It's REALLY hot down here in the Deep South. We're already kickin' mid 90's. Seriously.
Combine that with the fact that I am a natural-born sweaty-girl, and you've got the probability for an unpleasant situation. I decided to try out the new "clinical strength" deodorants to see how they perform.
Now, straight away, I'll tell you that I don't have any special scientific means for gauging their performance. I applied Suave to my left underarm and Secret to my right each day for a week. I'm going by the wet-factor and the sniff-test. I know...I know...you can officially be grossed out now.
Well, if I haven't lost you already, I can assume you're still here because you WANT to know how well these work. So let's get right to the point.
First, let me say that this is subjective. Different people's bodies have different chemistry (I assume), so what works for one person may not work as well for another. That said, I'll tell you how these worked out for ME.
I used Suave Clinical Protection (Powder Fresh scent) and Secret Clinical Strength (Ooh-la-la Lavender scent).
Suave weighs in at 1.7 oz for $4.99 at Drugstore.com
Secret weighs in at 1.6 oz for $7.29 at Drugstore.com
I observed that both of these have the same active ingredient - Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex GLY - with both having 20% of it. They only differ slightly in the "inactive ingredients". But they do differ. Maybe that's why they differ slightly in performance, too?
They both seem to hold up to the heat better than "regular" deodorant. Not a HUGE amount better, but a noticeable amount. They both leave a very thick layer of leftover "goop" that you can't shave through effectively. I don't care what you do, you can't seem to get it off good enough to shave "right". I'm using exfoliating body wash with a pair of scratchy bathing gloves, followed up with a scrub with my husband's bar soap. I still end up with a layer of deodorant on my razor and not very effectively shaved pits. Not fun. This is a pet peeve for me. This would be what would cause me to give up on "clinical" deodorants all together. I get that this very thing, plugging up your sweat glands, is what makes them work, but it's hard to deal with.
Suave is easy to "click" up and apply. Secret, no so much. I have to grab a hand towel to grip the dial and really work to get the dial to click a couple of times so I can apply it. This could be really bothersome for someone with arthritis. I do wish Secret would fix this. Who wants to wrestle with a deodorant application when you're trying to get on with your grooming?
Day after day, at the end of the day, I gave them both the sniff test. I must say that Secret outperforms Suave in this test. It may be that the Ooh-la-la Lavender masks any odor that is there better than the Suave's Powder Fresh scent can. I don't know. But I do know that each time, the Secret side smells good, while I pick up a hint of "funk" from the Suave side.
In Suave's defense, it does cost less by several dollars. All in all, though, I think that Secret is probably worth paying a little extra for in the summer when it's sweltering and you want to stay fresher longer. After all, how you smell is the true deciding factor, isn't it?
I hereby declare Secret Clinical Strength in Ooh-la-la Lavender the winner of this showdown.
UPDATE:
I recently bought a diff't variety of Secret Clinical Strength (All-Day Fresh Scent), which is also WATERPROOF. I put it on one underarm & put the Suave Clinical Strength on the other one. AGAIN the Secret outperformed the Suave. The "sniff test" revealed the Suave underarm had some stink while the Secret underarm was completely stink-free. And that's in South Florida summer heat & humidity. Waterproof is all the more incentive to purchase this one because we have been living in the pool.
I recently bought a diff't variety of Secret Clinical Strength (All-Day Fresh Scent), which is also WATERPROOF. I put it on one underarm & put the Suave Clinical Strength on the other one. AGAIN the Secret outperformed the Suave. The "sniff test" revealed the Suave underarm had some stink while the Secret underarm was completely stink-free. And that's in South Florida summer heat & humidity. Waterproof is all the more incentive to purchase this one because we have been living in the pool.
