The Best Natural Deodorants That Actually Are.
Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder
Ok I’m done with the small talk so let’s get right to it ;). The best all-natural and plant based deodorants are often made by small companies you have never heard of. Companies not necessarily at the top of Google or Amazon results when searching for a ‘natural deodorant.’ So we have to dig a litter deeper to find genuine creative people making all-natural goodness.
All-natural because ingredients closest to their original wholesome state are the most nutrient dense. All-natural because we don’t want our deodorants to be doing more harm than good (or ANY harm duh). We should be sweating freely — it’s healthy and necessary — with the pores unclogged and smelling amazing at the same time. All-natural because who needs petrochemicals derived via who knows which chemical process in our skin care? All-natural because stop poisoning us!
As I say in my other best-natural articles, it always starts with reading the full ingredients list. And understanding it. Hey, with actually natural deodorants, this list will usually be short and full of recognizable names anyways! It’s also cool learning about what the ingredient mix in a typical all-natural deodorant looks like. At its most basic, it can read: arrowroot powder for absorption, coconut oil, something soothing like shea butter, magnesium hydroxide (described below) and a natural essential oil blend. That’s all!
The below is my selection criteria for the best natural deodorants followed by recommendations. Let’s commence.
coconut is the real MVP
Selection Criteria for the Best All-Natural Deodorants:
Zero Toxic and Synthetic Ingredients:
The deodorants need to be COMPLETELY free of:
Nasty plastics like silicones, gross petroleum based ingredients like synthetic fragrance and PEGs (Polyethylene Glycols), and aluminum
Toxic chemicals known to cause endocrine disruptions, developmental issues and other harm — these include parabens and phthalates
Anything questionable and synthetically derived — even those without “enough evidence” to prove they are harmful
Of course, the all-natural deodorants selected below are already free of these, but do look at the ingredients list to confirm for yourself :)
Nourishing All-Natural Ingredients in their Wholesome State:
The deodorant should be primarily made with powders, butters and extracts from whole flowers, roots, fruits, herbs etc. Natural ingredients closest to their original state have the most nutrient goodness. Now, the deodorant can have certain ingredients derived from natural sources that have been widely used and known to be completely safe, these are:
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: made from the fatty acids in coconut oil
Magnesium Hydroxide: made by treating seawater with calcium hydroxide which itself is derived from limestone
Baking Soda (most of the companies below also make baking-soda free versions)
So the entire ingredients list should be comprised of wholesome all-natural ingredients — the majority — and a few purposeful naturally derived ingredients such as the above
Accessible Pricing:
Wholesome and all-natural ingredients cost more than cheap petroleum based synthetics. With that said, the deodorant should be priced fairly. Any “ultra-luxurious natural deodorant” with an absurd price point was excluded. The founders should want to create a natural product that’s accessible for as many as possible!
Who are the founders?
I want to get an overall sense of the person. What led them to begin creating their own all-natural products? Do they have a sense of sustainability and respecting our planet? Etc.
With the above in mind, here are my 8 best all-natural deodorants from founders with integrity. Let’s begin!
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# 1
meow meow tweet: authentic all-natural creations | sticks + creams
Meow Meow Tweet! Meow Meow Tweet! With a name like this, you know the company has a spirit of originality. Their deodorant recipes embody what all-natural body care should be. They are hand made with raw, ethically sourced & organically farmed plant oils + butters like cedarwood oil, cocoa seed butter & shea fruit butter, and come in fully compostable paper tubes.
Meow Meow Tweet has 6 versions of their all-natural deodorant sticks, including those that are baking soda free for extra sensitive skin. Their Cedar Spruce deodorant (pictured) comes with an earthy scent and is a master blend of thoroughly tested plants and minerals. The Lavender Bergamot is a similar blend with lavender + citrus peel oils. The Rose Geranium deo has a beautiful floral-herbal scent from rose geranium + palmarosa oils. These are natural deodorants that work all the while taking you on an aromatherapeutic journey.
Meow Meow Tweet was started by creative founders Jeff the artist and Tara the chef + herbalist with a goal to create natural + ethical products at an accessible price point. They have created wholesome body care in alignment with nature and all its beings. Mother Earth loves them and so do I :)
# 2
Primally Pure: wholesome and all-natural soil to skin deodorants | sticks
Speaking of original, it’s hard not to include Primally Pure’s all-natural skin care in a best natural deodorants list. The founder Bethany McDaniel got inspired when her family started an organic livestock farm. Feeling connected to the land, she sought to replace both what she consumed and put on her skin with only natural goodness in its wholesome state.
Primally Pure’s ingredient philosophy is minimal and purposeful. Their Blue Tansy deodorant has 9 ingredients including coconut oil, naturally absorbing arrowroot powder, beeswax and rosemary extract. It has the anti-inflammatory, soothing and uplifting blue tansy + geranium essential oils. It has naturally mined baking soda — more gentle and less prone to cause irritation. Lastly their deodorants contain the nutrient dense organic tallow from grass-fed cows, so note that they are not vegan.
Bethany has meticulously put together a unique blend of ingredients to create all-natural deodorants that really work. Their other popular varieties include Activated Charcoal and the healing Lavendar. Go wild!
# 3
routine.: all-natural and all-fancy deodorants | sticks + creams
Founded by the sister duo of Neige and Pippa Blair in the Canadian Rockies, routine believes feeling + smelling incredible naturally is a birth right. Their all-natural deodorants effectively achieve that while honoring nature and our bodies.
routine’s ingredient philosophy is summed up quite well when they say ”forest forged ingredients good enough to eat.” From cacao seed butter, shea butter, calendula flower extract, ylang ylang flower oil, patchouli oil to cinnamon bark oil — the wholesome goodness in all routine deodorants is extensive. Also extensive and fun is their range of natural scents, which I’ll let ya’ll explore.
routine deodorants come in both stick + cream form and are ideal for all. They classify their deos as maximum strength with the most baking soda (such as Like a Boss pictured in the green jar), classic ones with a reduced amount of baking soda (sexy sadie pictured) and lastly baking soda free versions.
