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The Secrets of Natural Deodorant Ingredients and How They Actually Work

This article first appeared on getfussy.com

We’ve all heard it before: natural deodorants don’t work. At least they didn’t back when velour tracksuits were a thing. But times have changed and natural deodorants have moved on.

Natural deodorant without compromise

All too often you want to make the right choice but you end up being asked to compromise. It might be having to use a deodorant in a cardboard tube that you can’t push up properly or having to make special trips to buy a refill or a deodorant that simply doesn’t work. Our  approach is around creating natural products that never compromise. We want to have our cake and eat it.

Ingredients backed by science

An approach like ours starts with natural ingredients of which there are just 8 plus some antioxidants (like Vitamin C). Our ingredients work in three ways, soothing, neutralising and absorbing. It’s the 3-for-1 deal your armpits have always wanted.

First, you have ingredients like sunflower wax, coconut oil and shea butter that help to moisturise and sooth your skin as well as making sure the deodorant glides on to even the hairiest of pits.

Our active ingredients (technical term there for any sweat geeks), magnesium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate then work to neutralise odour-causing bacteria whilst helping to absorb moisture.

If there’s any moisture they can’t deal with, our little friend tapioca starch lends a hand to leave a soft, powdery feel. Lovely.

But we must not forget…

Our not so secret ingredient

Lactobacillus. That’s right, a probiotic more commonly used in yoghurts than deodorant that works overtime to inhibit the growth of odour-causing bacteria. It literally eats sweat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, strengthening and soothing sensitive skin at the same time

All of this leaves you smelling fresh for 24 hours as proven by science.  It hasn’t been easy though and we worked for over 18 months with a leading microbiologist to get where we are today!

Bye bye body odour

Once your natural deodorant has got rid of the BO it should leave you smelling fresher than the Fresh Prince himself. This is where fragrance comes in. We’ve worked with a top fragrance house to develop four beautifully refined, natural scents and an unscented version for those of you that smell awesome already.

Want your armpits to smell like a misty pine forest? No problem. A sunny beach whilst sipping a margarita? You got it. Or maybe you’re feeling sleepy and need a scent to boost your mood?

Deodorant free of aluminium, parabens and synthetic fragrance

What we don’t put in is also just as important as what we do, so our deodorant is free from aluminium, parabens, toxins and synthetic fragrances. So what’s the issue?

Aluminium salts work by blocking your body’s natural sweat pores and some people believe that this is linked to health conditions. Actually, the evidence isn’t conclusive but either way we believe it’s better to let your body get on with doing it’s natural thang. Sweat yourself free we say.

Parabens are used as a preservative in many deodorants and when your skin absorbs them estrogen levels can go up at the same time. This can have all sorts of harmful effects for men and women.

As for synthetic fragrances, we’re afraid it’s more bad news. Containing phthalates (THAL-ates) they have been shown to disrupt hormone activity, reduce sperm counts and cause reproductive malformation as well as being linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes and obesity.

So yes, we avoid these more than we avoid talking to our ex.

What’s the deal with sodium bicarbonate?

Natural deodorants often contain baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate).  We do use small amounts of it in our deodorant as it’s very effective at neutralising bacteria but it’s very alkaline in nature and this can sometimes prompt a reaction in people with sensitive skin.

We’ve done everything we can to minimise this risk including using a very fine grade but if you do get a red rash, don’t panic. Just stop using the deodorant for a few days and it will usually vanish of its own accord.

Finding a natural deodorant that really works

So, we’ve talked about what makes a natural deodorant really work and why you no longer need to compromise when using natural products. But how do you find the right deodorant for you?

Well, like all of these things it really comes down to personal preference. Of course, we recommend fussy; it’s backed by science and thousands of fussy armpits but if it takes a little trial and error to find the right one for you, don’t sweat it. Every armpit’s different.

 

Founded by Matthew Kennedy and Eddie Fisher, Fussy is a refillable deodorant brand on a mission to stop one million plastic deodorants from entering the environment. Tackling single-use plastic, one armpit at a time, Fussy is a sustainable brand that does not force you to compromise on quality or convenience. 

Click here to order Fussy and make the world a better smelling place.

The Red Tree is the UK’s leading international beauty brand consultancy and a powerhouse of ideas, insight and inspiration. For an informal discussion on how we might help you, please contact us.

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