jona173

Vinegar makes the armpits too acidic for the bacteria on your skin. It has the same effect as a deodorant then.

You're correct. I want to know which chemical and biological processes occur that make (metal) salts the most effective way to prevent sweating, especially aluminum.

Metal salts, especially aluminum compounds are used in antiperspirants to prevent sweating. I found out aluminum chloride hexahydrate, which is found in most antiperspirants, undergoes an acid-base reaction with water which causes the proteins to denaturate, thus these proteins are precipitated out as a gel blocking the sweat glands. Additionally, aluminum is able to bind water molecules. However, I would like to understand the biological and chemical processes in more detail as I am not quite sure why there is no effective alternative to metal salts to prevent sweating. There are many compounds that could undergo an acid-base reaction with water. There are also different metal salts which are able to bind several layers of water. My specific questions are: Which biological and chemical processes underlie the effect of antiperspirants that make metal salts so effective? Why are aluminum salts used most commonly?