The search for the best natural clean non-toxic deodorant that actually work
June 7, 2022 - Honest Product Reviews
I am on the search for a clean natural deodorant free from toxic or questionable chemicals that can cause harm. I have bought all these deodorants myself and my unbiased results are below. I am rating the deodorants under a handful of different categories to be as transparent as possible.
I have a few dealbreaker categories – my deodorant cannot permanently stain my shirts nor can I end the day smelling like really bad BO. The application, product’s scent, and sweat/feel throughout the day are simply in my nice to have list.
Schmidt’s Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 5/5 stars (like absolutely amazing, the best smelling deodorant EVER!)
Staining Shirts – 1/5 star (I ruined 3 shirts using this stuff trying varying amounts of application – even 1 swipe under my arms of it left permanent stains on a shirt that even a spot remover (oxi clean) couldn’t remove and I do not even wear tight fitting shirts)
BO Smell Blocker – 5/5 stars
Application – 3/5 stars (You need to hold it to your skin for like 5-10 seconds for it to warm up, then you can swipe it – however it is a rough sticky-sandpaper like feeling of a swipe. Better if you keep your armpits shaved but still do-able for those that don’t)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable, and I didn’t really notice any extra sweat compared to an aluminum based deodorant)
Verdict – Don’t Buy. This one was a deal breaker for me – I can’t have my deodorant stain and ruin everything I wear. I could keep this in a drawer and take it out each time I want to smell something amazing, but otherwise it’s trash.
Hello Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 5/5 stars (Fairly light, not too noticeable).
Staining Shirts – 1/5 star (Ruined my shirt using this stuff even with not that heavy of application under my arms and I do not even wear tight fitting shirts)
BO Smell Blocker – 3/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a little bit at the end of the day which does bother me)
Application – 3/5 stars (A bit chalky and bumpy when applied, would have liked a smoother spread of the product on application)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable)
Verdict – Don’t Buy. Again, ruining shirts is a deal breaker for me, I do not think I should have to toss a shirt in the trash each day I wear natural deodorant.
Lafes Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 4/5 stars (Smells good to me, not too strong)
Staining Shirts – 4/5 star (Doesn’t appear to stain but on lighter colored shirts does show up wet looking on them a little)
BO Smell Blocker – 3.5/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a little by days end which does bother me – if reapplied midday it goes back to working)
Application – 5/5 stars (Glides on smooth, slightly chalky feeling when going on)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 1/5 (After a few hours I feel like there is a lot of friction/stickiness on your skin making it feel like rubbing a deflated balloon against glass. Odd description I know but it’s not a pleasant feeling)
Verdict – Most likely skip. I don’t think I can get over the odd sticky feeling, and since it can’t hold back BO for a full day during a second reapply it gets even worse the stickiness.
Dr Teal’s Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 1/5 stars (Horrible! Smells like a teenage boy ALL DAY. Very strong scent, doesn’t go away until washed off, and gives me a headache).
Staining Shirts – 1/5 star (Ruined my shirt using this stuff even with not that heavy of application under my arms and I do not even wear tight fitting shirts)
BO Smell Blocker – 1/5 stars (Smelled pretty bad by the end of a day, although you could still smell the horrible scent mixed with BO smell – simply lovely *rolls eyes*)
Application – 4/5 stars (Good application, a little rougher than usual, and leaves a bit of residue on your arms)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable, except for the scent & BO smell)
Verdict – Don’t Buy. This one was a deal breaker for me – I can’t have my deodorant stain/ruin everything I wear plus smell so strong to give me a headache plus be terrible at blocking BO. This was a big miss from Dr. Teal’s brand. Maybe it should be marketed to teenagers as cologne instead of a deodorant?
Ursa Major Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 5/5 stars (Smells great and not overpowering)
Staining Shirts – 5/5 star (Doesn’t stain even under heavy application on sweaty days)
BO Smell Blocker – 3.5/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a little bit at the end of the day – reapplying early evening solves this problem)
Application – 5/5 stars (Glides on smooth and easy)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable, and I didn’t really notice any extra sweat compared to an aluminum based deodorant)
Verdict – Decent. I also want to mention the price of this stuff. It’s very expensive compared to the rest – like 3x the price. I didn’t hold that against it because if it works perfectly I’ll be a happy life long customer.
Tom’s Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 4/5 stars (totally acceptable, not overpowering, I want to try different scents in the future)
Staining Shirts – 5/5 star (Doesn’t stain even under heavy application on sweaty days)
BO Smell Blocker – 3.5/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a little bit at the end of the day – reapplying early evening solves this problem)
Application – 4.5/5 stars (Glides on smooth, slightly fizzy feel initially, takes like 30min to fully dry if applied on the heavier side like I do to help prevent BO smell for longer)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable, and I didn’t really notice any extra sweat compared to an aluminum based deodorant)
Verdict – Decent. I want to experiment more with other scents to see if maybe it could last an entire day without any BO smell nor early evening reapplication. I would also like to mention I did not try the anti-perspirant version of Tom’s as they contain questionable ingredient/s. However the regular natural ones do not. I only tested their signature “long lasting” version.
A La Maison Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 3/5 stars (totally acceptable, not overpowering at all)
Staining Shirts – 5/5 star (Doesn’t stain even under heavy application on sweaty days)
BO Smell Blocker – 2/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a decent amount at the end of the day which is a deal breaker)
Application – 5/5 stars (Glides on smooth & clear)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 1/5 (feels sticky-like under your arms all day even if you don’t apply very much, not a pleasant feeling)
Verdict – Don’t Buy. I can’t get over the odd feeling of stickiness under my arms from this plus it did only so-so of keeping the BO scent at bay. There are other options in this list that did a better job on BO smell blocking with no stickiness.
Primal Elements Natural Deodorant:
Product’s Scent – 4/5 stars (Pretty strong scent but smelled like a Hawaiian vacation so I didn’t mind it).
Staining Shirts – 1/5 star (Ruined my shirt using this stuff even with not that heavy of application under my arms and I do not even wear tight fitting shirts)
BO Smell Blocker – 3/5 stars (It works for most of the day but you can smell yourself a little bit at the end of the day which does bother me)
Application – 5/5 stars (Applies smooth and clear)
Sweat/Feel Throughout the day – 5/5 (feels light and un-noticeable)
Verdict – Don’t Buy. Ruining shirts is a deal breaker for me, I do not think I should have to toss a shirt in the trash each day I wear natural deodorant.
Native Deodorant:
This is made with Ozokerite. Any toxic chemicals do not make the cut for me. Ozokerite is a petrochemical and highly processed, one could argue it can’t be classified as “natural.” One potential risk that ozokerite poses, because it’s derived from crude oil, is that it can be contaminated with polyaromatic hydrocarbons like carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene. This is a deal breaker for me.
Sadly there is no clear winner – all of them have their flaws, some much worse than others. I did learn that all the ones that ruined my shirts had coconut oil in the ingredient list somewhere.
If I was to rank them it would be:
- Best: Toms & Ursa Major
- So-so: Lafes & A La Maison
- Poor: Primal Elements, Dr. Teals, Hello, & Schmidts