I’ve tested dozens of non toxic deodorants over the last ten years, and there is only one holy grail level, tried-and-true deodorant that works.

My Deodorant Journey

Finding a natural deodorant that actually works for you is such a struggle. I mean is it asking too much for one that lasts all day, doesn’t stain clothes, cause itchy pits and rashes or that I develop a sensitivity to? I’m breaking down what’s going on under your pits and the ingredients an effective deodorant actually needs, so you can find the best one for YOU.

My Criteria to the Best of the Best

• Truly non-toxic and clean ingredients
• Keeps me stink free all day
• Doesn’t irritate my armpits
• Doesn’t stain my clothes
• Holds up well throughout all seasons (doesn’t get crumbly during winter or overly mushy during summer)
• Eco-friendly and sustainable packaging

Do Natural Deodorants Actually Work? What to Know Before You Switch

If you’ve ever tried switching to a natural deodorant and gone back to your old antiperspirant within a week, you’re not alone. Most people who give clean deodorant a go just give up, but they’ve usually picked a weak formula, didn’t realize their body is going through a wonky transition period, or didn’t know what to actually look for on the label. Deodorant brands are getting smarter these days, and they’re using more innovative ingredients like AHAs and different formats (more on that below).

Here’s the rundown.

Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant

Something to be aware of is non toxic deodorants will never act like an antiperspirant because the latter is inherently toxic. These two get lumped together, but they do completely different jobs. Most people using conventional deodorant are using one that’s an antiperspirant with toxic aluminum compounds that plug sweat glands from letting out sweat. Deodorants aren’t meant to stop sweat at all. They get to the root cause of what’s causing the odor, which is bacteria not sweat. Sweat is good, bacteria is bad. We like sweating here, it means your bodies getting rid of toxins.

Why is My Natural Deodorant Not Working?

When you stop using an aluminum-based antiperspirant, your sweat glands, which have basically been plugged up until now, need time to reopen, detox and RESET. You might notice even more sweat and more stink than usual. Not fun, but you just gotta get through about two to four weeks of that and your pits will be freeeee.

Because once your body detoxes and goes back to normal, a lot of people find out their body actually produces LESS stink. It’s like when you shampoo your hair because it gets oily so fast, but the more you shampoo the more oil your hair produces. A neverending cycle. That’s what your pits have been doing!

Ingredients to Avoid

• Aluminum compounds: the active ingredient in antiperspirants that physically block sweat glands.
• Synthetic fragrance: a completely unregulated catch all term that can contain any number (up to thousands) of undisclosed and untested chemical ingredients
• Parabens: preservatives that can cause hormone disruption
• Propylene glycol: a known skin sensitizer, not something you want in daily contact with delicate underarm skin.
• Triclosan: Banned by the FDA in antibacterial soaps and body washes in 2017

Quick Guide to Deodorant Ingredients

Deodorants are a product you really need to look at the ingredients list for to spot what you might be sensitive to and if it’s got the heavy duty ingredients you need.

If you familiarize yourself with the basic ingredients in clean deodorants and what each one does, you’ll be better equipped to find the best one for you.

• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate): the most common natural odor-neutralizer, and genuinely effective. It’s not for everyone though (more on that below).
• Arrowroot or tapioca starch: absorbs moisture without interfering with sweat glands, key for anyone who doesn’t want that damp feeling by midday.
• Magnesium hydroxide: a gentler alternative to baking soda that’s shown up in more clean formulas recently, and a good option for sensitive skin.
• Activated charcoal or bamboo charcoal (takesumi): helps draw out impurities, especially useful during that initial detox transition period.
• Zinc: helps balance odor-causing bacteria, the same way it’s used in some skincare formulas.
• AHAs: Serum deodorants nowadays can contain alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid to exfoliate dead skin cell buildup, lower skin’s pH so less bacteria grows and brighten dark armpits. Stay under 8-10% to avoid irritation. Kosas makes a great roll-on one and it doesn’t stain clothes.
• Essential oils: fine for scent when a brand discloses exactly which oils are used and doesn’t overload the formula with them.

