Can we find a natural deodorant that really works?

Deodorant is going through a chic, eco rebrand, thanks to a new wave of aluminium-free formulas with stylish packaging – but do they actually keep you dry and smelling fresh?

19July 2021

For the last few years, my deodorant “routine” has consisted of daily application of a neon green stick anti-perspirant that you get from Spanish supermarkets and which my dad buys in bulk (shout out Tulipan Negro). Clearly I am behind on the trend of chic natural and aluminium-free deodorants that is currently taking over the beauty industry.

Before we go any further, let’s just state for the record – there is no conclusive evidence that aluminium, the ingredient in traditional antiperspirants which stops you from sweating, is harmful. There’s a lot of fear-mongering going on in the beauty industry at the moment around certain “non-natural” ingredients and chemicals, so it feels important to say explicitly: natural isn’t always better, chemicals aren’t all bad, and, despite the rumours, aluminum appears to be perfectly safe.

The National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, FDA, Alzheimer's Association, Cancer Research UK, and even the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (which has banned thousands of personal care ingredients) all confirm there is no conclusive evidence that antiperspirants cause cancer. “To date, there’s absolutely no evidence that breast cancer is caused by exposure to anything in antiperspirants or deodorants, full stop,” Dr Harold Burstein, a breast oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told the New York Times last month.

Despite this, natural and aluminium-free deodorants have become increasingly popular and increasingly chic. While deodorant used to be a wholly unglamorous part of the personal care arsenal; like the oral care category, a new batch of brands have cropped up in the last few years in an effort to shift this image. With fragrance combinations that rival perfumes – think the likes of sandalwood, bergamot, and eucalyptus – and tasteful, minimalist packaging fit for the most elegant top shelves, these brands are reimagining the role deodorant plays in our routines.

So if you are thinking about making the switch to a natural or aluminium-free deodorant – for whatever reason – but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. I tested out some of the most popular and beloved options and here are my verdicts.

THE METHOD

To test each deodorant, I applied them in the morning and then went about my day as usual. Since my days at the moment are fairly sedentary, I added an end of the day, light yoga session as an extra test to see how the deodorants held up.

If yoga doesn’t seem that rigorous a test to you, let me say that I am someone who holds an almost Lebowitzian aversion to exercise. Like Fran (a person who once described herself as someone who “wishes that cigarettes came already lit”), the majority of my physical exertion involves going downstairs for the mail and meeting for drinks. That’s all to say a light yoga session is enough to get me sweating and if your workout is more rigorous, I’m afraid you will just have to shower afterwards.

A while ago I made the decision to ditch the razor so my underarm hair is (neatly) present and accounted for. Factor that into your purchasing decision making process. Also keep in mind that everyone has different levels of sensitivity and sweats different amounts, so what might work for one person, may not work for another.

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NECESSAIRÉ

Necessairé launched onto the beauty scene with its chic, elegantly-presented lube so it’s unsurprising that when it came out with a deodorant, it would be equally as cool.

Necessairé’s The Deodorant packaging is very chic. The scent I’m testing out, Eucalyptus, comes in a very tasteful muted green shade and there are also versions in black (Sandalwood) and white (fragrance-free, not sure either). The deodorant contains a blend of lactic and mandelic acids to neutralise odor, while a combination of silica, zinc, and kaolin clay works to absorb wetness from sweat and keep you dry.

The deodorant itself applies as a thick and creamy white paste which, after the initial surprise, I had no issue with. It doesn’t stay white or leave any residue on your clothes. While some paste deodorants require being applied with the fingers, Necessaire’s twist-up function applies like a traditional stick which is much less messy and sticky.

The smell of the Eucalyptus scent is really nice – it has a subtle, nature vibe to it that I like. By the end of the day, it had taken on a kind of musky human skin note which I don’t mind at all, but if you are used to the sterile soapy smell of regular antiperspirants it might take a second to get used to. My underarms felt dry all day, and even after a few rusty downward dogs, I didn’t smell bad. Overall, I’m a fan and would definitely continue to use it.

Buy it here

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DRUNK ELEPHANT

When cult favourite Drunk Elephant branched out to body and hair care products there was a lot of excitement from beauty lovers. Like its skincare, Drunk Elephant’s deodorant is free from what it has termed the ‘Suspicious 6’ – essential oils, silicones etc – and the deodorant is also free from baking soda. It uses mandelic acid to neutralise odor while arrowroot powder works to absorb wetness and shea butter provides skin barrier protection.

Like Necessairé, the product applies as a paste from a twist container. It smells exactly, exactly, like marzipan. This is unfortunate for me because marzipan is one of my least favourite flavours. Lots of people like marzipan, however, and if you’re one of them then you will love this. The packaging is very much in keeping with the rest of the Drunk Elephant products. I don’t find it as chic as the Necessairé, but it’s not too bad.

I try not to let my scent preferences cloud my judgement but it’s hard because deodorants are very much about smell. The marzipan scent does fade eventually and by the end of the day it's gone but it’s definitely not as immediate as other reviews I’ve read state. In terms of dryness things are fine during the day however post-yoga my underarms are feeling damp and sticky. Overall, I wouldn’t use it again. The smell is just not for me and the results aren’t amazing enough to overcome that.

Buy it here

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CORPUS

Next up is Corpus, a vegan, natural deodorant brand that is free from aluminium and baking soda and relies on tapioca starch and diatomaceous earth to keep you dry. Unlike Necessairé and Drunk Elephant, it’s not a paste but applies exactly like regular stick deodorants and leaves no residue. I’m a big fan of the packaging which is similar to Necessairé – an elegant, minimalist green tube with golden embossing that is the same for all the scents. It’s very chic.

