‘Bedtime Deodorants’ Are a Thing Now. Here’s Why They Should Be

I WAS never much of an ‘apply-deodorant-before-going-to-sleep’ kind of girl. I always layered on my favorite Dove deodorant in the morning and, of course, did touch-ups throughout the day. But the thought of swiping on a few passes before crawling into bed never really registered. That was, until a few years ago, when perimenopause began creeping in. I started experiencing night sweats and, as gross as it sounds, how I smelled slowly changed.

Suddenly, my deodorant routine flipped a switch. I found myself applying not one, but two different antiperspirant deodorants at night. After my nightly shower, I’d pat myself dry and spray on antiperspirant. Then, right before climbing into bed, I’d swipe on a cream-based stick. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, or maybe I was onto something, but my double-deodorant method kept my underarms bone dry with nary a sweat mark.

Meet the experts: Giselle Orentas is the founder and CEO of Balangy, a premium body care brand. Kseniya Kobets, MD, is the director of cosmetic dermatology at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care in Elmsford, New York. Marisa Garshick, MD, is a New York board-certified dermatologist.

I know I’m not the only one who wears deodorant to sleep. And by the looks of it, brands are trying to make it a trend. Case in point: Balangy, a premium botanical body care line for hormonal wellness that’s designed to work with the body’s natural rhythms at every phase, according to Giselle Orentas, Balangy’s founder and CEO. There’s also Duradry Sweat Minimizing Gel Nighttime Hyperhidrosis Treatment and Secret Clinical Women's 100HR Advanced Night Sweat Protection, to name a few.

But is there anything to this nighttime deodorant movement? Here’s what the experts told me.

Sweat dreams

Before we got any further, let’s make sure we’re getting our terms straight. “Antiperspirants reduce sweating using aluminum salts that form temporary plugs within sweat ducts,” says Kseniya Kobets, MD, director of cosmetic dermatology at Montefiore Einstein Advanced Care in Elmsford, New York. They can help minimize odor by reducing moisture but may not completely control it. Deodorants, on the other hand, can control odor by reducing bacteria, changing skin pH, binding odor molecules, or masking the smell with fragrance, but won’t stop you from perspiring.”

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, the Balangy Balancing Deodorant Stick would fit into the latter category. But unlike a traditional deodorant worn during the day, Orentas says it’s specifically designed to be swiped on overnight. She says it functions as an overnight cleanse, supporting underarm lymphatic flow and neutralizing odor while you sleep. “The formula pairs castor oil and magnesium, two ingredients with a history of supporting the lymphatic system, and gently raises the pH of the underarm to make the area an inhospitable environment for odor-causing bacteria,” Orentas explains. “It also contains zinc, which binds to odor molecules so they can’t be released.”

The nighttime application is the deodorant’s secret sauce. “The product works when the body is in repair mode at night, and the lymphatic system can get support uninterrupted by movement,” says Orentas. “The deodorant battles odor-causing bacteria instead of sealing the underarm shut, so the lymphatic system can naturally drain and clear waste and excess fluid while you sleep.” Since the underarms hold one of the densest concentrations of lymph nodes, Orentas recommends first gently massaging the area with body oil and gua sha to wake up and support lymphatic flow, then apply Balangy. She also suggests women use the deodorant with their cycles, when body odor naturally rises. “In the luteal phase, which is the week before menstruation, odor can run stronger, so a second application after a morning shower is helpful for some women. As your period arrives, less product is often needed.”

Not everyone is buying it. “A deodorant would not be considered an effective treatment for impaired lymphatic drainage or lymphatic obstruction,” says New York board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD, who points out that there is no convincing scientific evidence to support the idea. And while the formula’s ingredients may help you smell fresher, less odor is not evidence of better lymphatic drainage, adds Dr. Kobets. “Lymph doesn’t drain through sweat ducts, a leave-on stick doesn’t replace washing, and there’s no established need to ‘detox’ the underarms after antiperspirant use.”

A simple, effective swap

Yet, in spite of their skepticism of Balangy’s claims, Drs. Kobets and Garshick say Orentas may be onto something with the ‘bedtime deodorant’ concept. Sweat production is typically lower during sleep due to changes in body temperature, circadian rhythms, and autonomic nervous system activity. That slowdown can provide a helpful window of time for antiperspirant ingredients to form those temporary plugs in your sweat ducts and work more effectively. This may be why the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that patients struggling with excessive sweating (aka, hyperhidrosis) apply an antiperspirant product at night.

In addition to this very strong case for nightly antiperspirant use, there’s also the fact that plenty of women sweat while they sleep because of hormonal fluctuations due to perimenopause and menopause (although other conditions can also bring on night sweats). Dr. Garshick says this life stage can affect the body’s temperature-regulating mechanisms and trigger hot flashes which may, in turn, cause night sweats. She’s quick to add that neither of these conditions—hyperhidrosis or night sweats due to perimenopause or menopause—will likely be improved by deodorant use. It’s antiperspirant all the way.

If you’re thinking of changing the timing of your daily antiperspirant swipe, know that sleeping with this product on your pits is generally safe. The same concerns that apply to wearing antiperspirant during the day, like irritation, redness, itching, and contact dermatitis, can also happen at night. “Irritation means the formula is too harsh for your skin; allergy is an immune reaction to an ingredient,” says Dr. Kobets. “Fragrances, essential oils, and certain preservatives can cause allergies, and just because a product is labeled as “natural” doesn’t mean it is nonallergenic.”

If you still wake up drenched come morning, antiperspirant alone probably isn’t cutting it and you might need something stronger. “There are prescription treatments, botulinum toxin injections, which reduce sweating for several months, and MiraDry, which relies on microwave energy to destroy underarm sweat glands for lasting sweat reduction.”

But if nighttime sweat is a problem, wearing antiperspirant to bed may be the simple tweak that makes you more comfortable while you sleep. “To control excessive underarm sweating with or without odor, fragrance-free bedtime antiperspirant, especially prescription versions, makes sense. You’re also treating tomorrow’s sweat, not just tonight’s,” says Dr. Kobets.