Deodorant is often either in plastic packaging or in aerosol spray bottles which pollute the air. They also frequently contain ingredients that can irritate your sensitive underarm skin. Luckily there are plenty of amazing eco-friendly solutions. So many that it might be hard to choose one! And not every natural or plastic-free deodorant works for you, because everyone is different. And sometimes it takes 2 or 3 different ones before we find one that's the best. But no worries we got you. Here is all the info you need to help you decide. 

Disclaimer: there are certain ingredients some people would rather avoid due to allergies, and others are fine with. For example, aluminium, baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) and essential oils. Some of these deodorants do have bicarbonate of soda. If you get allergic reactions due to baking soda, a few remedies are to use less deodorant, mix apple cider vinegar and water and apply it 4 times a year to get rid of the allergy, putting some aloe vera on before applying the deodorant, or to simply avoid deodorants with baking soda in the future.

Most products that are offered as "deo" are actually not "deodorants" but "antiperspirants". By using aluminum salts you counteract the amount of sweat that your armpits produce. Apart from the fact that you never want to work against your natural bodily functions, there are also health risks. The aluminum chloride causes the sweat glands to be temporarily blocked, so you stop sweating. The research done on aluminium is not very clear: it’s been suggested aluminium is linked to breast cancer, however, there is no clear evidence confirming that. So just to be safe, all of these deodorants don’t have any aluminium. We encourage you to do your own research though, and to see what your skin is comfortable with.

All deodorants are also vegan and cruelty-free.

1. Cacao Pow Deo Bar

The packaging is very cute and straight forward. The glass pot can be reused and the deo bar is wrapped with paper. It’s used by taking it out of the pot and creating a paste in the palm of your hand by rotating it 20 times or applying it directly to a clean and dry armpit. Tip: keep it against your skin for a few secondes to soften the bar and it will easily glide onto your skin. So you can use it both with your hands and as a ‘traditional’ deo stick. 

It has only 3 ingredients: certified organic cacao butter, baking soda and zinc oxide. The cacao butter gives it a nice scent that fades when you apply it. It provides natural protection against odor and allows your skin to breathe and respond naturally to perspiration. The few ingredients make it a great option for people who are sensitive to salicylates (coconut oil) and essential oils.

The Cacao Pow Deo bar is available for €17,50 for 100grams which lasts 6 months.

2. The Natural Deodorant Company

Gentle deodorant cream

 Available in Unscented cream coconut shea, Tangerine, Lavender, or as an unscented tester

The Natural Deodorant Co. was born out of the desire to create the perfect natural deodorant. Tired of spending time and money on natural deodorants that needed to be reapplied every couple of hours, they decided to create their own. 

The packaging of this deodorant is very sleek and without any paper instructions, perfect for repurposing. The jar is glass and the lid is metal. It’s used by scooping a small amount from the pot and softening it a little between your fingertips. The texture is incredibly smooth and soft, like whipped cream. It’s not wet and sticky so you’re able to get dressed right after rubbing it in.

It’s made for dry and sensitive skin, without any baking soda and gentle enough to use post-shave. The ingredient list is short and simple: it uses the antibacterial power of magnesium oxide and white clay to ensure your skin stays fresh. Magnesium oxide deodorises, while white clay and arrowroot help to keep you moisture-free. Shea butter protects your dry, sensitive underarm skin, and olive oil plus coconut oil make for a smooth texture. The scented pots have lavender or tangerine oil added in as well. The scent is amazing: Tangerine smells like a smoothie, Unscented has a light shea scent, and lavender is like a garden. The smell is very vibrant and natural. They have immense staying power too: they last for 24 hours. 

All around, there are no downsides to this product: It’s suitable for very sensitive skin, super gentle, available with and without a lovely scent, plastic-free with a soft texture and in stunning packaging. With ingredients that keep bacteria and odor away but also suck up moisture. I would say the only downside is that it’s one of the pricier ones. However, they do have testers so you know what to expect before you buy it. They have truly succeeded in creating the perfect deodorant!

The Gentle deodorant cream costs €14,95 for 55g and 3,95 for 10g as an unscented sample.

3. The Lekker Company

Natural deodorant 

Available in Neutral, Lavender, Rosemary & mint, Mandarin & lemon

The Lekker company is a Dutch company that is all about transparency and honesty, just like the Dutch are. Lekker means all things good and they want to bring all the good things to your body too. Their ingredient list is written down simply instead of in INCI because they want to normalize transparency in cosmetics.

