The 16 Very Best Natural Deodorants

Scent: Fragrance-free | Longevity: May not require reapplication | Format: Roll-on deodorant | Ingredients: Contains essential oils, vegetable glycerin, aloe

While the only FDA-approved antiperspirant is aluminum, there’s anecdotal evidence that this deodorant from Real Purity helps to cut down on sweat. It’s become something of a cult favorite amongst Strategist staffers since Aubrey Plaza introduced it to us in 2017. We investigated its seemingly magic properties in 2021, and while dermatologists maintain that there’s no such thing as a natural antiperspirant, some ingredients are better at absorbing sweat than others. Real Purity uses vegetable glycerin and aloe, which dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick told us “does not prevent the formation of sweat, but can help to absorb moisture, minimizing the feeling of wetness.” Strategist senior editor Simone Kitchens (who has been using the deodorant since 2018) says this is the only natural deodorant she’s tried that hasn’t stopped working. It’s also odorless, which she describes as a benefit. “It doesn’t have some like cedary sagey geraniumy whatever-y smell,” she says. “It smells like nothing.”

Scent: Citrus and mint | Format: Cream | Longevity: Long-lasting | Ingredients: Contains activated charcoal and coconut oil

Kirbie Johnson, a beauty reporter and co-host of the Gloss Angeles podcast, swears by this Piper Wai cream, which helped her survive a hot Texas day entirely stink-free. “The other deodorants I brought felt like they were evaporating off my body the minute they were applied, but this works and stayed put. Even in 100-degree heat, I did not smell,” she says. Its main ingredients are charcoal and tapioca starch, which in combination absorb sweat and control odor. It also contains essential oils like citrus and mint, which give it its light, pleasant scent. “The key is smoothing it onto your underarm liberally with your fingers,” Johnson says, noting that a pea-size amount is plenty. If you’re sensitive to coconut oil, she recommends patch-testing and proceeding with caution.

Scent: Vetiver, vanilla bourbon, cardamom, black pepper, and tonka bean | Format: Cream | Longevity: Long-lasting | Ingredients: Contains baking soda and magnesium

Combined with other powerful ingredients like baking soda, magnesium, and kaolin clay, activated charcoal makes this cream deodorant a strong stink blocker. “It provides long-lasting protection, and most important, it works really well; the protection it offers is very close to a conventional formula,” according to Lee. Credo co-founder and COO Annie Jackson agrees that “the charcoal and magnesium in it are super-effective, and a little goes a long way.” The only downside is that it’s a cream you have to apply with your fingers, a format that was once common among natural deodorants but has mostly been replaced by tubes.

Scent: Available in various scents | Format: Stick deodorant | Longevity: May require reapplication | Ingredients: Contains magnesium and arrowroot

Magnesium is another baking-soda alternative that’s more gentle on the skin and still effective for killing odor-causing bacteria. Last year, Jackie Johnson, host of the natural-beauty podcast Natch Beaut, judged natural deodorants at last year’s Indie Beauty Expo and awarded the first-place prize to Brothers Artisan Oil’s magnesium-based deodorant. “It works extremely well,” she says. “If you’re a stink queen, this will cut that for you.” It comes in a handful of scents, but Johnson’s favorite is eucalyptus and lime, which she calls “really light and refreshing, and not overpowering.” It kept her stink-free during a sweaty workout class, but she does add that, like with any natural deodorant, you might have to reapply throughout the day. “Get comfortable with reapplication,” she advises.

Scent: Unscented | Longevity: May need reapplication | Format: Stick deodorant | Ingredients: Contains baking soda and probiotics

Probiotics have become more prevalent in the natural-deodorant space in recent years, an evolution that coincides with the rise of microbiome-focused skin care. They function in deodorant the same way they function in supplements. The probiotics introduce new, healthy bacteria to your armpit, the idea being that they’ll counteract the bad bacteria that makes your sweat smell bad. It works to varying degrees, but this one also contains baking soda, which helps with sweat absorption. Together, the two function similarly to charcoal and baking soda, but with one major difference — charcoal apparently removes the bad bacteria that makes your armpits smell while probiotics introduce additional bacteria to balance your microbiome out. This deodorant has amassed lots of fans, including the likes of Vice-President Kamala Harris’s niece, author and lawyer Meena Harris, who says that it’s fragrance-free and doesn’t have a super-stinky adjustment period like other natural deos.

Scent: Smells like peppermint, lavender, and tea tree | Longevity: Long-lasting | Format: Cream deodorant | Ingredients: Contains baking soda and essential oils

Despite the rise in tube deodorants, I found that there’s still a market for cream deodorants in pots. While stick deodorants are designed to go on in thin layers, cream formulas can be applied more liberally to the armpit and thus offers more protection. A balmlike consistency makes a pot natural deodorant easier to rub in, and thus helps it absorb deeper into the skin. If you want to give it a try, Tara Foley, founder of Follain, says the Soapwalla deodorant is very effective since it “contains a lot of baking soda and a lot of tea-tree oil,” which is naturally antimicrobial. In an ode to Soapwalla, writer Alice Gregory told us it has “the efficacy of substances usually formulated for the military.”

Scent: Fresh, rosy scent | Longevity: May require reapplication | Format: Stick deodorant | Ingredients: Contains corn starch and glycerin

Although baking soda keeps wetness and moisture at bay, it can also be very irritating to some people, sometimes to the point that it turns them off from natural deodorant entirely. Dermatologist Cybele Fishman explains, “I am seeing so many armpit rashes since so many people are changing to natural deodorants, and when we check, there is usually baking soda in them, and when they stop using it, the rash goes away.” As an alternative, she suggests baking-soda-free deodorants, and this rose-scented one comes highly recommended by Lara Kaiser of Shen Beauty. “There’s really nothing I don’t like about it,” says Kaiser, who found that other natural deodorants were either too greasy or left oily stains on her shirts. She likes that it “lasts forever,” describing how one tube lasts her a year even with daily use. Several of our friends at the Cut are fans as well.

Scent: Various scents | Longevity: May require reapplication | Format: Stick deodorant | Ingredients: Contains coconut oil, sage oil, and essential oils

This coconut-oil-based deodorant from Kopari (coconut oil is known for being both antimicrobial and antibacterial) is a favorite of Strategist writer Latifah Miles, who uses it on her son. “I was looking for something that isn’t too fragrant, doesn’t block his sweat glands, and is as close to natural as possible while actually working,” she says. To find this one, she’s tried both kid-specific deodorants along with a few natural adult formulas, and so far, this one has worked the best. “I love that the texture is smooth and creamy,” she says. “The scent is very light, which is nice for a child, and a little goes a long way.”