Can a squirt of good bacteria keep you smelling sweet?

PROBIOTICS — good bacteria — are known to help with gut health, but now they’re being harnessed in deodorants.

The theory is that flooding the skin with probiotics will kill the ‘bad’ bacteria that cause body odour, or remove smelly compounds that these bacteria produce.

Here, Jonquille Chantrey, a cosmetic surgeon at Expert Aesthetics clinic in Cheshire, and Kathy Taghipour, a consultant dermatologist at Highgate Private Hospital, assess some of the products available . . .

DayDry Probiotic Deodorant Sage Water

50ml, £10.99, cocooncenter.co.uk A SPRAY that contains sage extracts, saccharomyces — a yeast — and the probiotic lactobacillus.

VERDICT: ‘Unpleasant smells emerge when our skin bacteria break down acids in sweat into bad-smelling components,’ says Dr Taghipour. ‘Lactobacillus is similar to the “good” bacteria used to ferment foods such as yoghurt, and small studies have shown that it can reduce microbial activity on the skin, so I can see why it has been added.’

Dr Chantrey adds: ‘Saccharomyces can “eat” ammonia — one of the elements in sweat that’s broken down to produce unpleasant odour, so this does have deodorant properties.’

Green People Quinoa and Prebiotics Deodorant

75ml, £9.95, greenpeople.co.uk A ROLL-ON that features sunflower oil, shea butter, essential oils, quinoa and a prebiotic, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide, an extract of sugar beet.

VERDICT: ‘The prebiotics here act as food for “good” bacteria present on our skin, helping them multiply,’ says Dr Taghipour. ‘This, in theory, helps restrict the growth of “bad”, odourcausing bacteria.

‘It’s a clever idea, as bacteria compete for space and nutrients on skin, but there’s insufficient evidence to prove that this specific product works.’

Mother Dirt AO+ Mist

100ml, £51.80, functionalself.co.uk THIS mist contains probiotic ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOBs), which feed on some of the components of sweat.

VERDICT: ‘AOBs occur naturally on the skin, but get washed away by soaps,’ says Dr Chantrey.

Dr Taghipour adds: ‘The idea is adding back the “good” bacteria helps reduce dependency on regular deodorants and soaps. This may work to a point, but there’s no guarantee the effect will be powerful enough to control smells.’

OpalStorm Probiotic Solid Deodorant

1oz bar, £2.75, etsy.com A BLEND of natural oils, waxes and probiotics: lactobacillus acidophilus, bifidobacterium bifidum and lactis.

VERDICT: ‘Lactobacillus has been shown to help kill off some bad bacteria on the skin,’ says Dr Chantrey. ‘With regular application, this probiotic could help keep sweaty odours at bay.’

This contains baking soda, which can neutralise odiferous acids created by bad skin bacteria, adds Dr Taghipour. ‘This may keep armpits fresh, but could also irritate some skins.’