Types of Non Toxic Deodorants

• Stick: solid form that’s the most common
• Cream: an emollient balm that needs to be applied with fingers
• Serum: a clear liquid that’s usually a roll-on style

A Note on Baking Soda Sensitivity

If you’ve tried a natural deodorant before and ended up with redness, irritation, or a rash under your arms, it’s probably because of the baking soda in the formula. Some skin types react to its alkalinity, especially with daily repeated use on a sensitive area. Most brands have a baking soda free version because of how common this is. Look for alternatives like magnesium hydroxide or arrowroot starch instead.

Personally, I can tolerate baking soda in some deodorants that contain it and can’t with others, so it really depends on the product for me.

Absolute Best Non Toxic Deodorant: Routine Cream

Routine is hands down the best deodorant that actually works and is 100% natural that I’ve come across — and this is coming from someone who’s constantly testing new launches and innovations. There’s many that are pretty darn good or even great, but Routine remains my holy grail for eight years running.

It’s a slept on, hidden gem in the non-toxic deodorant world, and it’s so good they even make 1000g bulk refills. So basically they have a deodorant cult going on. Routine’s baking soda free version is made with coconut oil, magnesium hydroxide, kaolin, corn starch, arrowroot powder, beeswax, cocoa seed butter, shea butter, olive fruit oil, eucalyptus oil, sunflower seed oil, patchouli oil, cocoa extract, calendula, and rosemary leaf extract. Nothing iffy or questionable whatsoever.

This one ticks all my boxes and has never let me down when it comes to keeping me smelling fresh and stink-free, not irritating my armpits, not staining the armpit area of my shirts. It doesn’t get crumbly, mushy, or lose its scent power. I have one jar that is literally seven years old and it STILL smells and looks intact like when I first got it. The absolute best all natural scents without any synthetics I’ve come across, hands down. (AKT is a close contender in that department.)

Price: $25 for 2oz

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Honorary Mentions

AKT

AKT is a non-toxic cream deodorant that’s natural, vegan, and aluminum-free and comes housed in an aluminum tube. This one is strongly formulated because it was originally made for performers who have to be physically active all day for a living. This is a solid effective option for both men and women.

AKT is a creamy balm made of oils and butters like sunflower seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and shea butter and has baking soda, magnesium oxide, diatomaceous earth and silica to soak up sweat and fight odor. This can be on the expensive side for less product than most other clean deodorants (1.7oz instead of the usual 2-2.5oz).

They use essential oils mixed with synthetic fragrance and flower extracts to make their perfume-strength level scents. They don’t share any info beyond that on the exact fragrance molecules they use, so the safest version for purists and sensitive folks would be their unscented.

I’ve tried all their unisex scents but find After Thunder and Halcyon Summers to lean pretty masculine. Halcyon Summers is very niche and has mint, pomelo, tomato, and geranium. Orange Grove is a pleasant soft citrus floral that I loved using during my Hawaii vacay. I prefer their SC 03 The Onsen Lavender scent and SC 05 Columbia Road vanilla scent the most. Very calming and not overpowering like some of their other scents feel to me.

Price: $29 for 1.7oz

Each & Every Deodorant

Each & Every is a tried-and-true deodorant in the clean beauty community and is vegan, cruelty free, EWG-verified, aluminum-free, paraben-free, and scented with natural essential oils instead of synthetic fragrance. Their deos have a really nice slick creamy formula that glides on super smoothly and the Cedar Vanilla scent is amazing.

The only ingredient I’m iffy about is ozokerite, which is used to thicken the product (nobody wants mushy deodorant). Yes ozokerite is deemed safe even by EWG, but it’s still derived from petroleum. Plus, it’s actually banned in Europe (unless the refining process minimizes the presence of toxic impurities).

So for a truly non-toxic deodorant I would skip ozokerite, which sadly is actually used in a lot of popular deodorants like Lume and Salt & Stone.

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Disclaimer: I feel like I need to add this specifically😅. I didn’t write a deodorant post for almost a decade, because everyone’s body chemistry is SO different, nothing seems to be working for anyone ever, and I don’t want to embarrass anyone who tries something I recommend and ends up getting stinky during the most important meeting of their life (like a meet cute with the would’ve-been-love-of-their-life).

But I do want you to find your holy grail deodorant in the clean beauty world, so I hope this post actually helps. And if you end up finding something you love, please please PLEASE come back and let me know in the comments, because it helps everyone else too.