Deodorant is simply a fact of life — the distinction between deodorant and antiperspirant is where the quest ends for many consumers, but brands don’t want it to end there at all. The major players in the underarm fragrance world, Dove, Degree, Secret, and others, are all vying for very specific attention, going as far as to define their deodorant voices by demographical subsets.

Unilever is constantly watching consumer trends to understand how they can optimize their deodorant and antiperspirant brands to provide consumers with the benefits they desire. The science of consumer watching and identification is just about as serious as the chemistry that goes into the formulas. Dove is one of the powerhouse drugstore brands honing in on the female consumer, but has to share precious shelf space with competitors, like Degree, manufactured by the same parent company, Unilever. So what sets these two deodorant sisters apart? Well, aside from slightly varied formulas, it’s the type of buyer.

Dove packaging is crisp, clean, white and just a touch feminine. Advertisements for Dove deodorant focus heavily on the softness and health of skin instead of high intensity performance. The brand often sponsors music festivals and other initiatives aimed at young, trendy women who are more concerned with their appearance and general health than with the level of active ingredients. The Dove customer likely picks some up for herself, and may even grab an extra for her laid-back, trendy mom. Degree, on the other hand, goes as “hardcore” as their fitness-loving customer base. A woman with Degree for Women in her medicine cabinet probably also has one stashed in her frequently used gym bag, complete with her Crossfit and running gear.

“Degree Women is all about movement. Our unique Motionsense technology releases bursts of freshness as you move, and we look for people to put that to the test. We’re made for people who embody activity and energy, and so our Degree Women customer has that same mindset,” says a rep for the brand. A totally different story from the more gentle-seeming, casual Dove.

On crowded drugstore shelves other mainstream players like Secret find a place for their voice to be heard, too. They boast clinical formulas as ideal for “fearless, confident women who are always ready for whatever life throws at them.” What does that mean? Well, they’re hoping to capture the kind of girl who identifies with the Whitney Houston song I’m Every Woman. As the song famously goes, “I’m every woman, it’s all in me.” That’s the general attitude of the ideal Secret customer, too. She is in the boardroom by day, out to dinner at night, and home in time to either catch up on Netflix or get her kids to bed— possibly both. She manages to work out, be a best friend and walk her dog as she catches up on the news in between.

Natural-minded deodorant makers such as Lavanila have started scooping up market share, as well. While this brand doesn’t focus on chemical antiperspirants, it does aggressively market to the peace-loving, organic-eating yoga girl. You know the kind— she knows how to do a fishtail braid in her hair, wipes down her yoga mat with vinegar instead of a chemical solvent and shares script-fonted inspiration quotes on her social media. She is everyone’s best, natural-minded friend and doesn’t mind paying Sephora prices to keep her underarms smelling like a fresh-baked cookie (all the products have an element of vanilla scent).

Sure, these are pretty specific demographics to go after, but there seems to be enough room in the market for everyone to cheerfully coexist, whether it’s at a cardio Pilates class or in a lounge chair by the beach with a chia seed-laced smoothie in hand. More importantly, consumers seem to instinctively gravitate to the products best suited for them in both a formulaic and marketing sense- usually without ever noticing thanks in part to great branding and seamless publicity efforts.