Do you smell that? It’s the sweet scent of non-toxic deodorant. Conventional deodorant brands don’t only contribute to plastic waste through hard-to-recycle plastic; they contain harmful ingredients that can impact human health.
Ingredients like parabens, phthalates, dyes, synthetic fragrances, and aluminum can block your pores, disrupt normal hormone function, irritate the skin, and do a lot, a lot more.
That’s why it just makes scents to switch to safe deodorant brands—but what deodorants are not toxic?
Speaking of switching…we’re making some switchups of our own, including rolling out a new Brand Rating System that we’ll use to refresh articles like this in coming months. It looks at brands across 22 criteria—think: ingredient safety, sustainable sourcing practices, and supply chain transparency—that you can read about in our explainer here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
The Top Non-Toxic Deodorant Brands To Wick Sustainable Sweat
Choose a tube or a spreadable cream, we’ve found both as effective at combating BO as they are to apply, EcoRoots has you covered all without any plastic waste or toxic ingredients.
Compostable cardboard tubes, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, aluminum-free, palm oil-free—do we need to say anything more about Ethique’s non-toxic deodorants?
Index: Safest Deodorant Brands
- Fat and the Moon Jump to brand
- Noniko Jump to brand
- EcoRoots Jump to brand
- Little Seed Farm Jump to brand
- Hammonds Herbs Jump to brand
- Ethique Jump to brand
- HiBAR Jump to brand
Fat and the Moon
Fat and the Moon’s Deodorant
Fat and the Moon handcrafts aluminum and phthalate-free deodorants “for the full spectrum of stinky”.
We’ve tried the Aluminum Free Deodorant Cream and can confirm it’s one of the best non-toxic deodorants on our list. It doesn’t contain any parabens, sulfates, phthalates, or toxins. Instead, they fight underarm odor with natural ingredients like coconut oil, arrowroot powder, beeswax, and antibacterial essential oils.
If you’re seeking the best non-toxic deodorant for sensitive skin, the Sensitive Pit Cream is sodium bicarbonate free. Both are packaged in reusable glass jars and lightly scented with black pepper, bergamot, and a bit of citrus.
Keep in mind that while the chemical-free deodorant is cruelty-free, it’s not 100% vegan, as it contains ethically sourced beeswax.
About Fat and the Moon
The handmade beauty supplies come from Grass Valley, California. The dry shampoos, sustainable moisturizers, face masks, oils, and more are all made to order—ensuring the utmost quality. Fat and the Moon explicitly states which ingredients are and aren’t organic but don’t include palm oil in any products.
The woman-owned company uses plastic-free packaging and contributes to several organizations and causes within their community whenever possible.
Noniko
Noniko’s Safest Natural Deodorant
Noniko is one of the first refillable aluminum-free deodorant brands we’ve seen. Theirs comes packaged in a sleek stainless steel case with a cork refill topper that’s compostable in the backyard, allowing you to reduce waste and mask odor without any fuss.
With three natural fragrance options to choose from, like the citrus and bergamot notes of Sundaze, lavender, and peppermint of Unwind, or a baking soda-free, bright Drift, you’re sure to find a favorite.
The formulas don’t contain any harmful chemicals, parabens, preservatives, or plastic. Instead, Noniko uses natural ingredients that absorb moisture, like coconut oil, arrowroot powder, magnesium hydroxide, essential oils, and beeswax. Sustainable sourcing ensures no bees are harmed in the collection of the beeswax.
When you run out of your favorite fragrance, you can toss it in the box it arrived in, seal it with a return label, and send it back for cleaning, sanitizing, and refilling.
About Noniko
Noniko was founded by Kerri Leslie after she struggled to find safe deodorant to use that actually worked. What started in her kitchen has quickly grown into a small-batch studio based out of San Diego, California. The woman and mom-owned brand is also a member of 1% For the Planet, donating a portion of its sales to support various non-profit organizations.
They ship plastic-free using carbon-neutral USPS services only, which is lower impact because USPS already visits most neighborhoods.
EcoRoots
EcoRoots’ Safe Deodorant For Men & Women
Another brand we know and love for its catalog of home and personal care supplies is EcoRoots.
Their deodorant works with the body’s biological functions, not against them, to minimize odor without blocking your pores. It’s handmade without any parabens, silicone, preservatives, palm oil, or toxic ingredients.
If you like slide-on sticks, you can select from Coconut, Lavender, or Eucalyptus Mint—all of which are aluminum and baking soda free. The formulas of organic coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and wildcrafted candelilla wax come in compostable cardboard tubes to reduce excess moisture and waste.