Let the glory of mother nature power our fun, demanding & colorful routines.
# 4
Kutis Skincare: delightfully vegan deodorants from Wales in biodegradable tubes | sticks
Off-grid life loving and river swimming Kate Powlesland founded Kutis with the belief that ‘the natural world provides all we need for our skin.’ Based in Wales in Great Britain, their deodorants are hand made with minimally processed raw ingredients that remain close to their original wholesome state.
Their Cedarwood and Rose Vegan Deodorant starts with a base of arrowroot powder, baking soda, coconut oil, cocoa butter + sunflower wax. Then pure essential oils of cedarwood, geranium rose flower + lavender are added — selected for their anti-bacterial properties in addition to fighting odor. It is a delightful all-natural creation that will keep you smelling nice all day long.
Their Lavender & Bergamot and Grapefruit & Rose deodorants are similarly made all-naturally. And their deodorants come in 100% biodegradable tubes. Kutis is handmade goodness from rural Wales aiming for your pits!
# 5
Pretty Frank.: OGs of the all-natural pit paste + deodorants | sticks + paste
Based out of Austin, Pretty Frank (formerly Primal Pit Paste) is a small company to respect. Driven by a primal urge to save her daughter from toxic alternatives, the founder Amy Perez started off by making a simple deodorant in her kitchen using organic ingredients. Thus born in 2012 was the original all-natural + full-body deodorant (sorry for the math ;).
The gender neutral Charcoal Seaside pictured is made of 6 core ingredients + a blend of essential oils. All natural of course. The activated charcoal in this deodorant comes from coconut shells(!). This ingredient draws out and absorbs toxins + bacteria from our pores. The nourishing organic goodness includes shea butter, moisture absorbing arrowroot powder and beeswax. The lively natural scent and aromatherapy comes from organic lavender, palmarosa, lemon and juniper berry essential oils. Any complaints? :). This deodorant, like others, also comes in a baking soda free version.
Find other Pretty Frank deodorant sticks here and the Primal Pit Paste in a jar here!
# 6
Ava Quinn’s: cold pressed vegan goodness for your pits | sticks
Similar to Meow Meow Tweet above, it’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a small company such as Ava Quinn’s. A company inspired by Ava’s newborn daughter in 2017. Ava is small-batch and all-natural goodness with nutrient-dense cold pressed extracts — all at an accessible price point.
It’s also as local as it gets, with most of the herbs in their creations coming from Ava or her neighbors’ backyards! I also love how every company here has found their own unique mix of all-natural ingredients to create effective deodorants — and Ava’s is no different.
The Patchouli Spearmint Vegan Deodorant pictured starts with a moisturizing + nourishing blend of organic cocoa butter, coconut oil and shea butter. It also contains the detoxifying chlorophyll, anti-inflammatory & pH level balancing colloidal oats and purifying rosemary extract. Other Ava deodorants I like are the Lemongrass Lavender and the earthy Vetiver Cedar Leaf. Ava knows Mother Earth is the real genius and so She reveals to Ava her healing secrets ;)
# 7
milk + honey: extra-strength deodorant full of organic goodness | sticks + creams
Born out of a spa, milk+honey’s all-natural deodorants reflect the founder Alissa Bayer’s commitment to the highest quality non-toxic ingredients…which, surprise, tend to be the natural kind.
Their Lavender + Tea Tree Extra Strength deodorant has a total of 8 natural ingredients which start with a base of organic coconut oil + arrowroot powder. Then comes the odor bacteria eliminating baking soda. Nourishing organic shea fruit butter + beeswax are added for good effect. Lastly organic essential oils of lavender + tea tree leaf provide the blissful scent. A simple yet wholesomely effective extra-strength recipe!
The Cream Deodorant starts with a similar natural base as the above but take the aromatherapy to another level. The organic essential oils in this deodorant are extracted from sandalwood, vetiver root, cardamom and frankincense — which not only smell heavenly and will help you relax, but are also naturally anti-bacterial.
# 8
Stinkbug Naturals: all-natural deodorants at an affordable price | sticks + creams
Stinkbug represents everything I look for in a company, whether for a best natural deodorants article or any other. From their natural deodorant recipes, the authenticity of the founders Ben & Jade Bower, & all the way to their focus on affordability to make all-natural goodness accessible to ALL.
And…I realized my list was missing something…a spice deodorant maybe? Stinkbug’s Tangerine Spice Organic Deodorant begins with a simple yet effective base of 4 natural ingredients that you will recognize plus an essential oils blend of tangerine + clove for that amazing earthy scent. That’s it! Btw, if you are curious, compare this to the ingredients of the Old Spice deodorants, whose “all-star” list of toxic petrochemicals reads: Dipropylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Synthetic Fragrance and Violet 2 + Green 6 (Synthetic Dyes). I have another word for this ingredient mix by Procter & Gamble — intentional poisoning.
Anyways, back to the good stuff. Other fun all-natural deodorants by Stinkbug include Vanilla Mint, Tea Tree and Amber Sage. Their creams can be found here. Go check them out. Bye!
Hope you have already discarded your existing petroleumy-syntheticy deodorant in the process of reading this article. If you want to check out other all-natural creations from small interesting companies (shampoos, sunscreens, pomades etc.), head over to the homepage!