Natural Deodorant - Allergens & Advice

Our sustainable natural deodorants are made with 100% natural ingredients. There’s nothing synthetic in there, we choose them very carefully. Even some natural ingredients don’t make the list as we can’t be as sure as we’d like to be about them.

However natural we are it’s also important to respect that nature does pack a punch sometimes. Here’s a bit of advice about possible allergens or irritants in the carefully selected ingredients that we do use.

Sodium Bicarbonate

Bicarb is an excellent natural deodoriser. You will find bicarb in our core range and Strong Protection range of our natural deodorants.  We love the way it tackles body odour. It’s antibacterial and antifungal nature kills off the bacteria under your arms that cause that smell. It’s alkalising and therefore promotes an area that the smell producing bacteria in sweat just can’t survive. So, you can sweat freely to release toxins as your body intended but not have that anti-social smell!

We use aluminium free Bicarb (also referred to as baking soda in the US) so it  doesn’t have the worry of being (or containing) a metal, like other deodorising ingredients such as clay.  Which is why it made it onto our ingredient list and continues to do so.

Bicarb Levels

In our standard range of natural deodorants, we made the decision to keep Sodium Bicarbonate levels to the minimum level for effectiveness. This is because we know that it’s alkalizing effect can cause some irritation from using deodorants with high amounts.

Everyone’s pH level is different, it depends on a huge number of things and can change on a daily basis! Diet, hormones, stress, environmental factors all play their part in your skins pH. We find that the pH level of our deodorant is gentle enough for most people, while still offering complete effectiveness.  

For those who find that they need extra protection from body odour and are not so sensitive to bicarbs pH levels we offer a strong protection variety, with more bicarbonate of soda, so that you have the option to choose what is right for you.

If you have had a reaction to other deodorants containing bicarb, you may find that our lower levels work for you. Alternatively, we have our Delicate Range of sustainable natural deodorants.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are the only fragrance that we use. We believe artificial fragrances can be bad for your overall long-term health and would not recommend applying them to your skin. We love the fact that not only are essential oils pleasant to smell they also have therapeutic benefits too. For instance, Lavender has amazing calming effects and our citrus scents will help uplift you. They have been used historically for centuries to support good all-round health and wellbeing.

Remember, natures essential oils are small but mighty and need to treated with respect. There are compounds within many essential oils that can cause reactions if the levels are too high. The compound that releases the fragrance in lavender oil is called linalool and can be a cause of allergens. Other examples are geraniol, limonene and citral, if you have had a previous reaction to essential oils it could be one of these compounds that you are particularly sensitive to.

Low Levels of Essential Oil

It’s important to keep the levels low.  We only use a very small percentage of essential oil in our deodorants, the result is a subtle scent, yet a safe one. We also offer an unscented pure deodorant for those who may have sensitivity to essential oils.

Although our levels of essential oils are very low, care and respect should be given to the use of them. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding then we advise checking with your doctor/midwife first before you use any deodorant other than our pure.

Our deodorants are designed to be safe for children aged 9 or over. Again, although most oils are considered safe in low levels for children aged over 9, the pure would be a good option.

If you have previously had any reaction to essential oils, we advise a patch test prior to use.