Deodorant is something essential to most of us. It keeps us from smelling too bad as we go about our day. After all, sweat is a part of everyone’s lives. So why not try vegan deodorant?
It might not be the first aspect you change from a conventional lifestyle to veganism (as it is almost always the diet that changes first), but we shouldn’t ignore it in our quest for a more sustainable way of living.
Deodorant is one of the most important swaps we can make, and shifting to a vegan deodorant will definitely positively impact your underarms, skin, and life.
Buying the right vegan deodorant can be a taxing process. Sometimes, the vegan deodorant you end up buying just doesn’t work for you.
As you browse this list, keep in mind that everyone’s bodies are different from each other. You might find something here that you really love while others might not.
Results often vary when it comes to those affecting our skin anyway. Remember that it is best to listen to your body chemistry when looking for the perfect deodorant.
Just like looking for skin care items, finding the right deodorant can be a lengthy trial and error process.
People often give up on natural deodorants because their first attempt doesn’t feel great on the skin on their underarms, or it doesn’t get rid of the smell.
We all have different skin types, making sense that finding the right option might take time.
That said, let’s launch into this list with an open heart and mind.
Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet is one of the best and most popular vegan deodorants available. And their popularity is well-deserved!
The brand has a holistic approach to veganism, which is what we love the most about them. They think of veganism as something beyond just a diet, and they recognize that being vegan is intersectional!
About the Product
This brand has cream and sticks, with different scent options such as vanilla and grapefruit. They are also well-known for effective odor protection.
Additionally, they also have baking soda-free formulas for those who have sensitive skin, definitely a great plus. But if you’re not specifically looking for that, check out their list of ingredients for their regular deodorant.
- coconut oil
- arrowroot powder
- magnesium hydroxide
- cocoa butter,
- shea butter,
- sunflower wax
- sodium bicarbonate
- lavender oil
- bergamot FCF peel oil
- peppermint oil
Most of them are sourced organically and fair trade. Of course, the product is entirely vegan and 100% cruelty-free.
Packaging
Another exciting point of this brand is that its stick packaging is completely compostable! The stick packaging takes approximately one year to compost, so you don’t need to worry about waste when using their deodorant. Moreover, their jars, of course, are recyclable.
Do keep in mind that their packaging for the deodorant stick is not retractable. Meaning, you can only push up on the product and you can’t push it back, so you have to be careful with the force you apply when using it.
Supply Chain and Community
Meow Meow makes an effort to ensure that all of its materials are ethically AND sustainably sourced. All of their products are hand-made, and the materials are sourced fair trade.
You can find a very detailed narrative of their supply chain here.
Without a doubt, one of the brand’s best points is its dedication to the community. For instance, they are completely palm oil-free due to the many issues surrounding the material, such as indigenous communities’ exploitation.
Every month, they give back to the community through an organization of their choosing. They especially focus on small organizations that align with their values.
Overall, this is a great deodorant to try out. From what we can see about the company’s dedication to delivering effective yet ethically and sustainably sourced products, they definitely deserve a spot on this list.
Booda Organics
About the Product
Made with only five ingredients, the Booda Butter deodorant makes for an excellent natural deodorant. This cream deodorant comes in a glass bottle with a metal lid that you can repurpose or recycle.
Plus, the deodorants smell heavenly with their cocoa butter-based formula. If thick, creamy scents are what you are into, you will definitely love Booda Butter.
Their deodorant is completely vegan, 100% cruelty-free, and are handmade in small batches. It follows that Booda Butter is also free of aluminum or parabens.
Here is a list of their ingredients for your reference:
- Pure Baking Soda
- Shea Butter (Certified Organic & Fair Trade)
- Organic Tapioca Starch/Flour
- Virgin Coconut Oil (Certified Organic & Fair Trade)
- Cocoa Butter (Certified Organic & Fair Trade)
Do note that this deodorant has baking soda, which can irritate the skin when used in large quantities.
The brand recommends that users only utilize a pea-sized amount. If you don’t have sensitive skin, this probably won’t apply to you. If you are in doubt, we recommend you consult with the appropriate doctor.
Packaging
The brand uses sustainable, organic, and non-GMO agricultural practices to promise the customer base of being an earth-conscious brand. They also make sure to use recycled, biodegradable, and non-toxic items in their packaging to stay true to their commitment.
Supply Chain and Community
Across its supply chain, the brand makes sure to use only ethically-sourced products and provide an excellent workplace.
Booda Butter is also gender-neutral, and anyone can use it.
In their quest for compassion not only for the planet but also for people, Booda Butter donates to local shelters and causes that help the Black community, standing in solidarity with communities that need help the most.
Habitat Botanicals
Habitat Botanicals’ deodorant is made completely free of toxins and only uses clean ingredients to manufacture their deodorants.
