The Good, the Bad and the Smelly: We Tested 9 All-Natural Deodorants and Here’s What We Thought

“I’ve already been a natural deodorant fan for about five years, but I'm not a huge fan of dipping my hands into the deodorant paste and rubbing it in myself. This handy stick solves that problem, and I liked its scent better than most of the natural deodorants I've tried. It kept me dry and smelling lovely all day, and I never had to do a second application, even after running or going to the gym. The baking soda formula might cause irritation for some people, but I found that moisturizing under my arms before applying did the trick.” — Lindsay Champion, food + wellness director

“The texture of this guy was so lovely that I didn’t mind applying it with my fingers. It’s really smooth and creamy, and also has the benefit of smelling delicious (like a health foods store, in a good way). But while I wanted to love it, the deodorant left me with an angry alkaline burn from the baking soda. I later learned that I needed to moisturize my pits first, which I just couldn’t get behind. Also, it just didn’t hold up to New-York-in-summer levels of sweat. ‘A’ for effort though.” — Katherine Gillen, editorial assistant

“I liked it at first, but I noticed I smelled after a couple of days. It does glide on nicely with the roller ball and the little tube is pretty and easy to use. It smells clean and fresh and not overpowering at all—exactly how you’d want deodorant to smell. I think if I stuck it out and wore it for a long time to let my body adjust to the natural deodorant, I would’ve loved it.” — Roberta Fiorito, news editor

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“First of all, this smells amazingly fresh—you can tell there’s real mint and eucalyptus in there. I’d compare the texture to that of a normal drugstore deodorant. It glides on easily and doesn’t leave any white residue, which is a huge plus. It also feels incredibly cooling for the first 10 to 20 minutes after applied, which I loved. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. It stayed put even during an intense workout and didn’t cause any irritation or bumps like I’ve had in the past with natural deodorants.” — Brianna Lapolla, editor

“This cream-based deodorant comes out of a little pump bottle (much like lotion) and you have to physically rub it into your pits. The problem with this is twofold. Number one: It smells like a head shop in New Paltz, so you’ve got that on your hands all day. Number two: You have to physically get your fingers all up in your armpits, which, if you’re me, is just a constant reminder of how frequently you should be shaving. The one thing I will say in this deodorant’s defense is that it does work. But is day-long dryness worth the price of feeling like you’re in line for the porta-potty at an Indigo Girls concert?” — Jillian Quint, VP of content

“I had already made the switch to natural deodorant about a year ago (and to be fair, I’m not the sweatiest person). But I hadn’t found anything that held up for a full day. I’d spotted this brand on a few natural-beauty roundups and immediately fell for the cute name, packaging and interesting scents. The twist-up deodorant itself is a clear solid (drier than a gel, maybe almost ChapStick-like in texture) that applied smoothly and left no visible residue on my skin. By the end of the day, I wouldn’t say I smelled like I’d just stepped out of the shower, but any odor seemed 90 percent neutralized and the remaining scent of the deodorant (I chose the spicy-earthy Sucre Bleu) effectively covered up the rest. And for the record, this has been corroborated by multiple friends. I can’t comment on how it holds up for those who sweat a ton, but if you’re a modest sweater like me I’d definitely give it a shot.” — Carolyn Stanley, senior editor

“Although I’ve been hesitant to switch over to natural deodorant (I’m the apply-throughout-the-day kind of paranoid person), I love this brand’s perfume, so I wanted to give it a chance. First off, it smells amazing. Very light and sweet. It glides on smooth and seems to keep smells at bay. But since it’s not an antiperspirant, my armpits were a little damp by the middle of the day. I know that’s normal, but I felt grossed out by myself. I occasionally switch back to this when I’m feeling extra healthy, but I’m still not a true convert.” — Katie Maguire, commerce editor

“First impression: I loved the packaging and smell of this deodorant. It went on smooth and the fact that it dispenses like a Push Pop gave me a disproportionate amount of joy. That said, there was definitely a detox period where my body had to get used to natural deodorant and I did not smell particularly good turning that week and a half. It was also a challenge getting used to not having an antiperspirant (TMI I am a sweaty person pretty much all the time no matter what). Overall, I really liked this deodorant and was surprised to learn that switching to all-natural wasn’t as big a deal as I thought it would be.” — Abby Hepworth, assistant editor

“My foray into the world of natural deodorant did not go off without a hitch. But after much trial and error, I was informed that sometimes you just can’t make the switch cold-turkey. You have to do a little detoxifying first. So, I started my test with Agent Nateur by using a bentonite clay mask on my armpits a few times a week to ensure that I was clearing things out for maximum effectiveness. Ever since, I’ve been loving it. The deodorant feels just like a regular tube but smells even better (this one smells like eucalyptus, but the brand also has a rose-scented version). As you probably know, natural deodorant is not an antiperspirant, so I do bring in the reinforcements if I know that I might be in a particularly sweaty situation. And unfortunately, silk tops are kind of off-limits. But, hey, I’ll live.” — Angela Pares, lifestyle director