There are so many reasons you shouldn’t try this deodorant makeup hack

One of the greatest things about the internet are the hundreds of thousands of beauty tutorials, tips, tricks, and hacks out there. You can find an easy and creative way to do everything from applying your liner better to making your lipstick last longer. However, not all hacks are created equally. Some are useless or have no science backing them up, while some are just downright dangerous. One potentially misguided hack making the rounds is using deodorant on your face as a makeup primer and to mattify your t-zone. One such tutorial is the below, posted by Shabnam H. Khawja, an Instagram beauty guru.

Basically, the hack calls for you to apply deodorant all over your face or on your oily hot spots (forehead, nose, cheeks) before your apply your makeup.

There are several reasons why you should absolutely skip this hack.

Deodorants won’t stop sweating — but they might aggravate your skin.

Several people not only use the terms deodorant and antiperspirants interchangeably, they use the products interchangeably as well. A deodorant is only designed to control or absorb odors. It really doesn’t have any ingredients that help control sweating, so if you use it on your face, it won’t do much except possibly aggravate your skin and, well, make your face smell like deodorant, which could really weird.

Nicole Darmanin, spokesperson for Mario Badescu Skincare, agreed. “Using deodorant in this way can put you at risk for irritation and breakouts,”she said. “There are lots of effective mattifying products on the market that are specially formulated for the face; play it safe and stick with one of those.”

If oil or shine is a major problem for you, we recommend overhauling your skincare routine and using products that can help control your oil production. Mario Badescu’s Special Mask for Oily Skin is a weekly face mask that will help your skin keep shine at bay over time.

Antiperspirants will stop sweating, but they aren’t great for your face either.

On the flip side, antiperspirants are made to reduce or altogether stop sweating. When you use these products on your face, you could be asking for trouble. Most antiperspirants use aluminum to achieve the mattifying effect, an ingredient which has been linked to number of health defects, including impaired mental and motor function. Whether you’re into using antiperspirants on your armpits or not, we don’t recommend ever using them on your face.

The skin on your face is very different from the skin under your arms and should be treated as such.

Another reason to avoid this hack is because the skin under your arm is so much different than the skin on your face. Your armpit has way more sweat glands and much thicker hair follicles. When you apply deodorant in that area, you’re generally applying product — you’re not going over it with a few layers of makeup after. If you apply deodorant or antiperspirants to your face, you run the risk of not only blocking your pores but of causing your oil glands to go into overdrive. An over-productive oil gland is a damaged oil gland that enlarges over time and can lead to sebaceous hyperplasia, which are benign bumps on the skin. Using deodorant for matte skin can end up leading to more serious skin problems and blemishes down the road. Steer clear.

If you’re looking to mattify your oily zones, don’t use deodorant or antiperspirant, instead use a mattifying primer or oil-control lotion. You can use products with naturally-based ingredients, such as clay, camphor, or powder, to absorb and control the oil on your face. Make sure they’re both hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, meaning they won’t clog your pores or irritate the skin on your face. We’re big fans of KORRES Pomegranate Mattifying Primer, a water-based primer with a matte finish that helps control oil. Avoid silicone-based primers, as silicone can break down under heat and end up looking shiny.