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How to Find the Best Natural Deodorants
Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro in the world of natural deodorant, there’s a solid chance you’ve tried one that left you a little underwhelmed in the results department and a little overwhelmed by your own natural aroma.
Natural products have a reputation of being much less effective than their chemical-filled counterparts, but in the last few years, plant-powered brands have taken leaps in terms of their formulations.
Now, not only can you find a natural deodorant that works, you can find a wide spectrum of brands that use different ingredients, uplifting scents, and even unique benefits.
This Best Natural Deodorant list will showcase 10 of our top picks, highlighting what makes each one so special. Plus, we’ll give you a little background information about each of the brands that make them.
How Natural Deodorant Works
We’ve all been there. Dripping sweat, weird smells, and yellow stains, and we’re not talking about Taco Bell on a Tuesday night, although, that’s where you could go to put your new natural deodorant to the test.
But the truth is, not every natural deodorant works. Unfortunately, harmful chemicals do a pretty good job at blocking pores, but they also happen to do just as well with filling your body with toxins, too.
Natural Deodorants work by way of destroying bacteria, providing a fresh scent, and absorbing excess moisture, all without the toxins. You may find that some types even stop sweat in its tracks. Formulas differ, so it’s up to you to choose one that aligns with your needs.
The 10 Best Natural Deodorants
Finding the right deodorant can be hard, let alone finding the right natural deodorant. With any personal care product, you want to know that it works, but you also need to find out if it’s doing your body good.
Thankfully, our 10 picks for the Best Natural Deodorant on the market all do both. Let’s just get into it with the help of our natural beauty expert, shall we?
Meet the Expert: Dr. Anna Chacon, MD
Dr. Anna Chacon is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology. Dr. Chacon enjoys practicing all aspects of dermatology. She is licensed to practice in 50 US states, and is quickly becoming the leading teledermatologist in the nation.
Dr. Chacon obtained her concentration in Economics and medical degree from Brown University’s Program in Liberal Medical Education. That led to a research fellowship in dermatologic surgery at the University of Miami and the completion of an internship in surgery and a dermatology residency at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Chacon completed her dermatology residency at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, where she served as chief resident.
Find our top 10 Best Natural Deodorant picks below.
#1: Cleo & Coco Charcoal Deodorant Duo
Cleo & Coco was created by Suzannah Raff to give women natural and body-loving personal care products. Carefully selecting effective ingredients that were kind to skin, its line of clean personal beauty includes dry shampoo, deodorant, and cleansing bars infused with natural scents.
Made with just a handful of botanicals and plant-based ingredients, its products are wellness-boosting alternatives to toxic aluminum-based antiperspirants, artificial soaps, and sprays. Making products that keep you feeling and smelling clean, you’ll find hard-working gentle ingredients like activated charcoal and bentonite throughout the line.
Enjoy elevated scents like grapefruit bergamot and lavender vanilla, or go totally unscented for its cruelty-free formulas. Deodorant duos clock in around $30.
Highlights
- Cruelty-free
- Made with plant-based ingredients
- Free from synthetics
- Effective & long-lasting
- Kind on skin
- Dreamy scents
#2: Native
We’ll start with one of the more well-known natural personal care brands, Native. Though founded in 2015 by Moiz Ali, it is now under the arm of P&G who bought it for $100 million.
If that grandiose number doesn’t give you an inkling of how much customers love the brand, perhaps its values will. Pushing for sustainability always, Native is going plastic-free and was “created to inspire and empower people to look closer at the ingredient list behind their daily personal care products.”
Encouraging people to pause and consider their daily routine’s power players’ (deodorant, toothpaste, etc.) formulas wouldn’t be enough if the brand stopped at the ingredient list.
Native promises not just cruelty-free, clean products, but ones that really work. There’s a general sense of transparency about the brand, shown clearly in its breakdown of every last ingredient they use, along with the reasons they were chosen.
Related: Read our Native Deodorant Review for a full analysis.
Native offers deodorant sticks for both men and women, which come in 12 fresh and inspiring scents. You won’t find any toxic compounds here, like aluminum, just body-friendly natural ones like coconut oil, baking soda, and shea butter.
Perhaps one of the most curious ingredients the brand’s deodorant includes is probiotics. These healthy, friendly bacteria work to balance your skin’s natural pH levels—meaning less odor in the long run.