EcoRoots also has a Plastic-Free Deodorant Cream shipping in a reusable glass jar designed for sensitive skin. Alongside the same scents, you can select from Unscented, Citrus, and Rose Geranium.
About EcoRoots
EcoRoots is one of our favorite non-toxic deodorant brands. What started as a small-scale marketplace for ethical cleaning supplies has quickly grown into a superstar sustainable beauty brand.
The US-made products are natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and shipped in plastic-free packaging. EcoRoots also donates a portion of sales to the Ocean Conservancy through their 1% For the Planet membership.
My Personal Review of EcoRoots Deodorant:
“Joy and I have both tried the Rose Geranium and Coconut. And much like other natural deodorants the scents are understated, which I prefer over the overwhelming and conventional Axe-type does on the market. I found the application simple, since it’s pretty creamy it spreads easily (though I have to wash my hands when using the jar given I use my finger and not the spatula), sometimes it can feel a bit grainy but I’ve never had irritation. It’s also effective, I’ve never detected any BO over the course of a day. Though I haven’t done any particularly sweaty exercise while using it but for normal day to day, it’s smooth, reliable and no residue.”
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
Little Seed Farm
Little Seed Farm’s Non-Cancerous Deodorant
The Little Seed Farm makes some of the best non-toxic deodorants for sensitive skin and dry skin, designed for long-lasting odor protection for upwards of 24 hours for anyone.
Little Seed forgoes baking soda in favor of arrowroot, as baking soda can disrupt the body’s natural pH. Absorbing excess moisture is arrowroots’ specialty, while food-grade magnesium helps minimize unpleasant body odor. The safe deodorant cream is non-GMO and Leaping Bunny certified, but it does contain organic beeswax, so it’s not vegan-friendly.
Cucumber, Rosemary Patchouli, Jasmine Green Tea, and Activated Charcoal essential oil-derived scents are packaged in reusable glass jars and recyclable packaging.
About Little Seed Farm
Little Seed Farm isn’t just one of the safest women’s deodorant brands; they’re a family-owned business from rural Tennessee practicing what they preach.
Husband and wife James and Eileen, founded the beauty brand after purchasing 84 acres of land that had been depleted of its natural biodiversity over the years. The team got to work, implementing regenerative farming techniques for their goats to bring the land back to life.
The 100% grass-fed goats allow the team to create goat milk soap, lotion, balms, natural face serum, and other sustainable beauty products.
The farm is run exclusively on solar power, they use 100% biodegradable sorghum packing peanuts, glass jars, and recyclable materials, and contribute to various charities and businesses through auctions, giveaways, and other initiatives.
Hammonds Herbs
Hammonds Herbs’ Healthy Deodorant
Hammonds Herbs have a wide range of healthy deodorant scents, like Lemongrass & Peppermint, Tea Tree & Lavender, and Bergamot & Lime. While anyone can wear it, the Orange & Patchouli is one of the healthiest deodorants for men, as it has a rich, woody’s scent with hints of citrus to keep you smelling great.
No matter your odor of choice, however, it’ll come packaged in a biodegradable push-up tube with a retro design you won’t find on a conventional deodorant stick.
Each option is aluminum and paraben free, without any synthetic fragrances, preservatives, propylene glycol, or animal testing. Instead, Hammonds prioritizes natural ingredients, like cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, shea butter, arrowroot powder, non-GMO vitamin E oil, baking soda, and essential oil.
However, it does contain organic beeswax, so it’s not vegan-friendly, but one of the founders is a beekeeper who one day hopes to produce all their own beeswax. Until then, it’s sourced ethically.
About Hammond Herbs
Jeff and Elise Hammond started with handcrafted, small-batch beauty supplies as a way to combat toxic ingredients in beauty supplies. Now, the Jackson, Kentucky-based brand produces shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, and toothpaste.
The products incorporate ethically sourced materials from Mountain Rose Herbs or nearby Fair Trade sources, and they package everything in compostable containers and 100% plastic-free shipping materials.
Ethique
Ethique’s Non-Toxic Deodorant Recipe
Ethique’s natural deodorant is packaged in compostable cardboard tubes and comes in alluring scents like Rustic Citrus, Lavender & Vanilla, and a fragrance-free version.
Each aluminum-free stick contains zinc oxide and magnesium hydroxide to help prevent odor-causing bacteria. The bamboo powder helps to absorb sweat, while the various oils keep your skin smooth and smelling fresh.
