When looking for a deodorant or antiperspirant, I typically aim for something that applies dry, doesn’t leave any white residue on my clothes, and has a strong scent but one that isn’t too much on the floral side. (Up until now, my go-to underarm product has been the Dove antiperspirant dry spray.) Note: Some deodorants I purchased with my own money while some were sent to me without any expectation of me giving a positive review. From left to right: • Tom’s of Maine in Coconut Lavender — $5.99 • Secret Clinical Strength Completely Clean Invisible Solid — $12.82 • Native Aluminum-Free Deodorant in Butter Cream and French Vanilla — $12.97 • Degree Advanced 72H Motionsense — $4.48 • Dove Nourishing Secrets Dry Spray — $7.48 • Kosas Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant — $16 • Old Spice Captain — $5.99 • Bee & You Natural Roll-On — $10.99 • Arm & Hammer Essentials Deodorant — $4.99
“Antiperspirants reduce sweating. They deliver aluminum salts to plug sweat ducts, thereby blocking sweat release. These are what we frequently recommend as dermatologists for people who have trouble with excessive sweating,” added Dr. Cobb. “The way that antiperspirants influence body odor is by minimizing the moist environment that bacteria thrive in,” she added. Each serves its own purpose and some products are a combination of the two. For the sake of this post: I’m aware that deodorants are not meant to keep your underarms completely dry — but I still took into consideration if any of them succeeded in keeping me dry and how well they did it. The main reason for my low rating is that the product didn’t hold up to masking sweat once I did anything that got my heart rate up. After my physical therapy session and daily workout — each an hour long — I definitely smelled like sweat. Tom’s of Maine also didn’t keep me dry: I had pit stains in my tank top after both my PT session and my workout. While I worked and ran errands earlier in the day, my underarms did stay dry — which was nice because sometimes these simple tasks can still make me sweat, especially depending on the temperature outside. Still, I had to reapply two more times throughout the day, including prior to working out. The scent also wasn’t very strong to begin with. I felt like it was practically unscented. Notes: • Application: 4/5. Felt wet at first, but dried quickly and was not sticky. No transfer to clothes. • Scent: 2/5. The scent (coconut lavender) was nice but barely there. I also had to reapply several times to mask sweat. • Effectiveness: 2/5. Did little to control odor or mask sweat once I started doing any moderate physical activity, such as working out. (And this was even after I made sure to apply a fresh coat right before the workout started.) • Active ingredient(s): Aluminium chlorohydrate (22%) — antiperspirant I had an interview for a story the day I was testing this antiperspirant and because of some nerves, my armpits got a little sweaty — and this option did not help at all. Then, when I took a workout class later in the day, although my armpits still smelled like cologne, they got sweaty AF. This antiperspirant did go on dry but it left white crumbles on my armpit after swiping it on — which was a bummer. I probably wouldn’t reach for this antiperspirant again. Aside from keeping me smelling nice throughout the day, it didn’t do anything else for me. There are better antiperspirants out there IMO. Notes: • Application: 2/5. Went on dry, but it left white crumbles on my armpit, which did transfer to the inside of my clothes. • Scent: 4/5. The scent was nice but strong. If you don’t mind the smell of cologne, you’ll like this strong, lingering scent. • Effectiveness: 2/5. It kept me smelling good but it did not keep me dry at all. • Active ingredient(s): Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY (15%) — antiperspirant While my armpits stayed dry for the first half of the day, they did get sweaty when I was working in an unusually hot coffee shop. As seen in the photo above, I had some pit stains which was super annoying. The good news is that this antiperspirant’s scent was incredible — and it lasted all day long. I only applied this Dove spray once but if I was going out or to a workout class, I might have reapplied it just to add more scent. Since I spent the night in, I didn’t feel the need to. Notes: • Application: 4/5. Went on dry. • Scent: 4/5. The scent was really nice and light. It was more of a perfume smell than an antiperspirant smell. • Effectiveness: 2/5. While it kept me smelling good for an antiperspirant, I was disappointed with it failing to keep me dry. • Active ingredient(s): Aluminium Chlorohydrate (20.2%) — antiperspirant My top also smelled like the deodorant all night, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — but it was a bit too overpowering for me. I would’ve preferred the scent to be a little more subtle and not overpower my perfume. Still, since it did keep me 90% dry through an entire night of eating, drinking, and dancing — I will use this one again. Notes: • Application: 2/5. Went on chalky and transferred white to my clothes. • Scent: 3/5. The scent was strong and it made my clothes smell like it, which I kind of hate. • Effectiveness: 4/5. It kept me dry all night. • Active ingredient(s): Aluminium Sesquichlorohydrate (16%) — antiperspirant On their site, Secret claims that their clinical strength product “gives you 3x better sweat protection versus the protection required of an ordinary antiperspirant.” They don’t specify how exactly this antiperspirant protects you better than competitors, so it might just be branding. The scent lasted from the moment I applied it until I worked out. The reason I didn’t give this antiperspirant a 5/5 is that although its scent lasted through a sweaty workout, my underarms