Delivery & Cost:
You can buy Native Deodorant as a one-time purchase for $12, but the brand encourages shoppers to get a subscription with a 17% discount that knocks the price down to $10.
If you’re a subscriber, you can choose to get your order every 1, 2, 3, or 4 months and have it shipped for free if you live in the US. If you’re located overseas, you can still get free shipping, but your order will need to total over $30.
Returns are as simple as the brand’s shipping policy. As a US customer, if you’re unhappy with your order you can send it back for a full refund within 30 days of receipt. Best part? Return shipping is free, too.
#3: Athena Club
Charles and Maria Desmarais created the brand in 2017 with the belief that consumers have accepted a subpar standard for too long. So out of Delaware, Athena Club was launched.
Taking a scientific approach to personal care products, the brand teamed up with experts in the health and beauty industry to develop effective products that helped people, their wallets, and the environment.
Using transparency as a driving force, you can find every single last ingredient clearly listed on the brand’s website, along with its EWG (Environmental Working Group) score showing its toxicity level—and get this, the majority score just 1/10.
Offering everything from shaving sets to period care, the female-only, subscription-based beauty brand gracefully boasts an all vegan and cruelty-free line.
Related: Read our full Athena Club Selfcare Review for more information.
The product we picked for our Best Natural Deodorant list is the All Day Deo.
This product comes in rose, sage, or lime scents promising all-day odor-busing abilities and made with a primarily clean ingredient list.
This deodorant comes in a solid stick that dries quickly and won’t leave behind a white crumbly trail. Callout ingredients include tapioca starch, which acts as a natural sweat stopper, chamomile extract for soothing, and coconut oil for its superior antibacterial properties.
Delivery & Cost:
You can get a plastic-free tube of this earth-friendly deodorant for $12 if you subscribe. If you’d rather keep things casual, don’t fret, the price only goes up to $13. If you’re a relationship junkie, sign up for delivery every 2, 3, or 4 months.
The brand does not accept returns, but shipping is always free and takes about 3-10 business days for US customers.
#4: Schmidt’s
The story of Schmidt’s started in Jamie Schmidt’s home kitchen where she mixed up batches of incredibly clean personal care products like deodorant, toothpaste, and soap.
The best part about this brand lies in its ingredient list. This is a Best Natural Deodorant list, so of course, these brands will be extremely clean, but, what that said, some brands are more natural than others.
Shmidt’s products are “natural, not natural-ish,” and the brand as a whole is “committed to raising the bar on what a natural product can be.”
Believing that taking the step to go natural is one that should be rewarded, the brand wanted to make sure the product you choose actually works. That way, you won’t have a reason to go back.
The Portland-based brand doesn’t offer gender-specific categories, just versatile scents that go both ways.
Related: Read our Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant Review to learn more.
The Best Natural Deodorant we selected for this list was Schmidt’s Signature Sticks, but it also makes Sensitive Sticks, and Jars, along with Walmart and Target-exclusive scents.
The Signature Sticks come in 6 scents and are packed with some really great ingredients including vitamin E, squalene, and charcoal powder. It’s ingredients like these that set this brand apart.
Delivery & Cost:
Schmidt’s pricing for its Signature Sticks is the same whether you subscribe or not—$10. If you do choose to receive recurring shipments, you can pick a schedule that fits your needs—every 1, 2, 3, or 4 months.
The brand’s orders typically arrive in 1-2 business days and shipping fees depend on how much you order. For example, if you buy one or two products, your shipping cost would be about $3 if you live in the US.
Need to return or exchange? Not a problem. You can do so within 60 days of purchase.
#5: Myro
Myro is one of our more rebellious brands on this Best Natural Deodorant list, with the mission to “balance form and function,” in terms of design, “set the standard higher” in terms of ingredients, and “do good sh*t” for the environment.
Committed to using 50% less plastic and formulating products that pull their own weight, Myro was created by Greg Laptevsky in 2017 as a personal care brand that would go against the norm.
The New York-based brand promises you’ll find “no toxic anything” in its products which include just deodorant—but in mind-blowing scents and refillable cases.
What makes this brand so special, is perhaps its packaging, but more so the way it, along with its awesome scents, has the ability to boost moods. Take a peek and you’ll see what we mean.
Related: Read our Myro Deodorant Review for more information.
If you’re going to offer just one product, you may as well go all out Iike Myro does.
To pick your deodorant, you’ll go through a 3-step process, first, picking a pretty case, selecting from 9 uplifting scents, then choosing your subscription term. If subscribing isn’t your thing, you totally don’t have to.
