Background: Deodorants are widely used to mask unpleasant body odors. They are reported to cause some adverse effects
depending on the form and ingredients. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of deodorant use and related
adverse effects among Palestinian students.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at An-Najah National University from Aug 2018 to Mar 2020. A questionnaire
was constructed using a Google survey form. All analyses were done using SPSS 21.0, Fisher test was used for comparative
analysis and the P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: A total of 554 students participated in the study. About 93% of the participants were using deodorants and adverse
effects were reported by 25% of the participants. The reported adverse effects were itching (26%), coloration (25%), sneezing
(21%), and eye redness (8%). Only 4.1% of the participants visited a physician for counselling regarding various adverse effects.

Conclusion: Deodorants were widely used by Palestinian students with reported adverse effects, but these side effects rarely
prompted the participants to seek medical advice.

Keywords: Deodorants; antiperspirants; adverse effects; skin; students; physician consultation.