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Alkaline Minerals + Triethyl Citrate - what am I missing?
I’ve noticed that a lot of anhydrous deodorants based on sodium bicarbonate or magnesium hydroxide use triethyl citrate.
This is a combo that I’ve always dismissed as from what I’ve read the triethyl citrate works as a deodoriser by breaking down into citric acid + ethanol and lowering the pH under the armpit over the day.
Since alkaline minerals are working in pretty much the opposite way, why are so many formulators including this combo?
Are they simply using it as an emollient (although many claim the deodorising properties of triethyl citrate in their copy, and it’s expensive for that purpose)?
One of the manufacturers says it’s not suitable for use in alkaline stick deodorants however I assume this is talking specifically about sodium stearate sticks rather than anhydrous.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! 🙂
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2 Replies
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You aren’t missing much beyond how clueless some of the people who formulate are. 🙂
I have had this very discussion privately with some of the brilliant….and we concluded….I believe correctly, these folks simply looked around the industry and saw the heavy use of TEC on inci’s, and concluded they should use it as well. As I have difficulty concluding the group that makes high pH deo products have much understanding of skin or science…. I think this is quite plausible. Call it what you like…label envy…copy cat…etc.
I guess for me…. I could not find ANY product on the market that was acceptable, so when I jumped in….inci admiration had no value….and I went straight to the science.
So yes, I use TEC, but in a pH below 4. (Emulsified cream….due to the stick builders being irritants to me.)
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Some of these brands are not exactly small (although none of them seem to be owned by the big multinationals), hence why I thought I could be missing something.
The only other thing I can think of is that the release of citric acid means that the mostly insoluble magnesium hydroxide actually dissolves as it neutralises the acid. But that could also mean that the mechanism of the product is ‘used up’ more quickly than without that addition, as obviously sweat itself is slightly acidic and this reaction is taking place anyway. But I can’t find any references to anything like that anywhere so that’s just an out there attempt at justification.
It might just be that people find it marketed as a deo active, it’s oil soluble so it works in their anhydrous formula, and away they go.
I actually have tried adding it to a product and IMO it made the product less effective, but I only tried it on myself. 😶
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