Delivery & Cost:
To buy it individually, Myro deodorant is $15, and you’ll need to pay $5 in shipping as well. If you subscribe, you’ll pay $12 for the deodorant and get free shipping.
The brand serves the USA only and ships out on longer subscription periods—every 3, 4, or 6 months. Don’t love it? Send it on back for a full refund. No problem.
#6: Malin+Goetz
This cool, calm, and collected brand was established back in 2004, and is, so far, the oldest one featured in this Best Natural Deodorant list.
With a soothing, aesthetically appealing style, Malin+Goetz (named after the guys who created it) is a luxury skincare and fragrance company geared towards those with an eye for style.
The NYC-based brand stirs up simple formulas with pristine ingredients, but perhaps is best known for its classy packaging. In its collection, you’ll find candles and fragrances, along with deodorant, shampoo, and cleansers that follow similar scent stories.
A cruelty-free line, Malin+Goetz manufactures its products in the NYC area to reduce its carbon footprint.
The brand’s regular-sized deodorant comes in 3 scents, with the option to buy a mini size. Though this brand doesn’t specify whether it’s specifically for men, we get the feeling that it is, but that shouldn’t stop any women from trying the simple, clean, and effective formula the brand has to offer.
Related: Read our Malin Goetz Review to learn more.
Promising to minimize sweat without classic sweat-stoppers like aluminum, alcohol, and baking soda, this sensitive skin formula goes on clear and won’t leave the dreaded yellow pit stains you’re so used to with traditional deodorants.
How does it do this? Witch hazel extract, one of the many wonders of the natural world, along with antibacterial coconut oil, barley powder to suck up moisture, and 12 botanical extracts that work overtime to keep you smelling and feeling fresh.
Delivery & Cost:
Malin+Goetz doesn’t have a subscription service, and its deodorant is a little more expensive than the other brand in this Best Natural Deodorant list, clocking in at $22.
You can thank the premium formula for this price, one that you’re probably going to thank in the long run for keeping you stink and toxin-free.
As for shipping, it looks like it’s on the house. If once you get it, try it, and you still aren’t sold, you can send it back within 30 days as long as at least 75% of the product is still there.
#7: PAPR Cosmetics
PAPR Cosmetics is a fun brand with awesome, colorful packaging and super trendy scents. Its business is strictly deodorant and was founded not too long ago in 2018 by Daniel Alexander Roescheisen.
The brand’s mission is to “create conscious beauty products – as good as they get for you and with as little impact on the planet as possible.” Based in LA, it boasts biodegradable packaging and 100% natural ingredients.
We chose PAPR Cosmetics as one of the Best Natural Deodorant brands out there mostly because of its ingredients, but it’s the packaging that hooked us.
The brand only makes one product, deodorant, but in the future, we hope it expands. Since this is a Best Natural Deodorant list, it works out in our favor and makes our job really easy.
Related: Read our PAPR Cosmetics Review for a full analysis.
The Deodorant is completely vegan and uses coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba to condition skin, baking soda to combat sweat, and a slew of other natural, freshening agents like juniper oil to keep things light and airy.
Offered in 5 scents, this deodorant is genderless and can be enjoyed by anyone.
Delivery & Cost:
PAPR Cosmetics Deodorant is available for purchase with a subscription for $11, but also without for $14. You can sign up for deliveries every 1, 2, or 3 months and get free shipping if your total is over $25.
If the deodorant isn’t what you expected, you can return it within 15 days from the date of purchase.
#8: Aesop
With a pharmacy-like feel, Aesop formulates high-quality plant-based skin, hair, and body care products. Using only safe and effective ingredients, the Melbourne-based brand takes a scientific approach to beauty.
Aesop was created in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis who introduced the line to his hair salon after mixing high-quality hair products with essential oils.
A carbon-neutral brand, its mission is one of purity, to “formulate skin, hair and body care products of the finest quality,” to “investigate widely to source plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients, and use only those with a proven record of safety and efficacy.”
Offering personal care items, fragrances, and even home gifts, the brand’s feel-good products are only available at Aesop stores—something that gives it an edge and an air of exclusivity.
Just like the brand’s other clean, effective products, the Deodorant Roll-On is formulated with curious ingredients like zinc and wasabi extract, and scented with earthy, green vetiver.
Related: Read our full Aseop Skincare Review for more information.