did sweat a bit and I had some white drip down my arm from my deodorant. (Not to be TMI but you know what I’m talking about!) However, as a point of comparison, it was nothing compared to how much I sweated when I tested the Tom’s of Maine antiperspirant. While working at my desk and taking my dog on a long walk, this antiperspirant did keep me completely dry which was honestly really great — and unusual for me! I will definitely use this deodorant again, especially on days when I’m on the go and might not be able to reapply but I want to ensure that I’m dry and fresh smelling all day. It is pricey for an antiperspirant but considering how much I liked it and how well it personally worked for me, I would buy it and use it again. Notes: • Application: 5/5. Went on dry and clear. • Scent: 4/5. The scent was nice and not too overpowering. It did disappear a bit when I worked out but it still masked any sweat odor. • Effectiveness: 4.5/5. It kept me smelling good, kept me mostly dry, and applied clear! • Active ingredient(s): Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex GLY (20%) — antiperspirant “Natural deodorants also tend to include essential oils of various types, as opposed to synthetic fragrances which are more likely to be utilized in standard deodorants,” she added. While wearing it through the day, the simplest of tasks still made my armpits sweaty, meaning the product wasn’t doing anything for my sweat. (Again, I know that’s not technically deodorant’s job but STILL.) I was disappointed that the scent didn’t last because it was a really nice scent for deodorant, as I find other vanilla options smell too much like a candle. The only positive was that this deodorant went on clear — so no transfer to my clothes — — but the fact that it went on wet annoyed me. Notes: • Application: 1/5. Went on clear, but it left my armpits feeling wet. • Scent: 2/5. The scent was nice but it did not last long nor did it mask any odor. • Effectiveness: 1/5. Its scent didn’t last and I sweat a lot wearing it. • Active ingredient(s): Propylene glycol, purified water, sodium stearate, Maris sal - Magnesium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, citrus aurantium bergamia peel oil, amyris balsamifera oil, fragrance — deodorant Admittedly, I didn’t test the product for long enough to see if its claims about improving underarm texture and discoloration checked out. But given its (lack of) effectiveness, I wasn’t motivated to try it for much longer. Notes: • Application: 2/5. Went on clear but my armpits felt very wet. • Scent: 3/5. The scent was nice but subtle and it disappeared once I got sweaty. • Effectiveness: 2.5/5. It kept me smelling good — until I worked out. Then all bets were off. • Active ingredient(s): Shikimic acid, Mandelic acid, lactic acid — deodorant The reason I didn’t give it a perfect score was that as my day went on, I did feel the need to reapply it because the scent disappeared a little bit and I was afraid I was going to smell. I also had some sweat stains on my shirt so this deodorant didn’t keep me completely dry — but again, compared to the other natural underarm products on this list that I’ve tested, the Native version was superior. Notes: • Application: 4/5. Went on clear and dried right away. • Scent: 4/5. The vanilla-butter cream scent was one of the best scents I’ve ever smelled from a deodorant. • Effectiveness: 3/5. The scent lasted but I still had to reapply in order to maintain effectiveness and keep pit stains at bay. • Active ingredient(s): Coconut oil, shea butter, and baking soda — deodorant I wore it for the duration of my day and it was one of the only deodorants I tested that kept me smelling great — while running around doing errands and breaking a sweat in my hoodie. My armpits also stayed dry even though I was getting hot wearing my hoodie in stores. I was super impressed by this deodorant and it will definitely be the one I reach for the most. Notes: • Application: 5/5. Went on clear and I loved its rollerball applicator. • Scent: 4/5. I didn’t expect to like its scent as much as I did and it was strong without being too overpowering. • Effectiveness: 5/5. This deodorant smelled great and kept me dry better than any other deodorant I tested. • Active ingredient(s): Aqua, coco-caprylate, caprate, distarch phosphate, pentylene glycol, glycerol citrate, lactate — deodorant • Favorite deodorant: Bee & You Natural Roll-On ($10.99) I loved both scents, both underarm products applied dry, and neither transferred any white to my clothes. However, if I had to pick an overall favorite, the Secret antiperspirant kept me drier than the Bee & You Natural deodorant — so the former is a better fit for my active lifestyle. “The concern proposed about aluminum salts is that they cause changes in estrogen receptors, which leads to an increased risk of breast cancer. Most studies have not found a link between breast cancer and aluminum antiperspirants,” she added. “In the few studies that did suggest a possible association, the results must be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size and [the] study design, Dr. Cobb said. “It’s also worth mentioning that the amounts of aluminum absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream are quite minimal.” “For people who experience excessive sweating, aluminum-based antiperspirants are the most effective option. If someone is concerned about the risks, they might consider other methods to minimize sweating — such as botulinum toxin (aka Botox) armpit injections, glycopyrrolate medication or medicated wipes, iontophoresis, or energy-based devices such as MiraDry,” she advised. “For people who have bad-smelling body odor, another option would be to try washing the area with a benzoyl peroxide wash to help minimize bacteria,” Dr. Cobb added.