It’s a small, cute, colorful cardboard pot that you use with your finger. It’s a natural product so after a while it can start to look weird, however after you rub it, it will become normal again, a bit like with honey.

This cheerful little box packs a punch: This deodorant uses baking soda and corn starch to fight odor. The shea butter makes the deodorant creamy and moisturizing for your skin, while organic coconut oil ensures that it's easy to smear on your skin and it contains antibacterial properties. Vitamin E prolongs its shelf life and it is also very good for your skin. Sunflower oil works moisturizing, and rapeseed wax improves the texture. The different deodorants have different essential oils added as well, except for the neutral variant. The different scents each have their positive properties, such as that lavender is very calming. The natural variant is essential oil-free.

The Lekker company’s deodorants are €7,50 for 30ml that will last you 2-3 months.

4. BEN & ANNA

Ben & Anna from Germany are committed to developing sustainable, vegan and plastic-free products. They want to inspire people to look at how they're living and how they want to live. They hope to support people in changing their lifestyle with their products. Through buying their products you support environmental organization One Earth - One Ocean, which works to clean up the ocean all around the world.

Their deodorants are certified Natrue natural cosmetics and contain no questionable ingredients: No PEG’s, Parabens, Phthalates, and also no gluten. Despite this, the ingredient list is still quite long. But that isn’t a bad thing: these deodorants are full of good, moisturizing ingredients. You can use this website to be sure of that. Some of the highlights include jojoba oil, coconut oil and shea butter. Since almost all their deodorants are scented with complex scent combinations, there’s either perfume or essential oils added to most of their deodorants. Only the Pure stick is fragrance-free. The deodorants cause no stains and aren’t greasy or sticky. 

They’re meant to be applied very thinly, a few strokes are enough, so possible stains caused by the shea butter can be prevented.  If a stain does appear, it can be easily removed with bile soap. Applying it thinly also makes sure that you can use it for a long time. Ben & Anna deo’s have a shelf-life of at least 24 months.

4.1 Ben & Anna Stick

Available in Nordic timber, Vanilla orchid, Indian Mandarin, Provence, Pure and Pink grapefruit

The stick is easy to use by pressing the bottom up and applying it. The packaging is zero-waste: it’s made of FSC-certified paper. Perks of this deodorant are that it has the biggest scent variety of all the others and absorbs moisture.

It uses baking soda and corn starch to keep you smelling fresh with arrowroot to absorb moisture. Coconut oil makes it easy to smear and contains antibacterial properties. Vitamin E prolongs its shelf life and is great for your skin. Castor oil has antibacterial properties and antioxidants. Jojoba oil regulates the amount of oil your body produces, keeping your skin nice and smooth. Sunflower wax makes sure the deodorant isn’t sticky. Don’t be alarmed if you see alcohol on the ingredient list: these are fatty alcohols that help moisturize dry skin.

TIP: if you feel the stick is too hard and dry, keep it against your armpit for 5-10 seconds and let the warmth of your skin soften the stick and make it easier to apply

 The Ben & Anna regular stick deodorants are €8 for 60g.

4.2 Ben & Anna Stick: Sensitive

Available here in Lemon & lime, Japanese Cherry blossom and Highland breeze

The Sensitive series contains no bicarbonate but rather relies on Arrowroot and talc to absorb sweat, while zinc ricinoleate protects against odor-causing bacteria. For a sensitive deodorant the scents are quite original and varied, but because of the added fragrance it’s not for armpits that are allergic to perfumes and essential oils.

TIP: if you feel the stick is too hard and dry, keep it against your armpit for 5-10 seconds and let the warmth of your skin soften the stick and make it easier to apply

Ben & Anna’s sensitive stick deodorants are €9 for 60g.

Ben & Anna: Tin

Available here in Vanilla Orchid, Pink grapefruit and Persian Lime

The small recyclable metal tin is nice for on the go. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and has fun packaging, while you could easily remove the sticker if you want it to look super minimal. The content of the tin is more creamy and softer than Ben & Anna’s Deo stick, so that it’s easier to apply by hand, but it works the same as the stick. It has virtually the same ingredients as the regular sticks as well.

Ben & Anna’s tin deodorants are €7 for 45g.

Written by Talitha van der Meer