Ever wonder how your deodorants stop you from smelling like you
ran three miles in the hot sun? It may because your product contains
cyclodextrin. This chemical compound is known for its odour absorbing properties
(1, 2), and may be why you can have a full period of gym class and still be
smelling like you got out of the shower afterwards. Old Spice, Gillette, and Secret
(3, 4, 5) are examples of brands that contain this compound. Cyclodextrin works
well in a product like deodorant or antiperspirant because it exists as a solid
white powder (6, 7), so it is easily integrated with other ingredients to from
the solid stick that is typical for this kind of product.
Deodorants are not the only type of odour reducing product
that contain cyclodextrins, some air fresheners do as well (5). The way that
these two different products act is similar. Cyclodextrin is a cyclic molecule
– that is, it looks like a doughnut. When either of these products are applied, odour-causing
particles become trapped in the “doughnut hole” of the cyclodextrin molecule, negating
the effects of the odour-causing molecule (8, 9). Many products will also
contain additional fragrance to replace the undesirable odours as well.
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But where does cyclodextrin come from? While this compound
is synthesized in a laboratory setting, cyclodextrin is naturally derived from
vegetables containing amylose, such as potatoes. The amylose is then exposed to
a set of enzymes that convert it into the circular compound (1, 2).
Odour absorbing is not the only thing that cyclodextrin
can do; it may also be used as a dietary fibre additive to help people lose
weight because it can bind to nine times its weight in fat molecules, instead
of the fat being absorbed during the digestion process (1, 10). It is also
being investigated as a way for moving drugs into the body by placing
pharmaceuticals inside the compound, in the same hole in the ring that an odour-causing
particle would enter (11).
So check your products, are you using cyclodextrin? A
chemical that may sound advanced, but is virtually harmless when used in our
everyday lives at moderate levels (7).
References
(1)
Alpha-Cyclodextrin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Cyclodextrin
(accessed October 29, 2014).
(2)
Cyclodextrins. In Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry[Online];
Wiley & Sons, Posted January 15, 2013. http://library.mtroyal.ca:2206/doi/10.1002/14356007.e08_e02/full
(accessed November 4, 2014).
(3) Fiji Antiperspirant.
http://oldspice.com/en/content/fiji-antiperspirant (accessed December 6, 2014).
(4) Gillette
Clinical Antiperspirant & Deodorant, Fresh. http://www.drugstore.com/gillette-clinical-antiperspirant-and-deodorant-fresh/qxp172220
(accessed December 6, 2014).
(5) U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services. Cyclodextrin, n.d. Household
Products Database. http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/household/search?queryx=12619-70-4&tbl=TblChemicals&prodcat=all
(accessed October 30, 2014).
(6)
AlphaCyclodextrin, 2013. DrugBank. http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01909
(accessed November 1, 2014).
(7) α-cyclodextrin; MSDS No. C4642
[Online]; Sigma-Aldrich: St. Louis, MO, July 11, 2014. http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/MSDS/MSDS/DisplayMSDSPage.do?country=CA&language=en&productNumber=C4642&brand=SIGMA&PageToGoToURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sigmaaldrich.com%2Fcatalog%2Fproduct%2Fsigma%2Fc4642%3Flang%3Den
(accessed November 3, 2014).
(8) Cyclodextrin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclodextrin
(accessed October 31, 2014).
(9) Frequently
Asked Questions. http://media.gillette.com/deodorant/en-GB/faq.shtml
(accessed December 6, 2014).
(10)
Comerford, K.B., Artiss, J.D., Catherine Jen, K. L., & Karakas, S.E. The
beneficial effects of a-cyclodextrin on blood lipids and weight loss in healthy
humans. Obesity 2011, 19, 1200-1204. http://library.mtroyal.ca:2206/doi/10.1038/oby.2010.280/full
(accessed October 24, 2014).
(11) Bader,
R. A.; Putnam, D. A. Engineering Polymer Systems for Improved Drug Delivery [Online];
John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2014; p 413. http://library.mtroyal.ca:2052/lib/mtroyal/reader.action?docID=10829818
(accessed November 4, 2014).
(12) Cyclodextrin.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyclodextrin.svg
(accessed October 31, 2014).
