Vananners asks…What do the Beauty Brains think about the new Dove Visibly Smooth Deodorant that supposed to minimize hair growth? I’ve been using it about 3 weeks now and feel like I’ve noticed a difference. The hair seems to grow slower, is softer and easier to shave.
The Left Brain replies:
As I pointed out in the Forum, hair growth minimizers are more marketing than anything else. If the product actually worked to slow down hair growth then it would be considered a drug and require much more extensive testing. In fact, if you check the claims that Dove’s website makes about Visibly Smooth, you’ll see that they do NOT claim that it does reduces hair growth.
Dove Visibly Smooth claims
- Conditions your underarm skin from the first time you use it
- Minimizes the visible appearance of underarm hair over time
- Within weeks you’ll notice hair feels softer, finer and easier to remove
- Hair should be less noticeable between shaves and you may need to shave less often.
- Hair growth is not slowed down
How does ProEpil Complex work?
The “reason to believe” ingredient in Visibly Smooth is Dove’s “ProEpil complex.” According to the website, the complex is a mixture of ingredients including sunflower oil and Dove’s “1/4 translucent moisturizers” what ever that means. It sounds like these conditioners make the hair softer and less likely to “stick up” so razor stubble is less noticeable.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Dove Visibly Smooth doesn’t claim to reduce hair growth, it only claims to make underarm hair look and feel less noticeable. How does the product accomplish this? None of the information from Dove makes this perfectly clear, but it appears to be by conditioning underarm hair. Still, it’s not surprising that you think you notice a difference after using the product. Marketing messages are extremely powerful persuaders.
Do YOU worry about underarm stubble? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been wondering if you would post on this. I tried it because I liked the smell and was actually sort of nervous about what it might be doing, if it really was inhibiting hair growth. but after a full stick of it, I’ve seen no apprciable difference. good to know it’s just conditioning my stubble, because otherwise I like it.
I know this isn’t contributing to the discussion, but the image is too cute! Hare under arm (or is it under-arm hare?). xD
@Angel: I’m so glad that someone got the joke with the under arm hare picture. (Left Brain wrote the post but I got to pick the picture.)
I’ve been using this product for about a month, and haven’t really noticed any lessening of the need to shave. What I have noticed, however, is the smell. I love the wild rose smell!
Go for waxing or use an epilator like Braun Silk Epil. By using an epilator, you will remove the hair from the roots, leaving the area hair free longer.
Uh, just gotta say it…why are you so negative?
Who cares if these products don’t slow down hair growth. If the special conditioners in these products make stubble softer and less noticeable by possibly thinning the hair, that’s enough for some of us.
Ilusion is everything.
Where you can buy this product I checked in few stores and it is not there?
One time I used my shampoo/conditioner on my arm hair, and it made it seem less obvious…
I am sorry but I have to burst Dove’s bubble! I just switched to this deodorant this weekend and I have such an allergic reaction going on to it. The whole area surrounding my armpits has broken out in an itchy painful rash. I dunno… I usually use heavy antiperspirants loaded with fragrance and never have an allergic reaction to anything I put on my skin… except Nair and similar depilatories. My opinion is that there must be some in Dove’s Visibly Smooth deodorant.
I find it appalling that people call critical thinking ‘negative’. And the idea that illusion is positive is extraordinarily dangerous. I guess that’s ‘negative’ thinking too, although by my definition exposing negative practices, like marketing hogwash, is extremely positive. What’s negative to me is people wishing to silence criticism, however founded, by labeling it ‘negative’. Besides, does this review in any way say don’t use this product just because it softens the hairs, rather than reducing growth? No it doesn’t. It simply informs us of how this is likely to work and how the company’s advertising attempts to mislead us. And guess what? I care to know the difference so I can make an informed choice. Anyone who prefers illusion is free not to read this blog.
Last year I was sent a deodorant in the mail to test out it didn’t tell me what the deal was all I know was it was a Dove product because it had the logo imprinted in the deodorant itself it was a full size off the shelf sample. After 3 weeks I filled out a questionaire and it asked if it had softened/reduced the growth which it had. Boy was I glad to see a commercial on the stuff today! Especially once I had run out and didn’t know exactly what the product was. It was about 2 months after I had to go back to shaving every day
i wax my underarms and i think i will give this a try to it seems good for the summer but dose it reduce the hair growth ?
I can be outspoken about what I felt was The latest attack on women’s ridiculous insecurities & poor self images…The new round of deodorants that are promising us pretty armpits! I recall explaining to my mother why this deodoarant was so expensive and how stupid it was! Promising to keep me stubble free & shave less often, I mean for god’s sake first you need a mani ,pedi then a touch up & maybe a nose job or breast implants before you should ever leave the house you horrendous creature & how dare your parents have inbred & pissed in your gene pool so manytimes that now you cant be seen with “those” armpits!! you freak!! Well I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong & here it goes…Dear Secret & Dove I owe you an apology. Here you have kept me from smelling like a kitty litter box all these years & I hadn’t even looked at my armpits, Thank you so much for saving me from my ignorance! Now I understand the angry villagers burning torches chasing me down the streets whenever I wore a tube top! all kidding aside rumor has it these new deodorants on the market contain a below prescription amount of a compund similar in composition but w/ no rx requried to Vaniqua the stop hair growth drug women use for facial hair? So if they are filled with moisturizer & a hair thinning agent I do not know for certain. But in my experience I actually lasted longer before I turn in to a cave women. They are a lil more money than your average deodorant but they seem to be really working & my neighbors have stopped singing the ch chc ch chia pet song when I’m in the yard. So check out Dove’s visibly smooth