Tuesday, June 13, 2017

japanese deodorant

I have been trying to wean us off of different products that I used to bring home from Hawaii...dental floss, deodorant as well as other things because of the baggage weight limits.

We're weaned off of dental floss and I thought we might be able to stop bringing back deodorant...if only Japan's deodorant actually worked.

I found something interesting on Wikipedia...your earwax determines what kind of perspiration/body odor you have...what???

From Wikipedia:

"There are two distinct genetically determined types of earwax: the wet type, which is dominant, and the dry type, which is recessive. While Asians and Native Americans are more likely to have the dry type of cerumen (gray and flaky), African and European people are more likely to have the wet type (honey-brown to dark-brown and moist)… In Japan, wet-type earwax is more prevalent among the Ainu, in contrast to that country's Yamato majority…

A specific gene has been identified that determines whether people have wet or dry earwax. The difference in cerumen type has been tracked to a single base change (a single nucleotide polymorphism) in a gene known as "ATP-binding cassette C11 gene". Dry-type individuals are homozygous for adenine whereas wet-type requires at least one guanine. Wet-type earwax is associated with armpit odor, which is increased by sweat production. The researchers conjecture that the reduction in sweat or body odor was beneficial to the ancestors of East Asians and Native Americans who are thought to have lived in cold climates."


Krazy but interesting yeah?!

Anyway...the deodorant that they have here:
*stick type is super teeny...20 grams vs the 50 something grams the US has...higher price too!
*more fragrance than to actually stop perspiration
*doesn't last very long throughout the day

Since this summer is gonna be a scorcher here in Japan, am gonna stock up on deodorant the next time I go back to Hawaii.

7 comments:

Jo said...

Have you though of ordering deodorant from Foreign Buyers Club ? I know it works out more expensive than bringing it from home , but it does not " use up " your luggage allowance . I used to get mine from them when I lived in Osaka . Not sure what brands they carry now, but they have to be more effective than the deodorant you get in Japan.
Interesting stuff about ear wax and body odor connection ....

jalna said...

So interesting! I am of the wet variety. LOL.

Rowena said...

it's never too much information when it comes from wiki...they have stuff on just about everything!!! back on topic, my ear wax is in the middle - neither dry or wet - so I wonder what that means for me.

Tamakikat said...

Interesting post, Kat.

Agree with Jo.

And if you have a friend with a Costco card...

There are natural remedies too.

K and S said...

Thanks Jo, I will think about taking a "field trip" out to the shop (in Kobe) instead of buying from them online, just so I can see the other stuff they have at their store too :)

Interesting yeah, Jalna?!

hmm interesting Rowena...

Thanks TK!

Take care everyone!
Kat

KirkK said...

Hmmm....when was the last time I looked at my earwax......I need to check when I get home.

K and S said...

interesting yeah, Kirk ?!

Take care.
Kat