The Hunt for Cruelty Free Deodorant

Since I started going cruelty free a year and half ago, the biggest thing I've struggled with is finding a good deodorant. I've gone through a surprising number of different brands so I decided to compile them in a list below and go into what worked and what didn't.


Crystal Body Stick
     This was the first option I tried because it seemed to be so highly recommended, and I've used this one for the longest amount of time. It's available at drugstores and grocery stores, which is a plus. I found that while it is a decent deodorant for relaxed days, it doesn't hold up when I exercise. I also got quite tired of spending the extra time rubbing it in every morning. I had my original stick for over a year, but threw it away because it started disintegrating.



     When I started doing a lot of traveling last year, I bought the travel set of this deodorant, which I actually like much better. It works the same, but it is small and doesn't have all the plastic the large one has. This makes it much easier to use and clean. Even though this one is marketed for travel, I don't see the need to ever get the regular stick again.





Crystal Body Roll On
     I found this at my local health food store and thought I'd give it a shot. I thought it might work better and be easier to use than the traditional stick because it cuts out the middle man of running the crystal under the water. The roll on worked OK, but I found that if I used it when I was a little stinky the smell lingered on the crystal and because it was a roller I wasn't able to clean it off very well, so that one went in the trash.

Certain Dri Solid Antiperspirant
     Someone online described this antiperspirant as good for doing aerobics in the desert, and I found that they were indeed correct. This one is easy to find in solid and roll on and definitely does the job. I used this only on days when it was very important not to smell, but even so I quickly got tired of the white residue it leaves. I felt really liberated when I started using the Crystal deodorant and didn't have to worry about deodorant stains anymore, and this one felt like a step backwards. This deodorant also didn't last very long, and it seemed to be very expensive for what I got.

Certain Dri Roll On

     I got the roll on version of Certain Dri as a replacement for the solid one once it ran out. My sister had been using this one and when I complained about the white deodorant marks she suggested I use this instead. I like the roll on much more than the solid antiperspirant, but this one seems to have odd side effects I didn't notice when using the other - I think this one is meant to be stronger but I'm not sure. According to the directions, you're supposed to put both of these on at night when you go to bed then not in the morning. When I use the roll on occasionally, it was generally not a problem, but when I was in Costa Rica and used it every night my underarms started reacting badly to the constant abuse. When I would put this on my armpits would get very itchy which lasted around half an hour. I'll hang on to this one since it's the only cruelty free antiperspirant I've found, but definitely use it rarely.

Stinkbug Naturals Organic Cream Deodorant
     I go the tangerine spice travel size of this cream deodorant in one of my Vegan Cuts boxes. I've never used a cream deodorant before this one so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found this one was actually very easy to apply. It has coconut oil and shea butter in it so it went on very smoothly. It also doesn't leave the white marks I hate so much on my clothes. This one also works pretty well. When I go to the gym wearing this I come home with traces of BO, but nothing too bad. It's certainly effective enough for an average day.
     I liked this deodorant so much, I went on the Stinkbug Naturals website and got myself several different scents and types to try out. The tangerine spice scent is decent, but I found I like the floral lime even more.

Stinkbug Naturals Organic Deodorant Stick
     Since I liked my tangerine spice cream deodorant so much, I decided to try out some of their other options. I got the Tea Tree and Lavender scents of their stick, though I prefer the scent of the floral lime cream deodorant. I used the tea tree one this morning for the first time. It went on very smoothly and doesn't seem to leave those annoying white marks on my clothing. I'll add an update later about how effective it is.

Schmidt's Natural Deodorant - Lavender and Sage
     This one had been recommended a lot when I first went cruelty free, but I shied away from the finger application side of it. Getting the Stinkbug deodorant in my Vegan Cuts box inspired me to try it out, so I ordered the lavender and sage one off Amazon. Schmidt's is definitely not like Stinkbug Naturals. The deodorant is pretty solid and you have to warm up bits between your fingers before applying it. Because of the awkward application, I'm not sure if I'm no good at putting it on or if this one simply doesn't work well, but I started smelling just from everyday activities. I'll keep trying it and maybe when I've had some practice it will work better.

I plan to update this list as I try new deodorants and antiperspirants.