About the Product
Their deodorant glides smoothly on the skin and comes in two delightful scents: coconut vanilla and lavender.
They are also fully transparent about what they put in their deodorant.
It goes without saying that this brand does not use any substances like aluminum, parabens, and synthetic fragrances in their deodorants.
While they use fragrances, they are clear on what these fragrances are and where they come from. Habitat uses only 100% naturally derived lavender, vanilla, and coconut fragrances.
Here is what’s inside Habitat’s deodorant:
- Coconut Oil
- Shea Butter
- Arrowroot Powder
- Candelilla Wax
- Kaolin Clay
- Baking Soda
- Grape Seed Oil
- Tocopherol
For Fragrance: Lavender Essential Oil, Vanilla Oil, Natural Coconut Fragrance (depending on what fragrance you choose)
Packaging
Another great part about the Habitat deodorant is that its packaging is completely compostable! There is no part of their tube that isn’t biodegradable or compostable in your backyard. Being zero waste and sustainable is definitely an added plus.
Supply Chain and Community
Their deodorant is completely vegan and cruelty-free (leaping bunny certified). All of the products under the brand are made with locally-sourced and natural ingredients.
The company does not specify where it makes its products, but they do indicate that they are hand-made, which is a good indication that the products were made fairly and under good working conditions.
Corpus Naturals
Corpus Naturals is a U.S.-based brand created in 2018 by a skincare expert who desires to use natural products.
About the Product
Their deodorant is completely vegan, cruelty-free, and does not have aluminum, talc, paraben, or synthetic fragrances. As an awesome bonus, their deodorant has no baking soda, making it perfect for those who may have sensitive skin.
Unlike the others on this list, Corpus deodorants have quite a lengthy list of ingredients. Regardless, all of them are either plant-based or natural.
The full list of ingredients with accompanying descriptions is on their website.
Corpus Naturals deodorants come in different scent profiles with different fragrance notes in each. For example, “Cedar Flora” has notes of cedar, white musk, jasmine, and guaiac wood.
They also detail which scents are predominant and which ones are subtler with their scent level system. This is pretty cool for those shopping online and are on the fence about which one to buy!
Packaging
A drawback of this brand is that they use plastic packaging. Their plastic applicator is currently made of recycled and new plastic.
However, they use hydro-electric energy, a sustainable resource, in making their packaging, so that’s a plus for this brand.
While they may not yet have it down to a T, Corpus Naturals is clearly committed to making more positive changes to the brand. We see this in how dedicated they are to using renewable energy sources in packaging and creating the product itself.
Supply Chain and Community
All parts of any Corpus Naturals product are made and assembled in the United States. The brand prides itself on how it focuses on locally sourcing its materials and labor.
They work with several family-run businesses and have close ties with their suppliers.
Understandably, this makes the prices a bit higher. But if you can afford to go a little bit extra, Corpus Naturals is definitely a good pick.
Schmidt's
Making natural deodorants since 2010, Schmidt’s is easily one of the best-recognized brands out there for natural deodorants. In fact, they have a lengthy list of awards right on their website.
About the Product
Schmidt’s offers plenty of options when it comes to their deodorants. They can be classified into two broad categories: their stick and jar formulas. The stick formula can be further divided into sensitive and signature categories.
However, their stick formula is undoubtedly more popular and has more scent options. Their formula for sensitive skin is completely free of baking soda, if you’ve got sensitive skin, then these are a great choice.
Here’s a list of all the substances in their deodorant “Snowy Day”
- Magnesium Hydroxide
- Coconut Oil
- Arrowroot Powder
- Fractionated Coconut Oil
- Shea Butter,
- Candelilla Wax,
- Jojoba Oil,
- Natural Fragrance
- Vitamin E, Sunflower Derived
All of these are vegan and 100% cruelty-free. Their ingredients are also ethically and sustainably derived, so that’s also a plus!
Packaging
Currently, Schmidt’s uses plastic in their stick deodorants, fully recyclable of course! The plastic is also PCR (post-consumer recycled).
Moreover, their jar formula comes in a recyclable jar as well.
Supply Chain and Community
Schmidt’s is an ECOCERT certified deodorant brand, which means they’re a certified natural deodorant.
Aside from the ingredient category covered above, ECOCERT certification also means that the materials and ingredients are ethically and sustainably sourced.
It doesn’t stop there. ECOCERT also verifies the entire manufacturing process and ensures that production is environmentally-friendly and under good control systems.
Overall, Schmidt’s is a good and accessible brand to start you on your switch to vegan deodorant.
Deodorant vs. Antiperspirant
A common misconception many of us are guilty of is thinking that deodorant and antiperspirant are the same things.
