Didn't the line used to be "Strong enough for a man; pH-balanced for a woman"? Maybe they had to change it when they decided to just rebrand Sure deodorant. Meh. My wife uses my aerosol deodorant all the time anyway. Neither of us bought into the whole "separate deodorants for the different sexes" thing. Girly smell, guy smell, whatever. It all ends up smelling like B.O. in the end anyway.

I believe Proctor and Gamble is also doing similar 'brand differentiation' with identical products in the laundry detergent arena as well.

I feel so violated.

And another thing -- sleeping pills and antihistamines are the exact same thing. But sleeping pills cost more. Check it out. The active ingredients in both is diphenhydramine hydrochloride. They are the identical product marketed separately. But since one is a "sleep aid" it actually costs more than the lowly antihistamine.

5,000,356 covers the "Swivel-up type dispensing package"

5,069,897 covers the "semi-solid composition that is suitable for depositing antiperspirant material on human skin". This patent also discusses the optional components it may contain (e.g. cosmetic powders, colorants, perfumes and emulsifiers).

The difference between Sure and Secret is in the non-active "optional components". I'm sure the non-scented versions have very similar formulas. For everything else, if you wear Secret, you're going to walk around all day smelling like a girl.

bluegus32: Viagra was designed for hypertension, but Pfizer figured out they could make more money giving rich people boners. Aspirin has been marketed as a pain killer for more than 100 years, but these days, it's more common to see ads talking about its benefits as an anticoagulant.

Secret's tagline was "strong enough for a man, pH balanced for a woman" about 20 years ago, then it went to "stronge enough for a man, made for a woman." Now it's just "Strong enough for a woman."
Is anyone really surprised that one company would release "male" and "female" branded versions of the same product? Unilever did the same thing recently with Degree (much to my chagrin), and stopped making it a unisex product. You're basically buying this stuff for the smells, otherwise it's all essentially the same crap.

It's not true. they would never lie!

While it's certainly possible that they are the exact same thing, and I'm not saying I don't believe it, the fact that they have the same list of ingredients and are marked with the same patent numbers doesn't prove anything. The percentages of any or all of the ingredients could be very different in those two products (which you wouldn't be able to tell from those lists), and they could also both be covered by the same patents, even if they have such differences.

My friend and I actually asked our high school chemistry teacher whether there was any truth to the "pH-balanced" rubric; he told us it was pure marketing BS.

I'd always thought it was become women were acidic.

There are plenty of companies that do this. Most 'generic' foods are simply re-labeled versions of something we all know. Bottled water, sodas, spices, orange juices, and even deoderant and shaving cream. I used to work for the company that makes the machines that put the labels on that stuff.

Moral of the story? Buy generic stuff and save some $$$ its all the same product.

oh kerry, you beat me to it...

i think it was just this year that the secret tagline changed to "strong enough for a... woman."

I am a big fan of Excedrin. It's the only thing that will take away my headaches. When they came out with Excedrin Migraine, I was curious, so I checked the ingredients. Exactly the same as regular Excedrin in the same amounts. Of course, since the generic version is also the same, that's what I buy. For half the price.

.....Deodorants DEFINITELY aren't all the same. My family genetics specialize in pungent, paint-peeling, make you light-headed odor. Secret most certainly won't get it done, with either sex after a bit of gardening in the Alabama heat. At best, you get noxious fumes mixed with cheap-hooker perfume. It might get you high, but probably not...

.....Arrid XX roll-on is the only thing I've ever discovered that works. Aerosols make me choke, and don't put enough on. In fact, a liberal rubbing of Arrid XX roll-on will keep your armpits Sahara-dry for several days, if not washed off. Don't ask me how I know this! Shake well.

Isn't ALL deodorant basically the same thing, but with different smells?

Although, now that I think of it, I use Dove and my armpits are way soft. Really. You should feel them. It's almost weird.

I'll back up AcidReign. Although I don't have quite that level of issues -- Sure, Secret, whatever won't get it done for me. Neither will Degree in any branding. All deodorants / antiperspirants are NOT alike.

Also, you can add diuretics to sleep aids and antihistamines.

Whatever happened to Dry Idea? Anyone remember those TV ads from 1982?

"And another thing -- sleeping pills and antihistamines are the exact same thing. But sleeping pills cost more. Check it out. The active ingredients in both is diphenhydramine hydrochloride."

Depends on your sleeping pill. As a perennial insomniac, I've tried the entire sleeping pill pharmacoepia. If you have light insomnia, go for the benadryl. But it'll give you "medicine head" (best marketing term ever) and possibly the medicine hangover, depending how sensitive you are to the ingredients. Others are different. Some have hangovers, some don't. Some are 8-hour, some are 4-hour; some make you mellow enough to sleep on your own, others knock you out.

Right now the one I have is the same as they give violent crazy people to make them tractable enough to, like, stop the bleeding. It's a heckuva sleeping pill!

...

And on the Secret/Sure question ... duh they're the same product, but I like to smell powder fresh!

Well, I know they may be the same on paper, but I'd rather use Secret because they have the baby powder scent.

Ladies love the Baby Powder.

LLBP

When they came out with Excedrin Migraine, I was curious, so I checked the ingredients. Exactly the same as regular Excedrin in the same amounts.

Then why don't they work the same?

Although, now that I think of it, I use Dove and my armpits are way soft.

Ditto. Truth in advertising, what a concept!

Has anyone noticed that, generally, women's deoderants cost more than men's deoderant? (Is it just the stores I'm going in to?)

I get separating deoderants by gender because they smell differently but why do that with disposable razors?

Acid reign, you should check out Certain Dry. It's a generic looking roll-on that is the same as the prescription stuff you can get from a doctor. You put it on at night before bed, and I only need it once every couple days in addition to regular deodorant in the mornings. I know there's something crazy strong in it, because I learned never to use it right after shaving - ouch!

It's not so much that *all* antiperspirants are the same formulation, it's that it's likely two different brands manufactured by the same company (Secret and Sure, in this example) are likely to be rebrandings of essentially the same product. Degree and Dove are essentially the same product, though they stick different fragrances and hella moisturizers in the Dove (christy's right, too. Dove antiperspirant makes your 'pit skin super soft). Otherwise comparable brands by the same manufacturer are likely to be equally effective variations of very similar formulas.

I actually happen to have some Secret in my desk on the off chance that I get to work only to realize that I forgot to put deodorant on in the morning. Those aren't the exact ingredients listed on my container, nor are those the patent numbers listed...

Hey, I'm not proud-- I'll buy the cheapest razor cartridges available. If the women's razor blades are on sale, I'll take 'em. If they fit my butch masculine razor, great. I don't care if they're pink, teal, or lavender. As long as they work....