deodorant

Super Deodorant Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Super Deodorant is a natural deodorant that is free of fragrance, baking soda, coconut, AHAs, BHAs, essential oils and aluminum that provides 24-hour protection from body odor. This deodorant is safe for everyone. In addition to the underarms, it can be used on the feet, groin area and under/between the breasts.

Active ingredients: Pure medical-grade silver (non-nano), zinc oxide, magnesium hydroxide

Base ingredients: Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, allergenic protein/peptide-free, phytoestrogen-free, isoflavone-free ultra-refined soy butter, oryza sativa (rice) bran wax, maranta arundinacea (arrowroot powder), d-alpha-tocopherol (non-GMO vitamin E)

Silver is used as an antibacterial rather than baking soda that creates an alkaline environment or AHAs/BHAs that create an acidic environment on the skin to kill bacteria. Deodorants that alter the pH of the skin can cause irritation and damage to the microbiome. I had tried The Ordinary’s AHA toner on my underarms for odor and hyperpigmentation and while it does work for odor control, it does not last all day and can be irritating. For dark underarms, I use Bush Balm’s Bermuda Oil and First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser. I thought I had read a blog post from Super Deodorant that explained why deodorants with acidic formulas stop working over time, but now cannot find it. I emailed Super Deodorant and will update with the article if/when they respond (update September 24, 2022 – Here is the response from Super Deodorant “When an AHA is used as an active ingredient in deodorant, it comes with limitations. First, how much of this active is bioavailable? For example, mandelic acid has a pH between ~3 to 4. At this strength, most people can use it as an exfoliating peel. When used in any “leave on” product, such as deodorant, it has to be balanced to a pH of 4.5 for the skin to tolerate it. This is also governed by local health regulators (eg. Health Canada). pH above 4.5 is close to the skin’s natural pH and there isn’t much of the active ingredient readily available to continue performing. It will reach equilibrium in a few hours and get neutralized when constantly mixed with sweat and other bodily fluids”). Though I have not experienced deodorants that stopped working after a while (though for review purposes, I do not usually stick with one product long-term), I have seen reviews and comments on various deodorant brands where customers had loved the deodorant, but longer term, it did not control body odor as well as it had.

Zinc oxide prevents rashes and injury to the skin. Magnesium hydroxide balances pH. Rice bran wax makes the deodorant stick to the skin when wet or sweaty. Arrowroot powder absorbs sweat and reduces wetness. Vitamin E improves shelf life.

This is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, so will not prevent wetness from sweat, though does reduce it somewhat.

Using a pea-sized amount on each armpit every day, a tin will last about 45 to 50 days. As this product contains no preservatives, an unopened tin lasts about 6 months. This product can be stored in a Ziploc bag in the fridge or freezer before opening to extend shelf life (Super Deodorant offers a discount if purchasing more than one).

Directions: Exfoliate the underarms before using Super Deodorant for the first time and once to twice a month if the skin does not exfoliate itself effectively (I use First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser). Click here to find out why. Apply a pea-sized amount to each underarm in a sweeping motion. Wait a minute before putting on a shirt.

Super Deodorant is a light grey paste that has a minimal clay scent. It rubs in well and leaves a bit of a grey cast until it warms up a bit and is rubbed in a second time. There is no grittiness. In warmer temperatures, particularly when shipping, there can be some separation of the product and it can be put in the fridge for a creamier consistency. This does not stain clothes so long as it is rubbed in well.

I have used three tins of this deodorant so far. I put it on after a shower in the evening and it really does last 24 hours. It can be applied after shaving with no stinging. I generally get underarm odor during sleep and if I forget to apply in the evening, I use it in the morning and Super Deodorant immediately eliminates odor. I really put the deodorant to the test the other day – I applied before bed and the next day worked in the office, cleaned and vacuumed the house, went to the gym, and mowed the lawn in 30oC weather. Though I was very sweaty and hot, I had no body odor at all.

Super Deodorant is fantastic. It works very well and is long lasting for odor protection, better than other deodorants I have reviewed, including my previous favorite from Kopari. I have found the one and will continue to purchase.

Thanks for visiting.

Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 3 Comments

Sweet Pitti is a cream deodorant from Drunk Elephant’s new body care line that is free of baking soda, aluminum, fragrance and essential oils. This claims to soothe the underarms and keep odor at bay.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Mandelic Acid, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Tapioca Starch, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Panthenol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hydroxide

Mandelic acid is an AHA that kills odor-causing bacteria. Arrowroot powder absorbs wetness from sweat. Shea butter is an emollient that provides skin barrier protection.

Directions: Only needs to be applied once a day and “always” to clean dry skin. Can be applied with fingertips. I find the instruction “always” apply to clean and dry skin odd; what if I want to reapply after a workout or being in hot weather because of underarm odor or wetness or does it not work well unless it is applied to clean skin. Getting further instructions from Instagram comments, one application is a 1/4 turn of the dial, which dispenses 1.2 mL of product. Using it this way, there are 50 single underarm applications (or 25 uses applying to both underarms).

