The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether different kinds of underarm
deodorants commercially available in Germany might contain substances with estrogenic potential which after use enter the aquatic environment via
wastewater. Twenty five
deodorants produced by ten different manufacturers in the form of sprays, roll-ons and sticks were investigated using an in vitro-test system (E-Screen assay) for the determination of estrogenic activity based on the human
breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Seven out of ten spray
deodorant samples showed a quantifiable estrogenic activity. In the case of the sticks and roll-ons it was only one out of six and one out of nine, respectively. The 17β-estradiol equivalent concentrations (EEQs) of the samples ranged from 0.1 ng g(-1) to 9 ng g(-1)
deodorant. Spray
deodorant samples showed the highest activities in the E-Screen assay compared to the stick and roll-on
deodorants. In order to identify substances possibly contributing to the observed
biological activity the samples were additionally analyzed by GC/MS. The obtained results of this non-target screening led to the selection of 62 single substances present in the
deodorants which for their part were analyzed by E-Screen assay. Eight of these single substances, all of them fragrances, showed
estrogenic effects with
estradiol equivalence factors (EEFs) similar to
parabens, a group of
4-hydroxybenzoic acid esters commonly used as preservatives in
personal care products, which are known to have a slight
estrogenic effect. Thus, these fragrances are obviously responsible to a substantial degree for the observed estrogenic activity of the
deodorants.