In today’s article I’m sharing my detailed and honest Lume deodorant review. I tested their solid deodorant stick and cream deodorant for the last several months to see if it really worked since the company makes some pretty big claims. I also researched their ingredients to see if they were truly non-toxic and healthy, and I found that they use a number of harmful ingredients, including hiding synthetic fragrance in their unscented deodorant.
Lume is a baking soda free and aluminum free deodorant for underarms & private parts that claims to work for 72 hours (they had a lawsuit against them over this claim). It was developed by an OBGYN to target odor so it doesn’t happen in the first place and claims to work right away eliminating the need for an armpit detox.
It’s also a whole body deodorant and they encourage using it anywhere you have body odor – private parts, belly button, feet. Many natural lifestyle bloggers are saying Lume is a natural deodorant when it’s really not. I’m sharing whether Lume ingredients are safe, my results and my honest opinion.
Lume’s deodorants are vegan and cruelty free and made without Aluminum, Baking Soda, Phthalates, Sulfates, Parabens and Talc.
Lume is widely considered a non-toxic or cleaner alternative to mainstream deodorants, but I discovered that they are not non-toxic, natural or even safe for everyone.
They have a sweat control cream deodorant that does have aluminum so I can tell right off the bat Lume is not dedicated to being clean. I did all the research so you don’t have to and found that Lume has a number of MAJOR drawbacks due to the questionable ingredients lurking in all their formulas.
Their deodorants come in seven scents and an unscented version. The only difference between the ingredients of the scented and unscented deodorant sticks is the fragrance, which is noted with an asterisk. But the cream deodorant versus solid deodorant have different formulations.
Lume’s solid stick deodorant has a drier cream consistency that’s quite dense and a little difficult to spread if you’re a man with hairy pits. The cream tube has a very light and hydrating consistency but has a sour odor.
Is Lume deodorant safe to use?
There’s a number of downsides to using Lume deodorant due to its potentially harmful ingredients of hidden synthetic fragrance in their unscented deodorant and petrochemicals. The one that bugs me the most is they have hidden synthetic masking fragrance, because I’m sure a lot of people pick their unscented deodorant thinking they’re avoiding fragrance. I find it impossible to trust a company who would do this.
Their solid deodorant contains the ingredient Ozokerite, a highly processed petrochemical. This is very questionable ingredient and studies have shown that long-term exposure to ozokerite caused systemic chronic inflammation and was weakly carcinogenic in the liver of male rats. This raises major red flags to me immediately. I wouldn’t want this going anywhere near my private parts, no thank you.
Second, all the scented Lume deodorants contain fragrance with no mention of any natural origin or it being “safer” fragrance which means they use chemical fragrance. The cleaner option out of all the Lume deodorants would be their unscented cream deodorant, but even their unscented deodorant contains fragrance in a pretty sneaky way.
This brings me to my third drawback, which is Lume’s unscented deodorant STILL has synthetic fragrance hiding in the ingredients list.
If you look closely at the ingredients list, their unscented deodorant has fragrance molecules like Floral Pyranol and Sandalrome.
Most people don’t know what these are and they aren’t noted as synthetic fragrance, so it’s very easy to miss. These fragrance molecules are commonly used in perfume-making and raise a number of health concerns.
According to the toxicological information I found online, it can cause skin and eye irritation as well as allergic reactions. I’m not surprised that some people experience bad reactions to this deodorant even though it’s baking soda free.
It goes to show that being doctor developed, baking soda free and aluminum free doesn’t automatically mean it’s natural, clean or even safe for you.
That being said, I found that what all the other people were saying about Lumes cream deodorant having a sour smell is completely true.
It does have a noticeable sour smell like it’s off somehow. Once applied though the sour scent goes away as it mixes with your body chemistry and only the deodorant’s true fragrance is noticeable.
The cream deodorant is a little better in formula than the solid deodorant because it doesn’t contain ozokerite and has more natural ingredients like tapioca starch and arrowroot powder, but fragrance molecules are still present even in the default unscented version.
Does Lume really work?
For the sake of product testing, I went as far as not showering for 3 days (gross I know but that’s how determined I am to see if a product lives up to its claims!) to see if the claim that it works 72 hours was true and I found that it did keep odor at bay, but only for one armpit funnily enough.
It also worked for my partner who has much stronger man BO. I feel that the tube cream works a little better than the stick deodorant.
I also tested Lume out during my recent trip to Mauritius where the weather is in the warm 80s and slightly humid, and it didn’t stop me from getting sweaty but I did feel fresh all day. Overall I found Lume’s deodorant to be long lasting and effective. But, I’d rather not risk my health for the sake of performance when it comes to deodorants.
I personally think there are way healthier and safer deodorants that are truly non-toxic and work just as well, so I will not be re-purchasing. Not to mention there are so many deodorant brands out there who hold themselves to a higher standard of integrity when it comes to their business practices.
I would definitely recommend staying away from their sweat control deodorant because it’s got aluminum high up on the list.
Andrea is a clean beauty expert from Los Angeles, California with 10 years of experience in natural skincare and organic living. She writes for Organic Beauty Lover using her expertise to guide readers in choosing the best clean products. Andrea graduated from the University of Southern California in 2012 and has worked at multiple skincare companies, big and small. Connect with her @organicbeautylover.
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