Often, when it comes to eco-friendly products, people question if they work as well as their conventional counterparts. So in this article, I want to reassure you that eco-friendly deodorants work just as well as conventional deodorants.
The assumption with sustainable products is that because they use milder, natural or plant-based ingredients, they won’t work as well or not at all. And it’s no wonder.
Adverts keep telling us how much better these fancy new products work because they have strong new ingredients that scientists have developed. The obvious inference from this is that synthetic is better than natural.
And it’s no different with deodorants. I have used conventional deodorants and antiperspirants for years before I decided to make better choices for the planet and switch. Since then, I have tried and tested a few and now use a natural deodorant.
So in this article I want to dispel the myth that eco-friendly deodorants don’t work, because I know they do.
Natural Vs Synthetic Ingredients
The main reason many people think that eco-friendly deodorants don’t work is because they don’t use the fancy synthetic ingredients conventional deodorants and antiperspirants use. So I will start here and look at the different ingredients.
While artificially made ingredients are made in the lab by humans, their natural counterparts are made by nature. Sometimes the actual ingredient needs extracting, for example essential oils, but that’s a different process from creating a substance synthetically.
There are three reasons why eco-friendly deodorants use natural rather than synthetic ingredients:
- Lab-made ingredients are mostly made from fossil fuels, which isn’t sustainable
- Many synthetic ingredients aren’t biodegradable and are harmful to the environment
- Chemically made ingredients are often harsher and can cause irritation
So the reasons for switching to natural or plant-based ingredients are good ones. Let’s look at some of the most common ingredients used in conventional antiperspirants, deodorants and eco-friendly deodorants.
| Role of Ingredient | Conventional Antiperspirant | Conventional Deodorant | Eco-Friendly Deodorant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blocking sweat pores | Aluminium salts (aluminium chlorohydrate, aluminium sesquichlorohydrate, aluminium bromide, aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrate, and aluminium lactate) | n/a | n/a |
| Killing odour-causing bacteria | n/a | triclosan, propylene glycol, quaternary ammonium compounds, octoxyglycerin, 2-ethylhexylglycerin, and ethyllauryl arginate hydroxychloride | baking soda, magnesium hydroxide, zinc ricinoleate, potassium alum salt, calcium carbonate |
| Absorbing moisture | n/a | sodium acid carbonate, zinc carbonate, and talc | maranta arundinacea root powder, starch (rice, tapioca), |
| Masking body odour | limonene, linalool, geraniol, benzyl salicylate, often just called fragrance or perfume | limonene, linalool, eugenol, geraniol, hexylcinnamaldehyde, often just called fragrance or perfume | limonene, linalool, citral, coumarin, etc. often just called fragrance or perfume |
As you can see, the ingredients in eco-friendly deodorants have the same purpose, but they are plant-based and/or natural. The only difference is that they are kinder to your skin and the environment, but they do the same job.
This is especially true for fragrances. Synthetic fragrance chemicals are one of the worst ingredients for our environment. You may have noticed that some of the fragrances are used in all three types. But the difference is that in eco-friendly deodorants the fragrances are naturally derived rather than made in the lab.
By using perfumes that nature provides, mostly in the form of essential oils, natural deodorants can make you smell nice without harming plants, animals and you.
And some of the other ingredients have been used for centuries, so we know that they are effective. Let’s take baking soda or bicarbonate of soda. It doesn’t just make your cake rise. It’s a super ingredient due to its odour-absorbing capabilities.
I use it to refresh my clothes instead of washing them if I only wore them once. Just mix a teaspoon of baking soda with water in a spray bottle. Then spray your clothes, let them dry and brush away any white powder bits.
Your clothes will be fresh again without the smells from your night out. It’s magical and eco-friendly.
Salts, not just the one you use to season your food, are known for their ability to kill bacteria. They do this by absorbing the moisture from the microorganisms and thereby drying them out. Salt water solutions can be used to bathe wounds to prevent bacterial infections.
But that’s only the scientific side of it. Just because theoretically the eco-friendly deodorants use equivalent ingredients, doesn’t mean they work just as well, right? Wrong!
Find Your Sustainable Deodorant Quiz
Answer 5 simple questions and get a personal recommendation.
My Experience Using Natural Deodorants
I have been using conventional deodorants and antiperspirants for years, but when I started to make changes to live a more sustainable life, I wanted to move away from them and towards natural solutions.
After a lot of research, I discovered that there are actually several different options if you want to have an eco-friendly deodorant.
- natural deodorant which uses plant-based alternatives to common synthetic deodorant ingredients
- probiotic deodorant which uses good bacteria to outcompete bad odour-causing ones
- salt crystal deodorant which creates “hostile” environment for odour-causing bacteria
I have tried them all and can say confidently, they all work. As none of them are antiperspirants, I had to go through a transition period at first. This isn’t the most comfortable experience I ever had, but it wasn’t too bad either.
But I can say with confidence that eco-friendly deodorants work just as well as conventional ones, and below you can find out what it’s like using them.
