13 Natural Deodorants That *Actually* Work (2024)

I’m all about sustainable beauty products, which is why this natural deodorant from Papr is one of my new faves. The packaging is fully made of paper (meaning no plastic!) and is completely biodegradable. Just push up the tube like a push-pop, and swipe it on. It absorbs moisture with tapioca starch and baking soda, all while moisturizing your skin with coconut oil, shea butter, and castor oil. And, if you have sensitive pits, they make a fragrance-free version that’s also formulated without potentially irritating baking soda.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch, baking soda (absorb sweat and oil); coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? No* (But has a sensitive-skin version without)

THE REVIEWS: “This has been the best natural deodorant I have found,” writes one reviewer. “The scent is pleasant and mild and will last all day without needing to reapply. Comes in a biodegradable paper tube also, so there’s no single-use plastic to dispose of.”

I love this fragrance-free natural deodorant for my sensitive skin, because it’s free of baking soda and artificial fragrance that tend to irritate me. Instead, it uses kaolin clay to help soak up excess oils and sweat, along with soothing aloe vera to help calm my perpetually inflamed armpits. And I <3 the lightweight, smooth texture that comes from its moisturizing prickly-pear oil and coconut fruit extract.

• Key ingredients: Kaolin clay (absorbs oils and sweat); aloe vera (soothes); coconut fruit extract and prickly-pear oil (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I LOVE this deodorant,” writes one tester. “I have Celiac disease, and this is the first deodorant that I haven't had a reaction to. And there truly is no smell to it.”

Dermatologist Anar Mikailov, MD, recommends giving this drugstore natural deodorant a try because it's “formulated with absorbents like arrowroot powder and rice bran wax to keep your skin dry,” he says. “It also has natural deodorizers like magnesium and tea tree oil, along with coconut oil and shea butter to keep your underarms, groin, underboobs—wherever you sweat—smooth.”

• Key ingredients: Arrowroot powder, rice bran wax (absorbs sweat and oil); magnesium, tea tree oil (antibacterial); coconut oil, shea butter (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “This deodorant smells so good, glides on smooth, and leaves my underarms feeling so soft,” writes one reviewer. “Overall, it’s the best aluminum-free deodorant I’ve tried thus far, and I've tried a lot of them out there!”

Natural deodorants have taken one too many of my white T-shirts (FYI: the yellow pigments of the oils and butters in the formula can rub off and stain), which is why the major selling perk for this fragrance-free natural deodorant is that it rolls on completely clear, meaning it won't stain your clothes or leave behind marks. It uses antibacterial hops extract—yup, the ingredient found in beer—to help neutralize body odor, along with aloe vera to soothe your skin and shea butter to moisturize.

• Key ingredients: Hops extract (antibacterial), aloe vera (soothing), shea butter (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to a review, “So far, this is the best natural deodorant that I have tried. It’s not goopy or sticky like others. It doesn’t burn my skin and haven’t had problems staining clothes with it.”

If you’re used to natural deodorants feeling stiff and dry, try this gel formula. It glides on so smoothly, thanks to rich moisturizers (hi, coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil), but it still absorbs into your skin without leaving a sticky, waxy residue. It actually feels somewhat cooling, which is why I keep this in my gym bag to swipe on after sweaty workouts.

• Key ingredients: Coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “The only deodorant to ever work for me,” writes one tester in a review. “I’ve spent hundreds trying other brands that always end up smelling funky after any sweating. Not this! The smell is luxurious, and the texture and longevity are amazing!”

So, this is technically a deodorant for teens (ya know, people whose hormones are raging), which is how I knew it would be great for me, a v sweaty person. It uses a combo of MVP-level sweat and oil absorbers: magnesium hydroxide, arrowroot powder, and tapioca starch to wick away sweat, and in turn, curb odors. Keep in mind, though, that this formula does include baking soda, which is great for absorbing moisture, but can be potentially irritating for folks with sensitive skin.

• Key ingredients: Magnesium hydroxide, arrowroot powder, and tapioca starch (oil and sweat-absorbing)
• Baking-soda free? No

THE REVIEWS: “Not a teen and not a male, but this deodorant works well,” one review reads. “I wanted an aluminum-free option that didn’t irritate my skin. This fits the bill. I hope they can create new scents that will be more gender-neutral in the future!”

I can’t stop raving about By Rosie Jane’s Dulce perfume, which led me to test their fresh-smelling natural deodorant spray. The formula’s alcohol also kills bacteria that can cause odor, while its witch hazel and aloe vera work to soothe my skin.

