Best Antiperspirants for Men for 2025: Dermatologist-Ranked | U.S. News (2025)

Antiperspirants for Men

Antiperspirants are not the same thing as deodorants. Deodorants reduce the odor from sweat. Antiperspirants, however, reduce the amount of sweat you produce, so you stay drier and smell less.

When applied, the active ingredients in antiperspirants – aluminum-based salts, such as aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium – temporarily block the pores just below your skin. This prevents sweat from flowing to the surface.

When and Where to Use Antiperspirants

Most people begin using underarm products around puberty, when their sweat glands become active and body odor begins to develop.

Because antiperspirants block sweat production, they’re helpful for people who live in hot, muggy climates and people who experience hyperhidrosis, a condition that involves excessive sweating, not necessarily related to heat or exercise. People with hyperhidrosis may want to apply antiperspirant to their hands, feet or face, in addition to their underarms, depending on where they’re affected.

While most people probably apply antiperspirant in the morning, the best time to apply it is at night.

“This is based on studies demonstrating that antiperspirants work better when applied to dry skin when sweat production is minimal – typically at night,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Shoshana Marmon, an assistant professor of dermatology at New York Medical College.

Most antiperspirants are effective for at least 24 hours, or until you wash it off.

How Are Men’s Antiperspirants Different From Women’s?

Men’s sweat really does smell worse than women’s sweat to most people. That’s because men’s sweat has higher levels of a chemical that produces a cheesy, rancid smell. Women’s sweat tends to smell more like fruit and onions.

“Men generally begin sweating sooner and at a higher volume than women,” Marmon adds.

Despite these differences, men’s and women’s antiperspirants have basically the same composition in terms of active ingredients and strength, she says. They differ primarily in fragrance and packaging. Men’s antiperspirants often have a woodsy, spicy or herbal aroma, while women’s are more likely to be floral.

How to Choose the Best Men’s Antiperspirant

As with anything you apply to your skin, you should consider whether you have sensitive or normal skin. If your skin tends to be reactive, look for products that use aluminum zirconium or aluminum chlorohydrate, which are often gentler on the skin, causing less irritation.

Marmon says people with sensitive skin should also avoid antiperspirants with:

Instead, opt for fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and moisturizing formulas.

Your decision should also take into account how much you typically sweat. For most people, over-the-counter antiperspirants will work. If you produce more sweat than average, look for an “extra strength” or “clinical strength” formulation. If your sweating is severe, you may have hyperhidrosis and should consult with your physician, who may recommend a prescription-strength antiperspirant.

Whether you choose a solid, gel, spray, roll-on or wipes is largely a matter of personal preference.

“You might consider whether or not the product leaves a residue or the consistency when the product dries,” Marmon says.

Many people find that solids are convenient for travel, and sprays and wipes are often easiest to apply to sweaty feet.

Side Effects and Precautions

Side effects from antiperspirants can include:

Natural Alternatives

While there’s technically no such thing as a natural antiperspirant, some people find that witch hazel and arrowroot can help control moisture. These natural products can be applied to areas where you sweat to help dry out your skin.

Some products are marketed as aluminum free. But Marmon notes that “products marketed as ‘aluminum-free antiperspirants’ are typically deodorants – they mask odor but don’t prevent sweating.”

When to See a Doctor About Sweating

We commonly think about sweating from our armpits, but most people also occasionally sweat from their head, face, hands or feet. If you regularly sweat from any of these areas so heavily that your sweat regularly soaks through your clothing – or your sweat makes everyday activities like shaking hands, holding a pencil or raising your arm difficult or uncomfortable – you might have hyperhidrosis.

A dermatologist or physician can help you get the treatment you need, whether it’s a prescription-strength antiperspirant or another option.

You might also want to consult a dermatologist if you develop ongoing irritation with antiperspirant use.

The Best OTC Medicine & Health Products are based on the reviews of nearly 500 independent pharmacists and dermatologists.

U.S. News partnered with The Harris Poll, a global market research and consulting firm with more than 65 years of experience conducting surveys. For the 2025 rankings, The Harris Poll randomly assigned 133 over-the-counter categories of health or personal care products to 357 pharmacists and 134 dermatologists who practice in the U.S. and asked them to rank their top three brands for each category based on what products they would most recommend to consumers.

Independence and transparency

Across the 133 categories that were evaluated, each category included between five and 10 products representing their respective brands that could be ranked. More than 1,100 products were included in the survey. The products included in each category were selected to represent their respective brands based on input by several independent pharmacists and dermatologists on our

. The list of products were finalized by the health editorial team to ensure all products can be purchased without a prescription and are readily available at most pharmacies or pharmacy sections of grocery stores in the U.S.

We independently evaluate the products we recommend. Brands do not pay to be included or ranked in our survey. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The dermatologists and pharmacists who participated in the survey were paid a small honorarium by The Harris Poll for their time.

OTC category winners

Pharmacists and dermatologists selected their top three brands from representative products in each OTC category assigned to them. At least 112 dermatologists evaluated each skincare-related category and at least 108 pharmacists evaluated each of the other categories. For each evaluation, the top-ranked brand received 5 points, the second-place brand was awarded 3 points and the third-place brand earned 1 point. All unranked brands were given 0 points. Points were averaged for each brand. The results were then rescaled so the winner in each category scored 100 points, and the scores for other brands were expressed as percentages of the top score. Brands were then ranked according to their rescaled scores. Scores were rounded to the nearest whole number.

Category winners and brands that scored within the margin of error of the category winner and achieved a score of 80 or higher were given a Gold Badge in that category. The results: 196 brands received a Gold Badge. In total, 849 products are displayed. Brands that received a score of less than 10 were not included in the final display list. See our full methodology here.