Welcome to The Beauty Algorithm, i-D’s fortnightly column in which i-D’s Beauty Editor Shannon Peter answers the internet’s most niche beauty queries. Want to know how to smell like the cola-scented gel pens of your pre-teen pencil case? Or where to find an eye shadow the perfect shade of EU blue? No request is too specific! This week, the algorithm sniffs out the best natural deodorants that actually work.
When switching out beauty products in favour of more natural options, deodorant is often the first port of call. Not only do those drugstore heavyweights tend to contain a long list of potentially harmful chemicals, which are total eco-vibe killers. The ones labelled anti-perspirants also tend to contain aluminum, which reacts to the salt on your skin to plug up sweat glands, keeping you dry and smelling fresh. Problem is, aluminium has been linked to all manner of health concerns, from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
Although the evidence is regularly refuted, the internet is awash with people looking to switch in a natural deodorant just to be on the safe side. The problem is, most of the options out there are a bit shit. There are countless Reddit feeds and Quora queries complaining about deos that do little more than veil that natural funk with some eye-wateringly strong tea tree oil, that simply slips away after an hour or two, or ones that leave you for want of a better word, moist, after nothing more than the walk to the station. Have faith, though! There are some that work well enough to stop you pining for your extra-strength Sure aerosol.
You should note, sometimes it takes a little while for your body to adjust to your new deo regime, so the switch requires a little patience before you’re back to your sweet-smelling self. Some natural beauty experts even reckon that after ditching antiperspirants, it takes a while for the lingering aluminium to dissipate, which is why you might have seen wellness types frantically masking their ‘pits with charcoal paste on Instagram, in a bid to ‘detox’ the area. The jury’s is still out on whether that works, but it does make for a cute yet ironic Instagram photo.
Here are the natural deodorants I can vouch for.
Aurelia’s Botanical Cream Deodorant is brilliant, but first requires you to accept an £18 price tag which, I know, is a bit ridic for a deodorant, but you said you wanted a good natural one so… Then you have to get your head around the idea of applying it with your hands. It’s like a balm, not too dissimilar to hair wax, that you simply rub into the armpits. Weird, but it works. Evolve Beauty does a similar one for a tenner that smells like fresh washing.
I’ve also found success with Modern Botany’s spray-on version, which sounds expensive but lasts for months and months and months. It contains a mixture of essential oils that have antibacterial, antimicrobial and — to some extent — anti-perspirant qualities.
On the cheaper end of the scale is The Greench Deodorant Powder by Lush. Again, application is kinda weird; you pour a little onto your fingers and pat it on. It contains lycopodium powder, which mops up sweat and a mixture of sage, rosemary and tea tree to lightly scent but also to act as an antibacterial so you can go on your sweet-smelling way.