However, the two are actually pretty different. The main distinction is that deodorant stops bad odors from coming through, while an antiperspirant actually tries to stop you from sweating and eliminating the odor.
Interestingly, a deodorant is classified as a cosmetic product while an antiperspirant is classified as a drug, so that’s a pretty clear demarcation right there.
The mechanism behind deodorants is that they try to make your armpits less susceptible to bacteria growth.
The bacteria on your skin that break down the sweat actually results in the odor, not the sweat itself.
Whereas an antiperspirant usually makes use of aluminum-based ingredients that can block sweat pores.
Since the armpits have a lot of sweat glands, it makes the area pretty prone to sweat. Blocking this sweat may also reduce body odor.
Right now, there are still some rumored health concerns about aluminum and its risk to the human body.
However, these claims are all unfounded, and medical societies have even frowned upon these rumors.
Generally, we think that the risk that lies in using antiperspirants with aluminum isn’t that you’ll get a chronic illness but in how it blocks your body’s natural way of functioning.
Are Natural Deodorants Always Vegan?
Now that you’ve seen some of the best vegan deodorant brands available let’s make something clear first.
When you look up vegan deodorant online, you’ll see many suggestions on different types of all-natural deodorant and the like. However, it is worth noting that natural deodorants are not always vegan.
Yes, many all-natural deodorants are vegan, but the two are not the same thing. Just note that distinction the next time you are on a hunt for a great vegan deodorant.
Many natural deodorants actually use beeswax, which isn’t a vegan component. In many recipes for a natural deodorant, you will see beeswax as a recurring ingredient.
That doesn’t mean that your favorite natural deodorant isn’t vegan though! Just make sure to check the label and see if it really is vegan.
While most brands will say outright if they’re vegan, some don’t, therefore try to see if you can find this information on their ingredient list.
Why Use Vegan Deodorant?
Some people coming across vegan deodorant articles may be perplexed. Isn’t regular deodorant already vegan? Why is it necessary to change to a vegan alternative?
It isn’t clear what exactly makes natural deodorants vegan. By that, most think that conventional deodorants already don’t have animal products in them.
However, that’s not always true. There aren’t any obvious animal products in deodorants, but there are instances when companies do use animal-based ingredients such as stearic acid or propolis (a form of sealant found in beehives)(1).
Not to mention, many companies that produce deodorants aren’t usually cruelty-free, which also adds to the idea of them not being vegan.
Moreover, since vegan products are usually (not always though) produced more thoughtfully and with a mind for ethics and the environment, vegan products are more likely to be good for you.
Most natural vegan deodorants don’t have the conventional chemicals and ingredients present in their conventional counterparts, such as aluminum.
Brands That Align With Our Values
At Puratium, we value a holistic approach to living a vegan lifestyle. For us, it isn’t enough that a product is simply vegan. The best products for us will always be sustainable, ethical, and great for the environment.
There isn’t a completely perfect brand, and it is quite impossible to find one. There’s always some room for improvement even in the brands that we recommend to our readers.
However, we focus on rounding-up a set of companies that we know check the majority, if not all, of our requirements.
For instance, one brand or product that may have a decent product in itself, but has a shady supply chain, might not make the cut.
We focus on the value that doesn’t lie simply on what the manufacturers used, but how sustainable their practices are and how eco-friendly the product is.
Here are some of the most important practices we always consider in selecting the companies we publish:
- 100% vegan, no materials from animals or animals involved in testing. Cruelty-free.
- Materials that are sustainably AND ethically sourced (fair trade, organic, etc.)
- Sustainable packaging and production methods
- A transparent supply chain
It is a bonus if the brand gives back to the community.
The Detox/Transition Period
Now that we have all of the preceding covered, we have to highlight the brief period when some people claim that their natural and vegan deodorant isn’t working. This is actually a pretty common experience.
Ideally, you should give your skin some time to get used to the new product.
If you’ve been using antiperspirants on your armpits your whole life, then your underarms will need some time to adjust to the deodorants without any aluminum.
While some deodorants really won’t work for you, it is worth giving them a shot by understanding that your body needs time to adjust.
Final Thoughts
Overall, vegan deodorant is a great swap for those aluminum-based antiperspirants that are commonly available.
Choosing to go the vegan and natural route isn’t a hindrance to your daily freshness and warding off body odor.
In fact, it is quite fashionable (if you want to find out more about vegan fashion, then please take a look at our guide on the subject).
A common misconception is that using natural deodorant is less effective and isn’t the best choice for heavy-duty.
Sweating is part of our body. Using antiperspirants to block out the sweating may be counterintuitive to your body’s natural way of working.
Although it all depends on your needs, vegan deodorant remains an excellent choice. By choosing to use it, you aren’t sacrificing anything. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Resources:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/propolis-an-ancient-healer
