Frequently Asked Questions

Sweat is your body’s natural cooling system. Let’s say you’re at the gym, doing a HIIT workout. Your heart pumps faster, your body heats up and you start to sweat. That sweat then cools on your skin, helping to bring your body temperature back down.

But at certain times, our bodies can get ‘tricked’ into thinking we’re heating up, when we’re actually not – particularly during pregnancy or the menopause, when we’re anxious, or sometimes when we’re taking certain sorts of medication.

You can find out more about different types of sweating, and how you can help deal with them, by reading ‘Pregnancy Sweat’, ‘Sweating and the menopause’, ‘What brings on cold sweats?’ and ‘Feeling nervous? Don’t sweat it’.

Everyone sweats a bit when they’re asleep. But if you’re regularly waking up with drenched sheets and nightclothes, it could be time to do something about it. Night sweats can be caused by a number of different things – including alcohol, medications, or hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause. You can find out more by reading ‘What causes night sweats’.

Most anti-perspirants use aluminium salts as an active ingredient. Over time, the aluminium can combine with the salt in your sweat to form those familiar yellow stains. However, we’ve a number of tips to help you deal with them.

To help remove perspiration stains on garments, you might like to try pouring a bit of warm clear vinegar directly onto the affected area and rubbing it into the fabric before placing the item in the wash. In our experience, the following actions have proven to be useful to remove older, more stubborn stains:

If the manufacturer's washing instructions allow, a thick paste of citric acid crystals (one cup) mixed with liquid detergent (half a cup) and carefully applied directly to the affected area of the garment with an old toothbrush usually works. We recommend you keep the garment damp during this process and leave the paste on for several hours or, if possible, overnight.

The aluminium salts used in anti-perspirants can leave chalky marks your skin, which then transfer to your clothes as annoying white marks.

Discover our best tips for dealing with them here – ‘Wave goodbye to white marks’.

And to avoid getting them in the first place, try an anti-perspirant deodorant that’s made specifically for the job – Rexona’s UltraClear Black +White range.

Many substances in the air can cause pollution, including nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are used everyday products such as paint and adhesive, and they can also be found in anti-perspirants and deodorants.

However, we’re taking steps to help minimise the environmental impact of our products. We’ve made our regular aerosol cans smaller so they use less gas. We’ve also re-engineered the spray system, so it takes less gas to deliver the same amount of product. Together, this has cut the carbon footprint of each can by about 25%.

Find out more about what we’re doing to help protect the planet.

Whether our packs can be recycled often depends on what facilities are available in different countries.

We’re also doing a number of things to help make our products more easily recyclable, in more parts of the world:

Reducing the amount of aluminium in our cans – we’re developing new methods of manufacture and new, stronger alloys, which require less material.
Making removable actuators - enabling customers to remove the actuator before putting it into recycling allows the plastic to be recovered.
We’re developing a new roll-on, which will be lighter and contains more post-consumer recycled (PCR) material.

Aluminium salts have been used for decades as the active ingredient in anti-perspirants, to control sweat and body odour. Aluminium also has the handy secondary benefit of being a preservative. So it helps our products last longer.

We use palm oil to help improve the texture of our products, so they feel pleasant on your skin. You may have heard negative things about it. But experts have said that the problem isn’t palm oil itself, but the irresponsible sourcing of it.

That’s why we’re working with our partners to drive lasting change, both within our own supply chain and across the wider palm oil industry, to secure a supply that’s 100% sustainable.

To find out more, read what we’re doing to transform the palm oil industry.

Some people find they’re sensitive to anti-perspirants and deodorants, leading to irritation or a rash. This can be caused by the fragrance that’s added, or sometimes by other ingredients, such as alcohol or aluminium salts.

If you’re sensitive to perfumes, or have a history of eczema, then try a fragrance-free product. You may find that clears it up. You can also try using a moisturiser alongside your anti-perspirant or deodorant.

If you’re still concerned about any skin irritation you’re experiencing, it may be worth having a chat with your doctor, to get further advice.

'0% Alcohol' or 'Alcohol Free' is claimed on pack for antiperspirant / deodorant products that do not contain ethanol (ethyl-alcohol). This is common practice within the cosmetic industry including with our competitors.

No. Our Shield products have a wide variety of fragrances available to suit your tastes. If you are looking for a lighter fragrance, our female sensitive roll on uses a clean fragrance, which provides you with the same Shield care & protection, but with a less noticeable scent.

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