Other baking soda-free deodorants I’ve tried use magnesium for underarm bacteria odor rather than mandelic acid. This is a cream formula; like a thin face cream. There are no essential oils or added fragrance; the natural scent of this product is sweet almond, like the other body products from Drunk Elephant. It smells like the almond extract used in baking. The scent lasts only minutes. With no added fragrance, I can get a sense of how well this works without a fragrance to just mask the odor.

I like that this deodorant comes in a twist container rather than a jar; less messy that way. One application is a 1/4 turn of the dial. I feel like this is way too much. Using this amount takes a long time to rub in until the deodorant creates an invisible layer. I use a bit more than a pea size for each underarm; usually with cream deodorants, I’ll see instructions that say to use a pea size. I tried applying by rubbing the container under the arm; that does not work well. Rubbing in with the fingers works much better. This does create an invisible protective layer that is felt under the arm once it dries. It is not sticky. I like the cream formula rather than the paste-type deodorants I have used, but it does take longer to rub into an invisible layer than these formulas. It felt nice and a bit moisturizing under the arms.

Wearing the deodorant just around the house, it lasts all day (9 to 10 hours). Applying at night to help with wetness and odor while sleeping worked somewhat. The underarms were less smelly, but not completely free of odor. I applied 3 hours before a workout. After my workout, I had quite sweaty underarms and I am not sure Sweet Pitti absorbed much sweat while working out (it had, by that point, likely absorbed as much as it could). There was a slight odor, definitely much less than not having worn deodorant. I wanted to try this after already sweaty considering this should “always” be applied to clean dry skin. I applied after my workout and was surprised it absorbed quite a bit of the wetness, but there was still a slight odor. I applied one morning after waking up stinky and sweaty and some sweat was absorbed, but none of the odor. I applied before going for a walk in warm weather for about 30 minutes. There was no odor after getting home, but a few hours later my underarms were relatively stinky. I was thinking that maybe this deodorant does not work as well without applying the large amount as directed, so applied the deodorant as instructed, with the 1/4 turn, with the same scenarios above, and got the same results.

Overall, Drunk Elephant’s Sweet Pitti is not too bad; other deodorants I’ve used performed better when doing activities and when already stinky (I think a good deodorant should be able to diminish odor already there), though instructions do say to apply to clean skin. I might consider a repurchase just for using at home or at the office, but would probably use a different deodorant for working out or going out in hot weather.

Thank you for reading.

No Pong Deodorant Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

No Pong is an all-natural, aluminum-free deodorant (not antiperspirant). No Pong started in Australia and then set up manufacturing and shipping in Canada. No Pong comes in baking soda and baking soda-free versions. No Pong claims to last 12 hours while reducing underarm bacteria that causes odor, absorbing sweat and allowing skin to breathe.

Ingredients (original): Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Corn Starch, Beeswax, proprietary blend of 100% pure, Canadian certified organic essential oils consisting of Lemongrass Organic, Orange Sweet Organic, Vanilla Oleoresin (4 fold) Organic, Cedarwood Organic, and Geranium Organic

Ingredients (baking soda-free): Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Magnesium Hydroxide, Diatomaceous Earth, Beeswax, reduced concentration of proprietary blend of 100% pure, Canadian certified organic essential oils consisting of Lemongrass Organic, Orange Sweet Organic, Vanilla Oleoresin (4 fold) Organic, Cedarwood Organic, Geranium Organic

According to the No Pong website, the scent is citrus with a hint of vanilla. To me, it had a very mild lemon grass/citrus scent. I think I read on Instagram that the baking soda-free version has half the amount of fragrance to the baking soda version.

Directions: Apply a pea-sized amount to the underarms to create a thin, invisible layer.

Having recently run out of my Kopari deodorant, I thought I’d try No Pong as I kept seeing this on Instagram ads. It comes in a little tin and should last about a month. Having used Routine Cream with baking soda, I found my skin does not like baking soda and my underarms turned quite dark with use, so I got the No Pong baking soda-free version.

No Pong is a very thick cream deodorant that is applied with the fingers. I applied a pea-sized amount and rubbed in, let it warm up, and rubbed in a bit more. Once rubbed in, it is invisible. It does not transfer to or stain clothing. The scent is very subtle and the scent itself lasted about 4 hours. After the 4 hours and continuing to about 10 to 11 hours just hanging out at home, my underarms were not stinky, so the ingredients continued to reduce underarm bacteria even though the scent did not last. I applied 2 hours before a workout and after exercising the fragrance faded, but there was no underarm odor. Continuing through the day, the deodorant continued to be effective. While No Pong claims to absorb some sweat, I’m not sure I was any less sweaty than usual.

I usually have a shower in the evening and apply deodorant at night also, as I can get relatively sweaty/stinky through the night. No Pong was not effective at night to reduce underarm odor; the Kopari deodorant worked very well for this purpose.

I do not like the packaging. The deodorant is filled to the top of the tin and being a cream that is not solid, the lid and outside the tin gets messy. I like the jars with the screw-top lids that Routine Cream has.

No Pong deodorant is quite effective, however, I wish the fragrance lasted longer and that the tin was not so messy.

