Deodorant brings cancer awareness

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal made in Pompano Beach

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. ā€“ A Pompano Beach-based company is using its naturally made deodorant to promote breast cancer awareness.

When Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal launched their "Send Hope" campaign to raise breast cancer awareness, it nearly crashed their Facebook page.

"We had to take it down the same day we put it up because we had such a huge response," said Christi Moe, the director of marketing for Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal.

The company asked fans to send in their doctor's information so the company could give them deodorant samples for patients.

"People were sharing it among themselves to their friends, their families," said Moe. "It went on fire."

Cathy and Ted Alflen, the owners of Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal, want to spread awareness of breast cancer. Cathy Alflen lost her mother to breast cancer in the 1970s.

"The one thing that I always thought about was how important it is to communicate," she said. "On my mother's case and women of that age, it was a shame thing. They didn't talk about breast cancer."

In the early 1990s, Ted Alflen found a crystal deodorant product he named "Naturally Fresh." The deodorant is now distributed in more than 60 countries.

"The first couple of times I spoke to Walmart, they thought I was crazy to try to sell a crystal rock to them," he said. "They didn't think it would work."

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal doesn't contain products that have been linked to breast cancer.

"There's this 'ah ha' moment when they realize, you know, why should I take the chance, why should I take the risk of introducing a chemical in to my body where I'm not sure what exactly that's going to do," said Moe.

"Cancer awareness is very important, and I'm just so happy people are able to discuss it freely and comfortably and not be ashamed and go in to a reclusive situation," said Cathy Alflen.