When Secret Clinical Strength was released, I wanted to try it. It was offered free after rebate at Rite Aid, so with nothing to lose, I purchased the product. I was eager to try Secret Clinical Strength because it was marketed as providing prescription strength wetness protection, but being available over the counter. I live in the south where 100 degree heat is the norm for July through August. Couple the extreme heat with my area’s high humidity during that time of the year, and it can be very challenging to smell nice while not appearing too sweaty. I have been a Degree user for years and while I generally like the product, I do find it lacking in some respects. So I set off to put these two products to the test, head to head, or should I say, armpit to armpit? I wanted to be very clinical about this experiment, so I tested the Secret Clinical on my left armpit and Degree Women’s on my right. I decided that two days was enough time for me to formulate my opinion on which product would work better for me. I used each deodorant once per day and did not at any time reapply either product.
Day 1:
I applied Secret Clinical to my left armpit and Degree Women’s to my right. The first thing I noticed was that the Secret was somewhat moist and was not solid like the degree. So upon application, my left pit felt wetter than my right. I tried to let it air dry some, but the sensation continued for about one half of an hour. I was concerned that my shirt would soak up the deodorant. The Degree side felt dry. Later on that day, I ventured out to my hot car. I almost immediately began to sweat and the Secret Clinical side felt wetter to me. I did a cursory sniff; both armpits had a pleasant smell to them. The Secret Clinical side did smell more fragrant than the Degree, but by no means did I experience body odor. I later went to help a friend with her computer and found her house to be a sultry 81 degrees. Again, I began to perspire. Again the Secret Clinical side felt slightly wetter than the Degree Women’s side. I did another cursory sniff and this part surprised me. The Secret Clinical side, while not protecting me from wetness did in fact have superior odor control compared to the Degree Women’s. By this point, I had had both products on for approximately 12 hours.
I reapplied both products to their respective armpits. As I went about my household chores, I began to perspire slightly. The Secret Clinical, again, did not seem to provide me with the wetness protection as promised. However, the Degree Women’s didn’t either. I found wet spots under both of my armpits on my clothing. However, as with the first day, I found the Secret Clinical to be most effective at odor control.
Conclusion:
When I factor in the cost of the products, $6.00 average for the Secret Clinical Strength vs. less than half that cost for the Degree Women’s, I find I am forced to make a choice. While I found the Secret Clinical to be superior at odor control, it failed to provide me with the wetness protection as promised. Whereas, the Degree Women’s, touted as body responsive by its maker, was negligibly better at wetness control, and far worse at odor control. For my money, in the summer heat, I would choose the Secret Clinical Strength over the Degree Women’s. Both products did not live up to my expectations of wetness control, but at least the Secret Clinical Strength did not fail at odor control, even more than 12 hours after application, and that is worth the extra cost to me.
