You probably crossed paths with this article because of the controversy surrounding Old Spice, a company that’s governed by Procter and Gamble (P&G).
Is it a bad company? Are its products dangerous to health?
If these questions are lurking in your mind and need answers, this is the right article.
These questions are prevalent among prospective customers of the company.
As much as Old Spice is one of the leading men grooming products, the company has never been far from controversy as negative reviews have been reported about its products.
Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the brand, alleging there are harmful ingredients in their products, especially the deodorants and antiperspirants.
What follows is an extensive review of the company, its products, ingredients, and possible side effects
Table of Contents
About the Brand
Old Spice is an American brand that produces a wide range of men grooming products.
Its products include deodorants and antiperspirants, soaps, body washes, and aftershave.
Old is famous for its numerous manly scented products and relatively low prices.
Procter & Gamble(P&G) is the parent company of Old Spice.
It’s an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In the past years, P&G has faced legal actions on Child labor, forced labor, animal testing, and price fixing.
To answer whether Old Spice is bad or not, we need to demystify each product, especially the popular ones.
We’ll be doing that in the next section.
Is Old Spice Bad for You?
Should you be buying Old Spice deodorants and antiperspirants? Before answering the question, let’s look at a few definitions…
The way deodorants and antiperspirants work differ, and so do the ingredients.
Deodorants help mask the smell of sweat to prevent body odor, while antiperspirants work by blocking the sweat glands from releasing sweat, thereby preventing odors.
The substance antiperspirant used for this purpose is aluminum, which is known to be dangerous.
So like every other antiperspirant, all the 14 types of Old Spice antiperspirants contain the necessary evil “aluminum” in them.
Old Spice uses two types of aluminum: aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly.
Aluminum is linked to cancer and Alzheimers, despite no conclusive evidence.
Furthermore, there’s no certainty on how much aluminum the skin can absorb.
So it’s not necessarily a danger but a “possible” one. Deodorants are much safer than antiperspirants.
So if anything, you may probably be looking at purchasing Old Spice deodorants, rather than the brand’s antiperspirants.
Old Spice Body Wash: Is it Bad For You?
Old Spice body washes are formulated with ingredients to cleanse the body of dirt.
The products make a rich, refreshing lather and contain moisturizer to clean the body while eradicating dryness.
Regarding ingredients, Old Spice uses natural and artificial ingredients to make the product.
The ingredients contain fragrance and benzene, both linked to harmful side effects.
The fragrance contains more than 30 unknown chemicals on average.
These chemicals can affect sensitive skin and are the leading cause of contact allergy.
Similarly, benzene is linked to causing cancer in humans.
The FDA reports that it shouldn’t be used for manufacturing cosmetics and drugs because of its toxicity.
However, insufficient information supports the claims that these ingredients are dangerous.
Besides, Old Spice uses these ingredients in little to moderate amounts, according to the label.
The amounts are significantly small, and the risk of side effects is low.
Old Spice Shampoos: Ingredients Check
Old Spice shampoos have common ingredients present in most other shampoos.
Most of these ingredients are generally safe, but few may pose side effects to the hair.
The key elements include natural oil extracts, plant extracts, surfactants, silicone, fragrance, and preservatives.
The shampoos contain sulfates, silicone, and other ingredients that may possibly cause scalp irritation, dryness, and allergic reaction.
On another note, Old Spice shampoos do contain nourishing ingredients such as biotin to help improve and maintain hair loss.
More like a double-edged sword.
The drying effect of sulfates is also balanced with the presence of other gentle surfactants.
Old Spices combine these ingredients to achieve a balanced and positive effect on hair.
So the shampoos pose less risk since they contain a minimal amount of toxic ingredients.
However, people with fragrance allergies should be careful with the products.
Verdicts
Old Spice makes a wide range of grooming products that most customers have attested to their effectiveness.
The brand is one of the leading beauty and cosmetic brands, especially for men. The products are free of harmful ingredients such as parabens and phthalates.
Even though some customers have reported side effects such as acne, rashes, and skin burn from using Old Spice products, there’s no saying that they will be bad for you.
Since our skin differs, your result may be positive. But you have to use the product first.
Moreover, these claims are mostly linked to people that have sensitive skin.
Generally, the products have less risk of harmful effects, but we recommend you do a skin or body patch test before using Old Spice products to be safer.