Do you want to switch to a sustainable deodorant and reduce the impact your lifestyle has on our planet? We are here to help and tell you what to look out for.
When I first started to look into living a more sustainable life, I realised that there are many things I can do. One thing is to change to eco-friendly products. So after finding out how bad conventional deodorants are for our planet, I decided to make the swap.
Sounds simple at first, but how can you make sure that the eco-friendly deodorant you buy is really better for the environment? That’s a question I had.
After a lot of research I found the answers I needed. To save you the hassle, I will summarise my findings for you so you know what to look for when switching to an eco-friendly deodorant.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
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5 Questions To Ask When Switching To A Sustainable Deodorant
When it comes to deodorants that are better for our environment, the choice is fairly big. This surprised me, but it also meant I found it more difficult to figure out which ones were truly eco-friendly and which ones weren’t.
One thing I have learned during my journey to a more sustainable life is that not every product that claims to be green really is. To make sure that the eco-friendly deodorant you are considering is truly sustainable, ask the following questions:
- Who are you buying from?
- What ingredients are used?
- What’s the packaging made of?
- Does it work?
- Do you get value for money?
Let’s delve a bit deeper into each of these questions, so you can switch with confidence.
1. Buy From A Truly Eco-Friendly Company
If you do a Google search for eco-friendly deodorants, you will get a huge list of different products. Choosing one should always start with scrutinising the company that produces it.
What you want is a company that puts sustainability at the heart of their business. This means their business operations are sustainable as well as their products. Approaching it this way will most likely lead you to small, often family-run firms.
You’ll find that many big and well-known brands also offer eco-friendly products. But they tend to put eco ranges on the market. This means that the products in this range are sustainable. However, the rest of their range is made up of conventional products.
These companies don’t offer eco-friendly products because they want to make a difference for the environment, but because they want to increase their profits. With many people looking to live a more sustainable life, these firms want to cash in on eco-conscious consumers.
Buying from them won’t help you to live a more sustainable life, because you finance the production of products that are bad for our planet. So how do you know if a company is a true eco-friendly business?
Check their website for the following:
- What is their story? – Find out why the business was created and what the ethos, mission and values of the company are.
- Where are they based? – Buying from a company that is located on the other side of the planet isn’t sustainable, as they will have to ship the product a long way to reach you.
- Where are their products made? – Ideally, products are produced as close to home as possible whenever possible.
- How transparent are they? – A truly eco-friendly company will be honest and open about their processes and products and not just make unsubstantiated claims.
- Are they independent or owned by another company? – Often big companies buy smaller ones and continue to use their brand. Ecover is a good example: it is now owned by the multinational corporation SC Johnson.
- Do they only make eco-friendly products? – Look at what else they offer and if they only offer products that are sustainable.
These are the questions I ask about each company I consider buying from. I want to make sure that by buying from them, I can reduce the impact I have on our planet, so it’s important to do the research.
So if you look at our reviews of products you can be sure that we only recommend truly eco-friendly brands.
2. Check The Ingredient List Carefully
One reason conventional deodorants and antiperspirants are bad for the environment is because of the ingredients they use. Many of them, especially synthetic fragrances, are some of the most toxic and harmful ingredients for our environment.
On top of that, many are made from so-called petrochemicals, which means they have been made from fossil fuel, which isn’t a sustainable source.
Most of these synthetic ingredients aren’t biodegradable, which means they stay in our environment for a long time and cause harm.
And these ingredients aren’t just bad for the planet, many can cause irritation and are actually bad for us too, especially if you have sensitive skin. So here is what you need to look out for when looking at the deodorant’s ingredients list:
- Plant-based or plant-derived ingredients
- Biodegradable ingredients
- Plant-based fragrances, for example from essential oils
- Avoid ingredients such as triclosan, parabens and palm oil
A truly eco-friendly company will be very transparent about their natural ingredients and will tell you exactly what’s in their products. Many even explain what each ingredient does in the deodorant.
By looking out for the above, you can make sure that no nasties are hiding in your sustainable deodorant.
And of course you want to make sure that whichever green deodorant you choose, it’s certified cruelty-free and vegan.
