Does natural deodorant really work?

The journey to find a great natural deodorant that works can be an arduous one – because let’s be honest, a lot of them don’t seem to do their job. And what’s the point in buying a natural deodorant if it doesn’t actually negate body odour? That’s just wasted cash and nobody has time for that.
So why do so many people switch to natural deodorant? And is there actually a natural deodorant that works? We spoke to Annabelle Personeni, A'kin’s Botanical Chemist, to find out.
Natural deodorant vs regular deodorant – what’s the difference?
“Natural deodorant is gentle on the skin and respects the skin physiology,” says Annabelle. “In comparison, a regular antiperspirant interferes with the natural skin processes by blocking sweat ducts.” So rather than stopping you from physically sweating like a regular antiperspirant spray does, a natural deodorant will work on the odour of sweat.
The base of the formulations of true natural deodorants are generally also as gentle and as eco-friendly as possible, without nasties like ethoxylated solubilisers. Some natural deodorants, such as the A'kin Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant, are also formulated without zinc based actives, which makes them more biodegradable and therefore better for the environment. So no nasties for you or the earth – win, win!
How does natural deodorant work?
You might be surprised to know that the sweat your body releases to cool down on a hot summer day or after a strenuous workout doesn’t smell. “Sweat has no scent but offensive malodour occurs when skin's natural bacteria start degrading it,” explains Annabelle. “It’s the by-products of sweat that cause malodour so a good deodorant will reduce the degradation of sweat by bacteria, then cover any possible malodour.”
The A'kin Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant provides the perfect natural odour-neutralising solution thanks to the natural active in the formula, which slows down the ability of bacteria to degrade sweat. The environmentally-friendly alcohol in the formula also helps to reduce the quantity of bacteria on the skin, while natural essential oils emit a beautiful aromatic fragrance to cover the possible residue malodour.
Is there really a natural deodorant that works?
Now you know what natural deodorant is, we’ve come to the million dollar question – does it actually work as well as regular antiperspirants? According to Annabelle, it does. “There is no reason to say that natural deodorant is less effective than a non-natural deodorant,” she says. “The efficacy of a deodorant is generally dependant on the concentration of the actives and the fragrance. So whether it works does not depend on how natural it is.”
So if you’ve been looking high and low for a natural deodorant that’s worth opening your purse for, you can call off the search – because yes, we’ve found a natural deodorant that works. It’s the A'kin Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant and it’s about to become your new handbag essential.
Not only is it a natural deodorant in an easy-to-use spray formula that can be used on the whole body (perfect for touching up throughout the day!), it also smells amazing – the aromatic blend of Geranium, Cedarwood and Patchouli oils are not only great for odour control but they can also have an aromatherapy-based calming and uplifting effect. Plus, it’s not powder-based so you can forget about those unsightly white marks.
I’m obsessed and can’t stop using it! Check out my full review here .Want to pick one up for yourself? The A'kin Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant is exclusive to Priceline, so run, don’t walk. If you'd like to find out more about the A'kin Geranium & Cedarwood Natural Deodorant, click here.
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183 Member Comments
I'm not convinced as I sweat a lot and I prefer to have my underarms dry.
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Reported the below comment by Jane wembli as Spam.
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I have been using Norsca Ultra fresh 24 hours antiperspirant deodorant pump action spray for years, I know its marketed for men but to to be honest I much prefer it to all the others, I like the delicate smell and that it does last all day. I have tried the various other natural ones and found they did nothing and just cost a lot of wasted money. I'll just stick to this one I'm very happy with it and why change?.
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I too love Norsca, unlike you I go for the roll on. I do try other deoderants but I always go back to Norsca.
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My mum once bought a crystal deodorant for me to use. I spent the whole day working around at school with arms crossed, if i raised my hand all i could smell was BO. So embarrassing! Not for me
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Oh my that's terrible. Guess you won't be using that one again.
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I'll have to try the A'kin one. I've tried so many deodorants and LaVanila is the one I've found most effective and their deodorants smell really lovely. The problem is trading wetness for odour. I really can't stand underarm perspiration and for me it's no more embarrassing to be smelly than it is to have underarm sweat rings. I use natural deodorant when I can, but I do also use a conventional antiperspirant sometimes when I think sweat could be an issue.
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I have tried a few but they end up irritating my underarms within a week- which is super disappointing... ahhhh
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I'm using A Woo Hoo body one, they do say you have to be patient and you pong for a few days while your body adjusts
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Really! How odd. I'm lucky I don't sweat much.
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I exercise a lot and so do sweat, but the natural deodorants are good
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I'm glad you have found a good natural deodarant to suit. I guess if I exercised a lot I'd be sweating too. Will have to work on that one. Good luck with it all.
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Thankyou, yes goodluck if you decide to do some exercise
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I haven't used a natural deodorant before, I'd like to try one as long as it was effective.
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I love natural deodorants. They also last longer :)
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Interesting article.
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I use natural deodorants and have for years... They work better and don't irritate my skin!!!
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Very interesting read
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Unfortunately natural isn’t really an option for me. I need the sweat blocked or I would be drenched writhing an hour! only deodorant I find works on me is rexona clinical. Even 5 minutes without it on i am sweating up a storm and the odor is killer. Il admit every now and then when I know I won’t see anyone I will go a day without but afterwards I have to wash my armpits at least 5 or more times and still have an aroma. It sucks! But glad I did end up finding rexona clinical because before I knew I stunk and had no self esteem and I’m sure people thought I didn’t shower or put deodorant on no matter what I tried.
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I have used this deodorant, and it has an overpowering fragrance, similar to wearing patchouli oil. I love wearing fragrances, so this clashed badly with those. I also found it not that effective, but I have issues with a medical problem requiring medication that may be reacting with those...
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Pleased you mentioned the fragrance, Yvonne. I have problems with heavily fragranced products so will tread carefully with this. Thank you.
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I have crystal one (dag it out from stash, so many years old, best part never goes bad, lasts for years!) and if needing something really strong, then I use bicarb/coconut oil paste
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I too have a crystal one but find I can only use it in Winter when it is less humid. I had owned mine since 2006 and it is still going.
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I find that a natural crystal deodorant works well for me and my partner (male)
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I always use natural deodorant. I haven’t tried this one but I like A’kin products generally and the scent sounds nice.
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