In recent years, the beauty industry has seen a surge in natural products.

One segment that has received a lot of attention is natural deodorants.

Marketed as safe, skin-friendly, and eco-conscious, natural deodorants have been celebrated as the ultimate alternative to chemical-laden options.

But are they really as good as they claim to be?

The Baking Soda Blunder

One of the most commonly used active ingredients in natural deodorants is baking soda.

While it’s good at neutralizing odors, it’s not skin-friendly at all. Baking soda has a high pH level that disrupts the skin’s lightly acidic pH balance. I measured the pH of Native (current best selling natural deodorant) and was aghast that it had a pH higher than 8. High pH can result in irritation and redness, especially for sensitive skin.

The Alcohol Antics

A popular ingredient in natural spray deodorants is alcohol. Alcohol dries out the skin excessively, leading to skin barrier disruption and sags. This could actually make you more susceptible to odor in the long run as well.

Fragrance Follies

Many natural deodorants mask odor with strong fragrances.

Many include essential oils. While natural, essential oils cause allergies and sensitivities to many people. Lavender oil, for instance, kicked started a long spree of a runny nose and sneezing even after I wished it off. Essential oils like orange oil, lemon oil, or bergamot oil are well-known sun-sensitizers as well. Essential oil therapists warn against skin exposure within 24-48 hours of applying these oils. So if you use a deo with them, just don’t ever go outside.

Mid-day funk

One of the most common complaints about natural deodorants is that they just don’t last as long. Why does this happen? Because most natural deodorants just try to mask odor instead of addressing the root cause: the BO-causing bacteria.

So, ditch the natural?

Nope.

A lot of irritants are used in products that mask or neutralize BO after it occurs.
So look for a natural deodorant that prevents it by tackling the root cause: the BO bacteria.

Among natural deodorants, look for aluminum-free, baking soda-free, alcohol-free, fragrance-free, talc-free, hydroxide-free, and sodium benzoate (or benzoic acid)-free.

There’s only one that comes to my mind:

Yep, FreshCult. 😊