the U.S. in 1952 and was marketed under the name of Ban Roll-On. The modern formulation of the antiperspirant was patented by Jules Montenier on January 28, 1941 and solved the excessive skin irritations caused by it’s predecessors. From that point onwards many companies, including Gillette and Henkel helped antiperspirants develop into the form in which we commonly see it in today (Source).

Notes: During the development of modern day deodorant, two culprits did their level best to keep us smelling like the stinky remnants of our ancestors. The FDA and EPA saw it fit to foolishly protect our environment and health instead of worrying about the impact bad smelling people were having on socializing and the growth of the economy in general.

1) 1977 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the active ingredient used in aerosols, aluminum zirconium chemicals, due to safety concerns over long term inhalation.


2) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limited the use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants used in aerosols due to awareness that these gases can contribute to depleting the ozone layer.

So next time your co-worker walks by you or your friend gives you a hug and it doesn’t smell bad enough to cause you severe nausea, convulsions and asphyxia, think about the unsung hero that never makes the headlines unless in absentia. Viva deodorant, I thank you for my sanity.


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Category: 100 Things we take for GRANTED, Funny, Lists, Relationships