First Impressions: Block & White Deodorant Powder

Block & White Deodorant Powder
Light Breeze (blue) & Flower Dream (pink)

Block & White whitening and antiperspirant deodorant powder gently protects, whitens, and cares for your young skin.

• Natural Tawas: eliminates odor-causing bacteria without irritating or darkening the skin.
• Antiperspirant provides all-day protection from wetness which is often the cause of itching and odor.
• Vitamin E: helps soothe skin from plucking or shaving irritation.
• Talc Powder: provides silky smooth application, keeping skin soft & dry.
• Dermatologist-tested & Hypoallergenic

Block & White is one of the body care brands that is under the flagship of Sara Lee Philippines. The brand has been around for more than a decade now and has been made popular by its “whitening” allure (entered the market with their own line of whitening lotions, soaps and such), seemingly a weak point of Filipinos since majority of the population (all who are naturally dark or tanned) believes in the beauty of having fair or whiter skin. A mentality that society and culture has taught all of us to believe in, actually.

Anyway, I digress.

I have to admit that I, together with a lot of women, prefer an even toned skin ALL over. That’s why I’d like to be rid of blemishes, scars, stretch marks on my skin and, yes, this includes darker-toned skin along the underarm area. This darkening is often brought about by strong chemicals found in deodorants used. I can only assume that it sort of “burns” the skin or perhaps some other scientific reason that I will not even dare explain.

I’ve tried a lot of deodorants since puberty. Along the way, I’ve narrowed down my needs esp since I’m acidic, hence, perspiration is quite a common occurrence. Unfortunately. Heh. I’ve tried the “tawas” route when I was a kid but it irritated my skin, application was a nightmare (think rubbing a salt-like substance on your underarms). But elders advised the use of it since they swear by its effectiveness. The things we do for us not to get teased or laughed at by the other kids, eh? I’m so glad puberty’s over. Heh.

Block & White is offering the youngsters a much easier way through this change in their bodies, something that will help deal with body odour (Natural Tawas + antiperspirant + Talc Powder) and at the same time care for the skin along the underarm area (Whitening + Vitamin E + Talc Powder). They’ve recently released this whitening and antiperspirant deodorant powder.

On the outside, packaging looks cool and fresh, using pink (Flower Dream) and blue (Light Breeze) colours to distinguish one scent from the other. Both scents are generally soft and light but the Light Breeze scent is the stronger one, very perfume-ish. The roll-on weighs surprisingly light while the pot comes with its own puff.

Talc Powder! It’s certainly a first for me. I’ve always thought of deodorants as sprays, sprintzers, sticky roll-ons, or sticks. Never powder. Ah, well. Everything in beauty (or anything even remotely connected to it) are now coming in powder forms. LOL.

Suggested application: Apply a thin, even layer to dry underarms after bathing.

As much as I believe that powder can easily absorb moisture, I’m a bit skeptical about the whole “powder” concept for deodorants. Will it truly fulfill its promise of “all-day protection”? To date, I haven’t come across one product that can truly be called “antiperspirant” in my book. Also, I’m also concerned with white residue that it may leave on clothes.

Fine print: Avoid broken skin. If hypersensitivity occurs, discontinue use.

Always, always read the fine print. Hehe. Anyway, all that’s left is a test run, yeah? Will update you.