If you’ve ever tried Aesop products, then you know they have a forest-y, pristine smell about them, something that this deodorant doesn’t skimp on.
Using essential oils to block odor, this deodorant is a mix of the natural and scientific world, as not every ingredient on its list is totally plant-based.
Delivery & Cost:
As a luxury skincare brand, the cost of the Deodorant Roll-On is higher than others on this Best Natural Deodorant list—$35. That cost is a reflection of the science behind its formulation, but it also has a little bit to do with how well-known the brand is, the free shipping, and the complimentary samples included in your order.
Aesop doesn’t offer a subscription, and it warns of look-a-like products. Be sure to buy directly from the brand’s website or one of its authorized locations.
Just like shipping, returns are on the house. If you need to, send it back in 30 days for a full refund.
#9: Kopari
Kopari is a brand with a tropical twist. Using high-quality, sustainably sourced coconut oil as the base of all of its products, it swears to have “the purest intentions” when it comes to business, from sourcing to ingredients to testing.
In 2015, Kopari was launched by Kiana Cabell and Gigi Goldman who wanted to offer a truly clean, healthy form of coconut-based beauty products. Within its lineup, you’ll find everything from makeup remover to shaving balm and hair treatments.
Based in sunny California, the brand shines thanks to its commitment to sustainability, sourcing its coconut oil from an earth-friendly, regenerative coconut farm in the Philippines.
This vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand promises products free from sulfates, parabens, and phthalates, instead, offering silky and nourished skin, hair, and lips.
Related: Check out our Kopari Beauty Review to learn more.
Kopari Deodorant makes use of the natural antibacterial properties of coconut oil, along with coconut water, and sage to care for sensitive underarms. Dermatologist tested, the deodorant claims to last all day, and yet, is free from aluminum and baking soda.
It comes in 7 delicious, tropical-inspired scents, its original being a sweet, creamy coconut that sounds good enough to eat.
Delivery & Cost:
With a subscription plan, you can get Kopari Deodorant delivered to your home every 1, 2, or 3 months for $12 a pop. To save even more, buy in bundles. If you’re a one-time kinda gal, you’ll get one tube for $14.
Shipping is about $5, but if you spend over $20, you’ll get it for free.
Need to make a return? You totally can, but make sure you do it within 60 days of purchase. Oh, and returns are free!
#10: Kaia Naturals The Takesumi Detox
Kaia Naturals founder, Mary Futher believes that “you don’t need many products but, you do need good quality products.”
No stranger to the world of luxury beauty, Futher left her work with big beauty brands to create a one of her own that focused on “developing clean products that don’t take short-cuts or compromise on ingredients.”
Based in Toronto, the brand, which launched in 2010, takes a couture approach to personal care products, using natural, top-notch ingredients, along with special elements to help you detox and nourish your skin.
Within its collection, you’ll find things like shampoo, cleansing wipes, and deodorant—but they all have a purifying twist, designed to help your body transition away from traditionally toxic alternatives.
Kaia Naturals The Takesumi Detox Deodorant is specifically formulated to help wean your armpits off of chemical sticks and sprays. It comes along with information about what you expect while you detox, and uses ingredients that make the process a little easier.
Made with nature’s #1 purification tool, charcoal, The Takesumi Detox Deodorant comes in 6 appealing scents in full or trial size. Designed to care for sensitive skin, you’ll find fermented extracts to help tackle bacteria the right way and restore balance to your armpits.
Working like a 2-in-1, this vegan and cruelty-free deodorant combats odor while it detoxes you, and in three weeks, it promises you’ll be back to your fresh-smelling, and much less sweaty, self. You should get about 3 months of use out of one stick.
It has a really clean ingredient list with no baking soda or sweat-blockers, just absorptive arrowroot powder.
Delivery & Cost:
Kaia Naturals does not offer its products as a subscription. The Takesumi Detox Deodorant is $24, but you can also buy the trial size for $10. Shipped within Canada, the cost is a flat rate of $5, or for US customers, $10.
You’ll be able to exchange your deodorant within 30 days for a new product, but, unless it’s defective you cannot get a refund.
Why Use Natural Deodorant?
Natural deodorants can make use of a plethora of ingredients, but none of them can be chemicals. It’s not breaking news that antiperspirants come with a heaping dose of negative side effects, but many don’t know what they are or the effects they can have.
