When looking for an eco-friendly deodorant, you will come across various types. One of which is the probiotic deodorant. But is it just a gimmick or a viable alternative to your conventional deodorant or antiperspirant?
I have been on a journey to a more sustainable life for a while now. The many changes I have already made, have been great, and I feel better for them. But I’m not yet done, far from it.
I have turned my attention to my deodorant and, unsurprisingly, conventional antiperspirants and deodorants aren’t the best for our environment. The ingredients and packaging used mean they have an undesirable impact on our planet.
My research has led me to deodorants that use probiotics to combat body odour. I’m familiar with the concept of using good bacteria to fight bad ones, as I use a probiotic natural cleaner and I love it.
So of course I wanted to find out more about probiotic deodorants. Most of all, I wanted to know if they work or are just a gimmick. Let’s find out…
Good Vs Bad Bacteria
Before we can explain how probiotics work, we first have to understand how body odour is produced. The first thing to know is that sweat doesn’t smell. The bacteria that live on the skin under our arms and that consume our sweat produce the odour.
And not all bacteria are equal, which means that not all bacteria will produce body odour. Research has shown that there are mainly two groups of bacteria that are responsible for body odour: Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium.
Deodorants contain ingredients that eliminate bacteria, both good and bad, to prevent them from causing smelly armpits. Antiperspirants block your sweat pores, to prevent you from sweating. If there is no sweat, the bad bacteria have no food they can turn into BO.
But if you eliminate all bacteria, you also get rid of the ones that benefit your skin. And that’s where probiotics come in.
The idea behind probiotics is that an increase in good bacteria can outcompete, and reduce the presence, of bad bacteria.
The good bacteria, the ones that don’t cause body odour, live naturally on our skin anyway. So it’s not like you would introduce new bacteria to your underarm microbiome. The probiotics in the deodorant just change its composition.
Without chemicals, it increases the amount of helpful bacteria, which in turn will reduce the amount of unhelpful, because odour-producing, bacteria.
There is some scientific evidence that probiotics in deodorants work, even though this field hasn’t been studied that much. However, the principle behind probiotics is sound.
Pre- And Probiotics
When we discuss probiotics, we also have to cover prebiotics. The former are the good bacteria themselves, the latter is food that they will eat. By adding food for good bacteria to your armpit, they will multiply faster, which means it will be easier for them to outcompete the bad bacteria.
Many deodorants that use probiotics will also contain prebiotics. The combination will ensure that the bad bacteria don’t stand a chance.
The probiotics, which are the good bacteria, are usually lactobacilli and/or befidobacilli. You might know them from probiotic drinks. They both occur naturally on our skin.
Arrowroot is a prebiotic often used in cosmetics, including deodorants, as it has many benefits other than being food for good bacteria.
My Experience Using A Probiotic Deodorant
So science thinks that deodorants using probiotics can reduce body odour. This is very reassuring. But what about in practice? Well, I have given one such deodorant a go and will share my experience of it with you here.
Awake Organics Deo – My Chosen Weapon Against Smelly Armpits
I did a lot of research before choosing a deodorant to try. One thing that always attracts me is the story about how the product or brand has come about, because it gives you a good idea of how sustainable the company is.
My choice fell on Awake Organics, because they focus on creating products that have as little impact on our environment as possible. This family business as well as all their suppliers are based in the UK, which is important to me.
The fewer transport miles, the better for the planet. They don’t use nasty synthetic chemicals and no petrochemicals, only natural ingredients. And all of their packaging is plastic-free, exactly what I want.
The Deodorant
There are different scents to choose from, including unscented, and I went for the one called Space Cat. I have cats, so the name drew me in. I couldn’t really imagine what Orange and Geranium would smell like, so the name became the deciding factor.
It’s a cream deodorant that comes in a recyclable aluminium tin. Apart from probiotics (Lactobacillus Ferment), it also contains prebiotics (Arrowroot powder).
Added magnesium helps to boost your mineral levels, which is very useful.
Other ingredients, such as coconut and sunflower oil, shea butter and Tocopherol (natural Vitamin E), keep your armpits soft and healthy.
The Arrowroot powder is not only a prebiotic, it also helps to absorb moisture. So that when you sweat, your armpits stay dry.
The lovely scent comes from essential oils, which are better for the environment than synthetic fragrances.
Using It
Being a cream deodorant, using it was a bit weird at first, as I have been used to sprays and sticks up to now. But it felt really nice on my skin, and you don’t need much at all. A small dollop, the size of a pea or even less, is enough.
It’s easy to distribute it all over the armpit and is easily and quickly absorbed. After a few moments my underarms were dry to the touch. In my opinion, it’s really easy to use.
Because the Awake Organics deodorant contains oils, it’s important to clean and dry your armpits before applying it. This will ensure that it forms a layer of protection across your underarms.
One thing you should consider is that if you are switching from an antiperspirant to this deodorant, you likely have to go through a transition period.
Because I switched to a natural deodorant before, I didn’t have to transition this time. But I have experienced it, and you can read about my experience with the transition phase in this article.
Results
So how did I get on? The first thing I noticed was the nice fresh smell. As soon as I applied the deodorant a lovely scent of orange and rose wafted from under my arms. So now I know what a space cat smells like.
And I was very pleased that the subtle, but refreshing scent lasted all day. Now the fact that the scent is only subtle might put some people off. It would have put me off a few years ago.
But I have since found out that only synthetic fragrances can smell so intensely and last so long. And they are some of the worst chemicals for our environment. So now, I prefer subtle scents. After all, I don’t have to smell like I have fallen into a bathtub full of perfume, right?
I have tested the probiotic deodorant in various situations. It’s no surprise that it worked great on a normal working day when I sat on my desk. But would it still work when I did some chores, like cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming and mopping?
The housework did make me work up a sweat, which left my t-shirt a bit damp. But it was hardly visible, so no big sweat patches and I still smelled fresh. My husband checked and was impressed.
So even if I get hot and sweaty, the deodorant still protects me, keeping me feeling fresh and comfortable. For me that’s the result I wanted.
Verdict – Probiotic Deodorants Work
So here you have it. Deodorants containing probiotics aren’t just a gimmick. Scientific evidence shows it works, and my experience confirms this.
Because it’s not an antiperspirant, you will sweat when you do something more energetic, but the moisture-absorbing Arrowroot powder ensures that it’s only a slight dampness, rather than a huge sweat patch.
And the probiotics together with fragrances from essential oils prevent bad bacteria from causing smelly armpits. Instead, you smell fresh and feel comfortable.
I’m so pleased I discovered my probiotic deodorant that won’t harm me or our environment. And that makes me feel really good. Why not give it a go too!
