Deodorant and Antiperspirant Use, Awareness of Aluminum Content, and Breast Cancer: An Unmatched Case-Control Study Among Women in Benghazi, Libya

Abstract

Public concern links aluminium-based antiperspirants to breast cancer, but the epidemiological evidence is inconsistent, and no data exist for Libya. We described deodorant and antiperspirant use and awareness of aluminium content among women in Benghazi and compared women with and without breast cancer. In this unmatched case-control study, 50 women with breast cancer at Benghazi Medical Centre and 150 women without cancer completed a self-administered questionnaire between January and March 2025. We compared groups with Fisher's exact and chi-square tests and estimated crude and age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) by logistic regression. Awareness was low in both groups: 26.2% of controls and 26.5% of cases read ingredient labels, and 11.7% and 10.0% had noticed aluminium among the ingredients. Cases were older than controls (78.0% versus 32.7% aged 40 years or more). After age adjustment, breast cancer was associated with product use for more than 10 years (OR 5.46, 95% CI 2.41–12.36), hormone replacement therapy (OR 5.88, 95% CI 2.02–17.08), and a family history of breast cancer (OR 3.64, 95% CI 1.56–8.50). Exclusive antiperspirant use (OR 2.22, 95% CI 0.85–5.78), application immediately after hair removal (OR 2.39, 95% CI 0.97–5.90), and razor use (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.25–1.71) showed no significant association. Few women read labels or knew that their products contained aluminium, which supports consumer education and clearer labelling. The association with long-term use may reflect residual confounding and recall bias. Larger age-matched studies with objective exposure measurement are needed.