Because deodorant is applied to underarms (a place that has 20+ lymph nodes), whatever you choose to put on gets quickly absorbed into your bloodstream, then cycles around your body until it’s stored in fatty tissues, nerves, and glands. If that sounds scary to you, that’s because it is.
Using traditional deodorant, which utilizes antiperspirants like aluminum, as well as parabens, and triclosan, means that those toxic compounds make it into your body fast and stay there until you detox—yikes!
Over time, the buildup of toxins can lead to the premature aging and deterioration of your cells causing poor immune, brain, and organ function.
And yet, who wants to be the smelly, stinky person in the room? Chemical deodorants are dangerous, but they sure do work. So what do you do, compromise on health or on hygiene? The answer: neither.
A good, natural deodorant will combat odors, reduce or soak up sweat, and may even nourish your skin, all while using clean, helpful ingredients that won’t lead to toxin buildup.
“Natural deodorants are ideal for sensitive skin because they contain no synthetic materials or harmful chemicals, but some people may be sensitive to a natural ingredient like baking soda,” Dr. Anna Chacon said.
Anyone looking to smell better the natural way may find one of our picks for the Top Natural Deodorant useful (just make sure you check the ingredient label!).
Does Natural Deodorant Actually Work?
When we sweat, we release toxins from our bodies. Sweating is a natural human function that helps us cool down and get rid of anything the body doesn’t need.
To sweat isn’t shameful, and yet, those dreaded armpit rings can be pretty embarrassing. You may not want to stop sweating for good, just block the odor that comes with it.
Bad smells come from bacteria, and boy do they love a dark, moist, cozy armpit. Some bacteria, when they meet up with sweat, transform into a smelly monster. That means that negating body odor comes with a simple solution: kill the bacteria, destroy the odor.
All of the Best Natural Deodorant picks in this list make use of a natural antibacterial ingredient like coconut oil, witch hazel, charcoal, or a combination of a few different ones. Mixed with nature’s fresheners (botanicals and essential oils), you have yourself a winning, fresh-smelling combo.
However, some people believe that natural deodorants aren’t as strong or don’t work as well. “When switching to natural deodorant, the underarms go through a natural transition period commonly known as an armpit detox. It may take some time for one to feel its effects,” Dr. Chacon said.
“Natural deodorant contains ingredients that help absorb moisture but does not contain aluminum-based salts to plug up the sweat glands. It helps with armpit odor but not sweat. Reapplication of the product may be required after exercising or throughout the day.”
Certain natural deodorants even contain, what we like to call, moisture vacuums. Things like silica, arrowroot powder, and rice starch act like sand on oil, soaking up sweat, and leaving none to trickle down your arm in the middle of an important presentation.
Some natural deodorant brands boast all-day wear. Those are usually the ones with some kind of sweat-stopping powder. The norm is 8-12 hours—long enough to get you through your workday.
How to Choose the Best Natural Deodorant
We all have preferences. What one person looks for, another may steer clear of. But when searching for a natural deodorant, there are a few important things to keep in mind, regardless of your personal likes and dislikes.
You may have noticed that some of the picks on this Best Natural Deodorant list have antiperspirant effects. That means they’ll stop sweating, whereas deodorants will simply kill bacteria and cover odors.
If you’re after an antiperspirant, look out for ingredients like baking soda or salts—these natural components will help stop sweat, whereas powders, like arrowroot or rice, will simply soak up sweat, not block.
Most of the deodorants on this list come in stick form, but there are a few that roll on (Aesop), and some that come in a jar (Schmidt’s), so keep an eye out for formats.
If you like particular scents, there are a few names on this Best Natural Deodorant list that provide quite the variety, but also some that offer just one scent. Certain brands like PAPR Cosmetics and Myro have some pretty unique scent profiles which we’ve outlined above as well.
Another thing, and perhaps one of the more important ones to consider, is ingredients. You may notice that no two deodorants are built quite the same. Some ban certain natural ingredients while others celebrate them, and you’ll find that particular deodorants are 100% natural, whereas others are more lenient in their formulations.
Dr. Chacon recommends looking for kaolin clay to absorb moisture, as well as coconut oil, rosemary, sage, lemon grass, and tea tree oil for their antibacterial properties.
And last, but certainly not least, price is always an important factor. The price range of products included in this Best Natural Deodorant list is quite vast, so just be sure to pick one that makes sense with your budget.
Explore your options and check out these natural deodorant brands you may enjoy:
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