The Science Behind Natural Deodorant + Why Ours Works

The struggle to find a truly natural deodorant that actually works is real – and a struggle so many of our customers (including our founder!) have faced.

But isn’t it true, sometimes our struggles can actually lead to some of the best discoveries in life?

For Bethany, our founder + formulator, that is her story.

It took years – and one too many deodorant tubes – for her to finally realize there just wasn’t a formula she could find that would stand up to her stink (ahem, her husband’s stink ?), not cause an underarm rash, be convenient to apply and contain only clean, completely safe ingredients.

What started as a struggle with odor protection, armpit irritation, and chemicals saturating skincare, became a vigorously researched, expertly formulated and customer approved + award-winning natural deodorant.

While our mantra at Primally Pure is #natureissmarterthanscience, there is some science behind natural deodorant. The research, the experiments, the trial + error, the naturally sourced ingredients – it all comes together to create the most effective non-toxic formula on the market.

We want to break it all down for you (the science + the nature), explain even further how our formula works and why, in the end, all of this natural deodorant stuff even matters.

We really do love the science behind things: how things work, why things happen, the proven facts and stats about a topic – especially with natural deodorant. We get excited (and even geek out a bit) about finding natural ingredients that work and formulating the most effective ratios to get the best results.

But when it comes to creating artificial or synthetic ingredients in a science lab? Not about it.

Our founder, Bethany, has been formulating natural deodorant for over 5 years (and started in her farmhouse kitchen!) with fewer ingredients – ingredients that are actually pronounceable, recognizable, and most importantly, real. It took years of research, experimentation and testing on friends + family (but never on our furry friends or farm animals – in case you were curious) to find a deodorant formula that WORKED.

Instead of diluting the efficacy of a product with cheap fillers, lab-made chemicals, and synthetic equivalents, we seek out the science behind ingredients found in nature for maximum purity and potency. Every ingredient in the product serves a purpose – to promote vitality for your cells and your skin (and protect you from unwanted body odor, of course!).

Our non-toxic formula is incredibly concentrated, made with only a few pure ingredients – ingredients that work with the body to not only neutralize B.O., but to help detoxify the body of toxic buildup and bring balance back to sweat glands.

Not only does the science of the ingredients and formula matter, but our body chemistry makes a big difference with how a product works as well.

For example, baking soda is an incredibly effective odor-fighting ingredient, but it can potentially cause armpit irritation for some skin types. Due to its alkaline pH and depending on the health of the skin, baking soda can feel abrasive if the product contains high levels of this odor-blocking ingredient. Through years of trial + error, we’ve formulated our deodorant with the perfect amount of baking soda – enough to combat odor but not enough to cause irritation for the vast majority of people.

Our body chemistry also impacts how a certain scent actually smells. Which is one of the reasons we’ve formulated 7 different deodorant scents (and created this quiz!) to help you find the best scent for you and your body.

Over the years, we’ve been taking our clues from science to formulate the most effective deodorant – but letting nature take the lead.

We believe that what’s here on the planet has more potent + pure healing benefits than anything a chemist can formulate in a lab.

Rather than using artificial fragrances to cover up odor (which are also directly connected to countless health conditions), active essential oils play a key part in our natural deodorant. We refuse to compromise our product quality – or compromise the health of customers – by using highly toxic synthetic fragrances to mask odor.

Our formula fights B.O. with scents that actually support the health of hormones, the nervous system, immunity, and mindset. No wonder we love nature so much!

While we think the look and feel of a product definitely matter, in our formulations, it’s not the main point. To avoid using parabens (which are also proven endocrine disruptors and found in breast cancer tissue) to preserve the product to ensure a longer shelf life, we simply suggest customer’s use the deodorant within 6 months to maintain freshness and efficacy. Just like ingredients from nature have a Best By date, so does our natural deodorant.

One of the most active (ahem, toxic) ingredients found in conventional antiperspirants, aluminum, poses serious health risks. In addition to being toxic, it also interferes with the body’s natural and necessary process for overall health – sweating!

Instead of using aluminum (which is also closely linked to Alzheizmers + heavy metal toxicity), we use arrowroot powder and kaolin clay to absorb moisture, allow the skin to breathe and detoxify the body.

With powerful odor-fighting ingredients like fair-trade coconut oil, baking soda, and organic essential oils, our natural deodorant formula prevents odor + keeps bacteria at bay. Plus, our good-for-you ingredients, including nourishing vitamins and essential fatty acids with anti-inflammatory + anti-microbial properties, work together – with the power of nature – to help to improve the health of skin, leaving pits smooth and protected.

So, why does all of this science and nature and natural deodorant stuff even matter?

While this deodorant formula is what drives our brand and is our best-selling product (by far) – it’s also the product that is consistently changing lives.

Changing lives? Yes.

And no, we’re not being dramatic.

Remember how real the struggle is to find a natural deodorant that is safe and effective? All of the money spent, trips to the health food store taken, deodorant tubes in the trash, rash after rash, only to realize that it’s you who actually smells in the meeting… the struggle is real.

So the fact that there is a deodorant formula available that powerfully combats unwanted odor, leaves pits smooth + protected and has a positive impact on the health of your hormones, lymphatic system, liver and overall sense of wellness?

Like we said, changing lives.

To us, this isn’t just about a stick of deodorant. It goes so much deeper than the science behind the formula or the natural ingredients we source. It’s about so much more than just protecting customers from B.O.

It’s about protecting the health and wellness of people. It’s about creating a ripple effect of change from one skincare product, to a full cabinet, to an entire kitchen, to a whole community.

Don’t think a deodorant tube can do all that?

We dare you to try it.