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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Arwa Mahdawi

You can get a lot of great products in the US – so why do the deodorants stink?

A young woman happily applying a roll-on deodorant in front of a mirror
Roll with it … the joy of a roll-on deodorant. Photograph: Ridofranz/Getty Images/iStockphoto

My mum, who lives in England, is coming to visit me in Philadelphia soon and I have given her strict instructions on what to bring from the motherland. Namely, deodorant. You can get a lot of things in the US – it is a land of excess – but the deodorant offerings here stink.

Most American women, you see, tend to use stick deodorants. In the UK, meanwhile, it’s far more normal for women to use a roll-on. Or, at least, its far more normal for shops to stock a wide range of roll-ons. I don’t have some sort of degree in deodorant studies, I should probably note; I have not done extensive market research on this matter. This assertion is based on empirical data gathered over a lifetime of deodorant shopping, along with several years of arguing with my American wife about our underarm preferences. She thinks roll-on deodorant is (trigger warning: an objectionable word is about to appear) moist and leaves a wet sensation. I think that stick deodorant feels clammy and flaky. Clearly I am right.

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