Not only is their best deodorant non-toxic, but it works—really! SJ pinky promise. We’ve used it for years (back when it was just bars, before the cardboard tubes existed) and have always loved how long each one lasts, both in terms of each day’s use and overall.
About Ethique
The Certified B Corp, Ethique, is based out of New Zealand with a wide range of household and beauty supplies. Besides chemical-free deodorant, you can find eco-friendly shampoo, body wash, moisturizers, and more—all of which are palm oil-free, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and certified carbon-neutral.
As a bonus, Ethique offsets its carbon usage and donates 2% of sales to charities around the world as part of their bid to create a better, kinder world.
HiBAR
HiBAR’s Pregnancy Safe Deodorant
HiBAR offers some of the safest underarm deodorants that protect your pits and the planet one swipe at a time. The plant-based formula is loaded with beneficial ingredients, like coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and shea butter.
There are three fantastic floral scents, including Fresh Rain & Cucumber, Lavender & Jasmine, and Bergamot & Cedar—each providing vegan-friendly all-day protection. We’ve sampled all delightful yet subtle scents, but we’re suckers for the refreshing scent of Fresh Rain & Cucumber. There aren’t any fragrance-free options, but since the scents are subtle, we hardly notice them post-application.
Each tube is vegan, cruelty-free, and doesn’t contain any parabens, phthalates, aluminum, or dyes—not to mentioned being packaged in 100% compostable cardboard tube.
About HiBAR
The Minnesota-based brand is committed to creating non-toxic beauty products that help put an end to plastic waste. Besides conventional deodorant alternatives, they also produce face wash, eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner, and more. None of their products contain any nasties, like sulfates, phthalates, parabens, animal-derived ingredients, or synthetic fragrances.
Each deo stick is Leaping Bunny Certified, packaged without plastic, and shipped in compostable and recyclable options. HiBAR works to eliminate plastic waste in other ways, like partnering with organizations like rePurpose Global.
Why Choose Safe Deodorant?
Deodorant might not be something you think much about. But you use it every morning, after the gym, and certainly before date night. So why should you scrutinize the two-pack of conventional deodorant you pick up every two weeks at the drugstore?
Besides contributing an estimated 15 billion pounds of plastic waste each year that’s made from near-impossible-to-recycle types of plastic, traditional products typically contain harmful ingredients. Many of the fancy fragrances you’ll see on shelves contain ingredients like parabens, phthalates, triclosan, and synthetic fragrances. These ingredients may be linked to cancer, hormone disruption, birth defects, skin irritation, allergies, and other health complications.
We’ll take the bad BO over that, thanks.
Natural deodorants should have short ingredient lists containing some of the following:
- coconut oil
- kaolin clay
- bicarbonate soda
- shea butter
- tea tree oils
- arrowroot powder
- carnauba wax
- vegetable glycerin (coconut derived)
- clove essential oil
- tocopherol (vitamin E; sunflower-derived)
- theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter
- citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) peel oil
- citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil
Is Aluminum Safe In Deodorant?
One of the primary ingredients in antiperspirant deodorant is aluminum salts, which act as an antiperspirant to help you sweat less by dissolving into the skin and blocking the pores.
But our bodies are meant to sweat—beyond temperature regulation, it’s how we remove toxins (like heavy metals, BPA, and PCB) and maintain normal bodily function.
But are there any non-toxic antiperspirants? Not really. In fact, the term “safest antiperspirant deodorant” is a bit of an oxymoron. A good natural deodorant can absorb a little moisture, but it shouldn’t stop you from sweating altogether like aluminum does.
Furthermore, aluminum is a highly biologically reactive neurotoxin that may be linked to breast cancer, kidney disease, bone disease, and memory complications like Alzheimers.
More research needs to be conducted, but natural deodorants should never contain these ingredients or stop you from sweating. Instead, they can include elements like kaolin clay that absorbs sweat.
Do Non-Toxic Deodorants Work?
If you have tried to swap from traditional spray or roll-on products to non-toxic alternatives, you know how difficult it can be. Traditional products contain antiperspirants to stop you from sweating, but obviously, these can be harmful to your health.
Non-toxic deodorants do not prevent sweat. Instead, they minimize moisture and odor-causing bacteria. But will these formulas keep you smelling fresh?
We’ve tried various toxin-free deodorants and can confirm they do work. Though, it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right products, ingredients, and quality. It’s also important to stay realistic. If you’re commuting to work by foot or bike in the hot summer, you might need a more potent formula or a reapplication before heading into the office.
Overall, natural, sustainable deodorants get the job done and contain healthy ingredients for you and the environment.