• Key ingredients: Alcohol (kills odor-causing bacteria); witch hazel, aloe vera (soothes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: One tester writes, “I was so excited to try this as the smell is incredible. It smells so fresh and citrusy; it’s amazing. I do obviously sweat still, but it's just sweat, no smell. I've found that for me, it works better if I spritz three sprays on each armpit, then wait a few seconds before I put on my shirt.”

My underarms are v prone to ingrown hairs and breakouts, which is why I slather them with this natural cream deodorant from Megababe. Using lactic and mandelic acids, this cream helps chemically buff away dead skin that can get trapped in your follicles and disrupt hair growth, leading to ingrown hairs. But it also helps soothe the irritation you might already have on your skin with niacinamide and aloe vera. FYI, though: The AHAs in the formula can be irritating if used too often, so only swipe this on your skin two or three times a week and never right after shaving (unless you want burning pits).

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, aloe vera (soothing); lactic acid, mandelic acid (exfoliating)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “While this one doesn't smell as good as some of the other Megabage deos, it works like a dream for me,” one reviewer writes. “I also experience a lot of discoloration and bumpiness on my underarms, and this has really quelled that.”

This spritz-on underarm toner has legit completely changed the way I wear deodorant. I just spray it on before my deodorant because it’s loaded with exfoliating lactic acid, which lowers your skin’s pH to decrease odor-causing bacteria. TBH, I could use it alone, but under another natural deodorant, I notice my armpits and underboobs are odor-free for a full eight hours without needing to reapply.

• Key ingredients: Lactic acid (exfoliating)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “'I’m slightly obsessed with this product,” one tester writes. The reason being...I haven't smelled any body odor on myself in months since using this. Not only do I not smell anymore, my deodorant lasts me all day and night until I wake up the next morning. It's wild...I don't know how they made such a product but I am a customer for life.

The Third Rose fragrance of this deodorant rivals some of my best perfumes based on how luxurious it smells, with notes of rose, citrus, and wood. But don’t worry: There’s no talc, baking soda, or aluminum here. Instead, this clean beauty product, one of dermatologist Becca Marcus's top recs, uses alcohol to kill odor-causing bacteria and tapioca starch to soak up moisture under your pits. Needless to say, I need to test the other five scents asap.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch (soaks up sweat), alcohol (kills odor-causing bacteria)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to one reviewer, “I struggle finding natural deodorants that work well. But I love the scent of this, and it does work most of the day. Many deodorants only work for an hour or two for me. This lasts much longer.”

FYI: This is the deodorant I'm currently wearing as I type this because it lasts me from running to the subway to sweating in the office to anxiously waiting for my date at happy hour. I can go the longest stretches of time between reapplications for when the light and clean scent wears off. The texture is quite dry (that's the tapioca starch at work), which wicks away unwanted sweat and moisture, but it uses coconut oil and shea butter to simultaneously moisturize my pits.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch (sweat-absorbing); coconut oil, shea butter (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “This is great,” one tester writes. “Kept me dry and smelling fresh all day. I really like how easily it glides on too.”

If your underarms tend to get v dry, you’ll love this ultra-moisturizing natural deodorant from Hey Humans. Shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower-seed wax, candelilla wax, and soybean oil coat your skin as you glide this on, moisturizing and locking in hydration. All the while, the all-natural formula leaves out potentially irritating silicones, aluminum, baking soda, and propylene glycol. Consider it a conditioner for your pits.

• Key ingredients: Shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower-seed wax, candelilla wax, soybean oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “My mother-in-law suggested this to me, and I’m so grateful she did,” writes one reviewer. “The product goes on smoothly, smells amazing, and keeps me from sweating. Great product!”

Whether you have ultra-sensitive pits or would rather smell like your vanilla perfume than your deo, you might prefer using a natural deodorant free of fragrance and essential oils. So, lemme introduce you to this one from Alaffia Naturals, which has absolutely no scent whatsoever. What it does have, though, is sweat-absorbing arrowroot powder and charcoal as well as moisturizing and skin-softening shea butter and coconut oil, all of which keep your pits dry but not dried out.

• Key ingredients: Arrowroot powder, charcoal (sweat-absorbing); shea butter, coconut oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I have been trying out most of the Alaffia deodorants, and I think this one is the winner for me,” one review reads. “It keeps me smelling good for up to two days and has a drier finish than some of the others I’ve tried. This one is the one I keep going back to in high heat and humidity.”