Natural Deodorant
Le’t start with the natural deodorant. It can come in many forms, but I opted for a stick. It contained the three active ingredients all deodorants use: moisture absorption, odour masking and killing bacteria.
Because I no longer use an antiperspirant, I do sweat, which is normal. Although after years of not sweating, it was something to get used to.
However, I only notice it when I do something more strenuous, like vacuuming, gardening or walking fast. Otherwise, my armpits feel dry. This suggests to me that the moisture-absorbing ingredients work as they should.
And even if I feel a bit damp under my arms, I don’t smell of body odour. All I can smell is the subtle scent of the deodorant.
This means that the ingredients designed to eliminate odour-causing bacteria are also doing their job in combination with the natural fragrances.
So how does it compare with when I used a conventional antiperspirant? My underarms do feel damp every now and again, which is to be expected, because my armpits are allowed to sweat now.
But even so, I don’t feel uncomfortable or smelly. And my nose confirms that I don’t smell of body odour. Yes, I admit, I do check every so often, even after several months.
The main difference between my old antiperspirant and the new natural deodorant is the intensity of the scent. My natural deodorant uses essential oils, which produce less strong scents. Whereas the antiperspirant I used contained synthetic fragrances, which smell much stronger.
I was never a fan of the strong scent as it just covered up everything. Have you ever entered a lift and been greeted with a wave of perfume so strong you had to cough? That’s how I felt after using my antiperspirant. It was just too much.
And more recently I have come to associate strong smells with synthetic chemicals. So I really like the fact that my natural deodorant only has a subtle but lovely scent.
You can read more about my experience with this natural deodorant in my full Wild deodorant review.
Salt Crystal Deodorant
I have to admit that I was sceptical at first. A deodorant block only made from salt crystals didn’t sound like it would work, even if salt is known to keep bacteria at bay.
But, my husband wanted to try it and I thought why not give it a go as well. Unlike the deodorant stick, which you apply to clean dry skin, you rub the salt deodorant on clean wet skin. The water dissolves the salt and as it dries, it coats your underarm with a protective layer.
Because there aren’t any ingredients that absorb your sweat, my armpits felt damp more often as my body regulated my temperature through sweating. This is something I had to get used to.
And I get that it mightn’t be for everyone. But at the same time, my underarms didn’t smell bad. So clearly, the salts protected me from any odour-causing bacteria.
It’s a deodorant at its simplest: it stops you from smelling bad. There aren’t any fragrance ingredients either, so you won’t smell at all. For some people, this might be a big disadvantage, but I love that about the salt crystal deodorant.
And if you have sensitive skin or are reacting to fragrances, this is the ideal solution. My husband used to get irritated skin after using his old antiperspirant. But since he switched, his skin is fine.
It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works. Want to know more? Read our full LiveCoco crystal salt deodorant review.
Probiotic Deodorant
When I came across this I got really excited. I love probiotics, which is when good bacteria are used to outcompete bad ones. I have a probiotic all-purpose cleaner, which I love.
So of course, I had to try a probiotic deodorant. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of probiotics, here is how it works with the deodorant. It contains fermented lactobacilli probiotics and prebiotic arrowroot. The former are good bacteria and the latter will feed the good bacteria.
By adding more good bacteria and feeding them, they will outcompete the bad bacteria, which cause the bad smell.
What I love most is that the deodorant doesn’t just kill all bacteria, including the good ones that our skin needs. Instead, it adds more and feeds them, so they can help get rid of the bad ones.
Using nature rather than chemicals, amazing! But does it work?
The answer is yes. I have tested it during a little heatwave and I have to say I was impressed. Even though I did feel damp, which is normal as it’s not an antiperspirant, I didn’t smell.
Not even on the hottest day so far, while sitting outside, did this probiotic deodorant let me down. My armpits stayed fresh and there was no BO.
You can read my full review of the Awake Organics probiotic deodorant to find out more.
Eco-Friendly Deodorants Work
So here you have it. Eco-friendly deodorants do really work. They will keep you feeling and smelling fresh without harming you or the environment.
If you use an antiperspirant and switch to an eco-friendly, natural deodorant, you will have to get used to sweating again and go through a transition period. But depending on what type of eco-friendly deodorant you choose, it doesn’t mean you will have to live with sweat patches.
Many contain moisture-absorbing substances, such as starch or arrowroot powder, that will absorb your sweat, keeping you feel fresh all day.
And you don’t have to forgo a lovely scent if you don’t want to, as many natural deodorants contain essential oils that add a scent to your armpits.
So don’t sweat it! Switch to an eco-friendly deodorant and feel good about yourself and the planet.
Top-Rated Eco-Friendly Deodorants
| Cleaning Products | Value For Money | Performance | Ease Of Use | My Rating | Full Review | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Excellent | Outstanding | Very Simple | 4.87/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Outstanding | Great | Very Simple | 4.87/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Excellent | Outstanding | Very Simple | 4.87/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Great | Outstanding | Very Simple | 4.85/5 | Read Review | Visit Website |