There are seven different scents, ranging from neroli and rose to “California” which has notes of sea salt, bergamot, white musk, and jasmine, so there’s something for everyone. The one I’m testing out is Santalum which contains sandalwood, sandalwood root, Texas cedarwood, and amber. I like the smell a lot, it’s very different to the fresher fragrances that are more common among natural deodorants – more musky and a bit richer. It’s a scent that the perfume industry would have in the past called “masculine”.

When it comes to dryness, it doesn’t stop sweating completely, but it is a deodorant not an antiperspirant after all, so it’s not supposed to. By the end of the day, I didn’t smell bad although I would probably reapply in the evening if I was going out, or post-yoga session. Overall, I would definitely use it again. The scent is great, I like the texture of the product and how smoothly it applies, and it’s perfect on days when you are working from home or the office.

Buy it here

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MEGABABE

I was very excited to try our next brand Megababe after hearing many great reviews and stories of waiting lists in their thousands for its Rosy Pits deodorant. Made with a blend of natural ingredients including sage and green tea, Rosy Pits helps prevent odor-causing bacteria from forming on the skin without the use of aluminium or baking soda which can be irritating as it is highly alkaline. Coconut extract and vitamin E, meanwhile, work to keep skin nourished.

Rosy Pits has become famous in the beauty world for its scent, which people love, so I was keen to get my hands on it and test it out for myself. Unfortunately, I am very sorry to report I didn’t like the smell at all. It’s very rosy-sweet and smells like candy, in a way that was just not for me. If you are a fan of sweet perfumes, give this a go, but if like me your tastes tend in different directions, I wouldn’t recommend it. Luckily, the brand offers many other scents, including Sunny Pits (lemony), Beachy Pits (sunscreen), and Soapy Pits (soap). Along with Rosy Pits I was also sent Green Deo, which contains chlorophyll to help neutralise odor, and Smoothie Deo with pH-balancing fruit enzymes. Green Deo was my favourite of the scents, while Smoothie Deo is similar to Rosy Pits.

The packaging is cute, not the minimalist chic of the others but more like if Glossier re-imagined the Teen Spirit packaging – it feels young and fun and I would have loved it as a teenager. It comes in the form of a traditional stick deodorant, rather than a paste, and while it did leave some white residue it also did keep my underarms dry through the night (I swapped yoga for drinks, on this occasion). Overall, I wouldn’t use Rosy Pits because of the smell but I would be open to testing out some other scents as I liked the product apart from that.

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FUSSY

Right off the bat the Fussy packaging is up there with my favourites. The most different from the rest, it comes in a flatter, pebble-like shape instead of the more traditional up-right packaging. I like it a lot and think it looks great on my counter. The deodorant is available in five different colours, pale blue and green, an orange, a dark charcoal, and a blush. A big plus is that it is also refillable. Once you have finished the product, you can just slot a new deodorant block into the recyclable plastic case. The refills come in plastic-free containers which are made from waste sugarcane and, once empty, will just decompose in your garden or the bin.

The deodorant comes in five fragrances including the citrusy Wide-Eyed, the tropical Sun Drunk with vanilla and ylang-ylang, and an unscented option. I tested out the floral Night Tales which contains cedar, cinnamon, and Rose, and which I liked a lot. The formula of the Fussy deodorants contains a blend of shea butter and coconut oil to help keep your skin moisturised, while magnesium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate neutralise the odor-causing bacteria. Lastly, Lactobacillus works to inhibit the growth of those odor-causing bacteria while soothing sensitive skin.

Like the other products on this list, Fussy is a deodorant not an antiperspirant and as such doesn’t claim to stop you sweating – it allows you to sweat, and that’s the whole point. Having said that, I did notice that damp, slippery feeling of sweat under my arms more on the day I was testing out Fussy than I did with the other deodorants. Maybe I was nervous about a big meeting or maybe it was a couple degrees warmer that day, I’m not sure. But I did notice it and it did bother me a bit. Despite that, the sweat itself didn’t smell so it still delivered on its promise. Overall, I think Fussy is a great option particularly because of its refillable packaging which is both chic and sustainable. It doesn’t stop you from sweating but it will keep you smelling fresh.

Buy it here

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AKT

Last but not least we have Akt London. Akt London is the most different of the deodorants I tested out mostly because of its packaging – the product comes in an aluminium tube and you apply the paste under your arms with your fingers. This is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, it wasn’t mine. Luckily the brand also makes a tool called The Applicator, a Gua Sha-esque tool which you can use to spread the product under your arms, as well as give yourself a body massage. There’s also The Assistant which helps you get every last drop out of the tube.

The deodorant balm contains a proprietary blend of plants and mineral powders called Deo-Barrier Complex. Baking soda and magnesium oxide in the formula help to absorb the sweat and keep your underarms dry. The product itself takes the form of a thick paste which you really need to squeeze very hard to get out of the tube. Once on your skin it becomes invisible leaving no residue.

Akt comes in three scents, the woody “The Onsen”, the citrusy “Orange Grove”, and “After Thunder” which has cedar, eucalyptus, and orange. I chose “After Thunder” largely because of the evocative name and this description which is peak perfume industry: “A walk through the woods after a thunderstorm. Damp cedar. Fresh leaves. Citrus rays of morning light slice through the canopy. Take a deep breath. Day begins again.” A good story always gets me.

Overall, I was a big fan of the Akt deodorant. At the end of a long day (drinks were once again swapped in for yoga) I didn’t smell at all. My notes from that night contain many exclamation marks, which really emphasises how much I didn’t smell (and potentially how many drinks had been consumed). I would say of all the products, the Akt scent had the most longevity of any in the round-up. It was a little damp under my arms, but not bad at all. I will definitely continue to use it, although I will be buying that Applicator.

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