No, natural deodorant isn’t necessarily “safer” than traditional deodorant. But some people prefer deodorants made with plant-based and organic ingredients, says dermatologist Corey L. Hartman, MD. In general, natural deodorants use sweat-absorbing alternatives to aluminum—the main ingredient found in antiperspirants that blocks your pores from producing sweat.

And in case you’re curious where evidence currently stands on the aluminum debate (where some argue that aluminum use is linked to both breast cancer and Alzheimer’s), a 2017 systematic analysis of published data has found zero link between the two, stating, “there is currently no evidence for an association between aluminum exposure and the development of breast cancer or Alzheimer’s disease.”

So although neither deodorant is “safer” than the other, you may find one easier to tolerate than the other, depending on your skin type and sensitivities. For example, some people may find that aluminum irritates their underarms, says cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline, and they may not want to fully block their sweat glands.

However, natural deodorants can be filled with potential irritants too, like essential oils, botanical extracts, and baking soda, says Dr. Lal. Plus, they can stain your clothing, particularly with yellow marks or oil stains, from the various powders meant to dry up your sweat. So really, it just comes down to preference.

Some dermatologists recommend natural deodorants, says Dr. Hartman, though not because of safety concerns. Instead, it’s more about a person’s skin type and needs. “There are a few natural deodorants that I've seen patients recommend, and that I've tried and like to recommend as well," says Dr. Hartman. "But it really comes down to personal preference."

Dermatologists are generally going to recommend the least irritating options for their patient, which, for some, may look like natural deodorant filled with essential oils. But for others, it might mean a fragrance-free, clinical-strength antiperspirant filled with sweat-blocking aluminum and sweat-absorbing powders.

When you stop using deodorant or antiperspirant with aluminum, “it takes time for the bacteria to balance out, so you will temporarily experience more odor," says Dr. King. Which is why you’ve probably heard of the "detox" period that occurs when you make the switch from antiperspirant to natural deodorant.

As Dr. Lal explains, this occurs because when you stop blocking your sweat with an aluminum-filled antiperspirant, the glands then temporarily overcompensate by creating more sweat. So, the added sweat combines with the bacteria, resulting in a sweaty, smelly phase while you detox.

Prioritize your needs

Do you want to cover your natural scent, soak up sweat, prevent odor by addressing the bacterial microbiome, or a combination of the three? Keep in mind: "Deodorants work in three different ways: They either mask body odor with a fragrance, prevent odor by minimizing the contact of sweat with odor-causing bacteria, or lower the level of the odor-causing bacteria on your skin by lowering your skin’s pH," dermatologist Joshua Zeicher, MD, has previously told Cosmo.

With that said, if you’re prone to excess sweating or do high-intensity workouts all the time, you might prefer a natural deodorant filled with sweat-absorbing powders (i.e., charcoal, arrowroot powder, clay, corn starch, and rice powder). But if your biggest concern is eliminating body odor (as well as evening and smoothing your skin), try an AHA-based natural deodorant which helps kill odor-causing bacteria. And if you just want to smell nice, you can really just choose your natural deodorant based on fragrance.

Consider your skin’s sensitivities

Some ingredients that are common in natural deodorants—namely alcohol and baking soda—come with the risk of irritation or contact dermatitis, says Dr. King. Similarly, AHAs can be irritating when used at a high percentage, or too often, or on top of freshly shaved skin. If your skin is ultra-sensitive, opt for a natural deodorant free of baking soda and fragrance/essential oils (I noted these above, FYI) which are less likely to cause itchiness. Plus, you can also look for formulas filled with soothers like aloe vera and allantoin to help calm inflammation.

• Anar Mikailov, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of KP Away. Becca Marcus, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at North Dallas Dermatology Associates who specializes in medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology.
• Joshua Zeichner, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and an associate professor of dermatology and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Zeichner has previously spoken to Cosmo about the topic of fragrance-free deodorant and deodorants for sensitive skin.
• Krupa Koestline is a "clean" cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Consultants. She is based in Orlando, FL and creates products for some of the best-known brands on the market.
• Karan Lal, MD, is a double board-certified adult, pediatric, and cosmetic dermatologist at Affiliated Dermatology in Scottsdale, AZ.
• Hadley King, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist with her own practice in New York, NY.
• Corey L. Hartman, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, AL.