I used to use Lady Mitchum aka Mitchum for Women, but one day was browsing and saw Mitchum (presumably for men). Since they had Unscented and I wouldn’t smell manly, and the active ingredient was 25% vs Lady Mitchum’s 20%, I got the men’s. Plus, sometimes a trip to the hardware store is my idea of shopping, so I can be a Mitchum Man when I need to be.
Half asleep this morning, I gazed unfocusedly at the two sticks in front of me in the cabinet and noticed that they both have the slogan “with the maximum level of active ingredient”. Huh? 20% vs 25% ?
Lady Mitchum: Aluminum Zirconium Tetracholorohydrex GLY 20% (antiperspirant)
I don’t know why there is a difference between men’s and women’s antiperspirant, but I would guess that it has to do with slight changes in the pH. These aluminum compounds react to the pH increase produced from your sweat to form a gel that plugs your sweat glands. It’s possible that women tend to have sweat that is at a slightly different pH so the formula may need to be different. My guess is that the pH’s are similar enough that men’s deoderant will work for a woman and vice versa.
As for the difference between the two active ingredients, it is difficult to tell since neither of those compounds have discrete compositions. Aluminum sesquichlorohydrate is a polymer with variable chlorine and hydroxide content. I can’t be certain, but it looks like aluminum zirconium tetrachlorate is also a polymer with variable quantities. The end result is that the different components may have different upper limits on the concentrations.