Over the Counter Antiperspirants: A Brief Guide

Antiperspirants are usually the first line of defense for Excessive Sweating, and works reasonably well for a good proportion of hyperhidrosis patients. This post is a brief guide to buying over the counter antiperspirants for hyperhidrosis.

Over the Counter Antiperspirants Vs. Regular Antiperspirants

While you may begin with using a regular antiperspirant in the affected area, these do not usually provide satisfactory relief from excessive sweat. There are several stronger (clinical strength) and specialized antiperspirants for hyperhidrosis that  may be more effective. There are a large number of clinical strength antiperspirant options (brands, strengths, formula, form etc) available in the market. Many of really high strength antiperspirants for hyperhidrosis may require a prescription in certain markets, while others with a lower strength (but much higher than the regular ones) are available over the counter.

In USA, the FDA allows over-the-counter sale of antiperspirants containing 15%-25% aluminum (with the figure varying based on the specific compound being used).

Antiperspirant Effectiveness for Different Types of Hyperhidrosis

One thing to note is that Antiperspirants for hyperhidrosis are usually more effective for the underarm region (as compared to hands, feet or face). This is primarily because the skin on palms and feet is much thinker than armpits, thus making absorption of antiperspirant more tricky.

Update: A new set of products based on Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate have been found to be effective for palmar hyperhidrosis. See review of Carpe antiperspirant.

There is definitely no harm in trying antiperspirants for palmar or plantar hyperhidrosis – it may work for you!

Popular over the counter antiperspirants for hyperhidrosis

In general, most over the counter antiperspirants contain some form of aluminum based compound as being the main active ingredient (though there are some exceptions) – mostly aluminum chloride or aluminum chlorohydrate. However, these compounds may result in skin irritation, so other compounds have been gaining popularity in recent years (e.g. aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex glycine). However, Aluminium Chloride remains the most popular compound in most OTC antiperspirants.

Table: Popular Over the counter Antiperspirants for Hyperhidrosis

Brand	Forms	Pricing	Compount	Strength	Amazon Link
DuraDry	Solid	High	Aluminium Zirconium Trichlorohydrex and Aluminum Chloride	Stong (~20%)	Check Review 15% off coupon code HHN15 – buy
Certain Dri	Roll on, Solid, Pads	Low	aluminum chloride.	not very strong (~15%)	Amazon/Ebay
Odaban	Spray, Lotion	Medium	aluminum chloride.	Stong (~20%)	Amazon/Ebay
Drysol	Dab on, Solution	Medium	aluminum chloride.	Stong (~20%)	Amazon/Ebay
Maxim	Wipes, Roll-on	Low	aluminum chloride.	Deodorant	Amazon/Ebay
Driclor	Roll-on, Solution	Low	aluminum chloride.	Stong (~20%)	Amazon/Ebay
SweatBlock	Wipes	High	aluminum chloride.	not very strong (~14%)	Review, Amazon/Ebay
Dove	Solid	Very High	aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly (20%)	Strong (~20%)	Amazon/Ebay
Secret Clinical Strength	Clear Gel	Medium	Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex Gly	Strong (~20%)	Amazon
Carpe Antiperspirant Lotion	Lotion	High	Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate	Medium (15%)	Review, Buy

 

Also check out this post about various hyperhidrosis treatments comparison