Update (April 1, 2020): After posting a photo and mini review of the product on Instagram stating how messy this product is, the company sent me a message saying that it looks like I received a tin that had been repeatedly frozen and thawed during shipping, which has happened a few times. The softening does not affect the effectiveness of the product, but does affect texture as there are no chemical stabilizers. They kindly offered me a replacement. I declined because the effectiveness is unchanged and I imagine the same thing happening. I notice too that when it is warmer in my house, the oils in No Pong separate, so if shipped in warmer weather with no repeated freezing and thawing, there would be separation.

This is not my favorite deodorant that I’ve tried, but it is effective and I might consider repurchasing. Thank you for reading.

Kopari Deodorant Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 3 Comments

Kopari deodorant is vegan, and baking soda-, silicone-, aluminum- and paraben-free that claims to use an invisible, non-sticky formula that reduces odor (even on long days) and soothes and hydrates the underarms.

Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Propanediol, Water, Sodium Stearate, Fragrance (Parfum), Saccharomyces Ferment, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Caproyl/Lauroyl Lactylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-5 Oleate, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Silica, Glyceryl Caprylate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Juice, Sodium Anisate, Glyceryl Laurate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Citric Acid

Fragrance is the fifth ingredient; pretty high on the list. Saccharomyces ferment is high in amino acids and minerals and can hydrate and soothe the skin. This has coconut oil (hydrating and is naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial), coconut water and coconut fruit juice near the end of the ingredient list.

I have been using Routine Cream natural deodorant for a couple years now and since running out a month ago, decided to try the Kopari deodorant in the original coconut scent.

Directions state to glide on the underarms.

I’ve been using generally artificial fragrance-free skincare and deodorant lately and when I first smelled the deodorant from Kopari I did not like it; kind of like a strong, fake flowery, bubblegum scent with maybe a hint of coconut. If coconut was not on the label, I would not know it was supposed to smell like coconut milk. Under the arms, on application, the scent changes a bit and it smells less flowery as it mixes with the body chemistry I guess. Before using the deodorant myself, I read a number of reviews that mentioned an almost “swamp smell” under the arms when using this product. I did not find that to be the case for me. It took me a couple days to get used to the scent and now I actually quite like it. If you are sensitive to fragrance, this may be too strong.

I use three swipes of the deodorant. It goes on clear and glides on very smoothly. It takes a minute to dry. If too much is used, it will feel sticky and wet. As this is a deodorant and not an antiperspirant, there will be moisture from sweat. It does not leave marks or stains on clothes. The scent (with fade over the day) lasts from when I apply in the morning to when I go to bed at night (about 18 hours) in an unconditioned office setting without reapplication. I applied before going to the gym and the scent of the deodorant was still there on finishing my workout. The deodorant worked well on hiking outside in 25°C weather. My underarms had no odor nor did it smell like there was body odor just covered up. I often get hot and sweaty while sleeping at night, so apply this before going to bed and can still smell the deodorant in the morning (this is the only deodorant that has worked for me during the night thus far).

Last night I applied the Kopari deodorant before going to sleep and did not reapply in the morning. I did some errands and got hot and sweaty while cleaning the house. I had no odor and there was just a hint of the deodorant scent. I’m pretty impressed. I haven’t had that level of protection with other natural deodorants or traditional antiperspirants and I’m generally rather stinky without deodorant.

I did not get any irritation, redness or darkening of the underarms and they are hydrated and smooth.

While the scent took me a bit to get used to, the Kopari original deodorant reduces odor quite well and hydrates the underarms. I would repurchase, but might try a different scent.

Thank you for reading.

Akita Roll On Deodorant Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Akita is a skincare company founded in Turkey specializing in rose water and rose oil skincare. They have four different product lines; rose, lavender, cacao and unscented and use natural plant-based ingredients. I bought a number of Akita’s rosewater products, one of them being the roll on deodorant. Only available in the rose scent, this deodorant is the first all natural deodorant I tried after making the move from conventional deodorant/antiperspirant.
Ingredients : Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Potassium Alum, Olive Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil.

According to the Akita website, this is an all natural, alcohol-free, preservative-free and aluminum-free roll on. Standing out in the ingredients is potassium alum, another name for potassium aluminum sulfate. This is a natural mineral salt with molecules too large to be absorbed by the body. So all natural, yes, but I’m not sure I’d call this aluminum-free (though of note, when a deodorant is described as aluminum-free, they are usually talking about the synthetic forms of aluminum used in antiperspirant).

This is a liquid roll on deodorant that smells like a rose garden. The scent isn’t too over-powering once under the arms. It dries fast and has no residue. I found the scent lasted for about 3 or 4 hours when working at the office, and didn’t last over a workout or walking outside in hot weather and didn’t help the odor of stress sweat. When reapplying I found it kind of covered up the sweat smell under a layer of rose, but didn’t take the body odor away.

I wouldn’t repurchase the Akita Roll On Deodorant, and have since found a great all natural deodorant, Routine Cream.

*image courtesy http://www.akitacanada.ca