3. Plastic-Free And Zero-Waste Refills
No matter if you are after a deodorant stick, cream, roll on or spray, packaging matters. You are probably aware that the world has a plastic waste problem. So avoiding plastic is a must if you want to live a more sustainable life.
Thankfully, there are so many options that don’t include plastic:
- Plastic-free, reusable deodorant cases
- Zero-waste refills
- Recyclable/compostable cardboard tubes (FSC certified)
- Recyclable glass jars/metal tins with metal lids
All the above are better than plastic, and which one you get will mostly depend on what kind of natural deodorant you choose. Cream-based ones are likely packaged in glass jars or metal tins, which can either be repurposed or recycled.
Sticks tend to come in reusable deodorant cases without plastic or in cardboard tubes. I personally like the refill option best.
You only need to get a reusable case or tube once, which should last you a long time. And the refills you then buy should come in compostable or recyclable, plastic-free material. However, any of these options will be a good choice for the environment.
One word to aerosol cans: even though they can often be recycled, I wouldn’t recommend them. Studies have shown that aerosols contribute hugely to air pollution, which is bad for us and the planet. Therefore, I wouldn’t consider them a sustainable choice.
4. Performance Is Important
While the first three points are important, don’t forget about performance. After all, it won’t be good for the environment if you throw your eco deodorant away because it doesn’t work.
Eco-friendly deodorants tend to be natural deodorants, this means they use natural ingredients that stop you from developing body odour. In my experience, it’s difficult to get an antiperspirant that’s sustainable. However, there are many brands I haven’t discovered yet.
There are different types of natural deodorants, so it’s important you choose the one that works best for you:
- Natural deodorant – works like regular deodorants but with sustainable ingredients (prevents sweat from smelling)
- Probiotic deodorant – uses good bacteria to get rid of odour-causing bad bacteria
- Crystal salt deodorant – a crystal salt block that eliminates odour-causing bacteria
It’s important to know that all of these types won’t stop you from sweating, but they aim at stopping your sweat from smelling bad. They do that in different ways.
The first two tend to also contain ingredients to absorb moisture, so that your armpits stay drier. They also contain natural fragrances to give your underarms a lovely scent, unless you choose an unscented version.
The crystal salt deodorant only prevents body odour. When you sweat, your armpits will feel damp and there won’t be any perfume.
It’s important to be aware of the differences, so that you can choose the one that suits your needs and preferences best. You should also know that if you switch away from an antiperspirant, you will likely have to go through a transition period.
Find out how I experienced it, in my article about the natural deodorant transition period.
Once you have chosen your type of eco-friendly deodorant, check reviews. My reviews will tell you all about what I think and how my experience with the various deodorants was. But it’s also good to look at customer reviews on the various independent review websites, such as Trustpilot or Google.
This will give you a better idea of how the deodorant performs and what other people using them think.
5. Value For Money
It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about switching to a sustainable deodorant. But it will only be truly sustainable if you continue to buy it. And that won’t happen if you can’t afford it or think that you are overcharged.
The likely result is that you go back to your regular deodorant. That would be a real shame. So it’s important that you choose a deodorant that is good for our planet and your purse.
The good news is that most eco-friendly deodorants aren’t more expensive than conventional ones. That’s mostly down to the fact that they last so much longer, because you don’t need to use as much.
When I switched from a conventional aerosol antiperspirant to a natural deodorant stick, I was amazed how much longer the solid deodorant lasted. The spray deodorant normally was gone after about two weeks, the stick lasted over three months.
A crystal deodorant block can last up to a year, depending on how often you need to use it. A deodorant cream also lasts much longer than a spray, because you only need a small amount.
Check reviews to see how long your chosen deodorant lasts for other customers. This will give you a good indication of how much money you could save.
So while at first glance natural deodorants look more expensive, they will actually save you money. And on top of that, you get protection from body odour that contains no toxic nasties that harm you or the planet. And you can be sure that the sustainable packaging won’t be a burden on our environment either.
Here you have it, the 5 things to look for when switching to an eco-friendly deodorant. Now that you can confidently make the swap, why not find your green deodorant today.
