SPOTLIGHT: Aluminium-free Deodorants, Part 5...

To be honest, I thought this series was pretty much done and dusted - well in my mind at least because in Parts 1-4, I discovered several aluminium-free deodorants that met my needs, and I was perfectly happy with their performance, presentation and fragrance. But just the other day I was excited to spot four in Coles I hadn't noticed before - Tom's of Maine Long Lasting Wild Lavender Deodorant, Only Good Natural Deodorant, Mitchum Natural Power Bamboo Powder Coconut & Brutal Truth Rustic & Woody Antiperspirant Roll-On (for men).  All of them were $10 or less and given their supermarket accessibility and price, plus two are the wind-up-stick kind (my personal favourite), I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to put them under the kats microscope (and under my arms) to see how they compared to the more expensive and not-so-easily-available ones I'd settled on back in January last year...

Tom's of Maine Long Lasting Deodorant - Wild Lavender (64g, RRP $10)

I'd not heard of this brand before, but the label said "since 1970" so I figured they might have a clue as to how to go about creating an aluminium-free formula. It sure ticked my box being a wind-up gel kind, and the fragrance is really something special - fresh and crisp but not too sweet. You can see from the ingredients list below that it has barely any chemicals, so they're on the right track. But...it didn't work all that well for me. My earlier research was done last summer, which was a genuine Sydney summer - high humidity and very hot. Well, this deo stopped working for me once the temperature rose above 22 degrees Celsius - I reapplied several times, but still felt uncomfortable which means it's really not suitable for anything other than winter. A disappointing 4/10...

Mitchum Natural Power Bamboo Powder - Coconut (40g, RRP $7.50)

Mitchum is a highly respected deodorant manufacturer, specialising in clinical performance products, so I had high hopes for this one. It's vegan, dermatologically tested, cruelty-free, has no artificial preservatives, and the scent of the creamy wind-up stick is subtle and vaguely coconutty. Sadly it also didn't work all that well for me. Once the thermometer climbed up to 25, I was a sticky, stinky mess. Boo! I reapplied it a few times and managed to avoid the necessity for immediate showering.  Admittedly my benchmark is pretty fierce - I want my deo to last all day, and I'm sticking with that because I have found ones that do just that. But I will hang onto this one to see how it goes in the cooler weather.  Disappointing 4/10...

Only Good Natural Deodorant - Honeysuckle & Elderflower (50ml, RRP $10)

I wasn't able to smell the scent through my mask but I chose this one out of the three available because I thought it would be the most subtle (others are Rosehip/Marshmallow, Manuka Honey/Chamomile). Probably wasn't the best choice as it smells quite sour in the bottle, and that's not a good start for a deodorant. In its favour, you can see from the list of exclusions below that it's a pretty good attempt at being natural, but again, this one performed about the same as the other two above - as soon as the mercury rose, or I started any sort of activity outside my normal daily routine, it failed to keep me dry or odour-free. Because it doesn't smell very nice at all I didn't bother to reapply, 3/10...

Brutal Truth Rustic & Woody Antiperspirant Roll-On (75ml, RRP $10)

Another brand I'd not heard of, and only spotted this a few days ago in the men's section - I often look there as I'm frequently attracted to fella fragrances rather than the girlie ones, and this is a beauty. Rustic & woody describes it very well - it's earthy (Cedarwood, Cinnamon & Patchouli) but it's also fresh (orange, lavender & grapefruit). And joy of joys this one survived a 30-degree day without needing additional applications. Mind you I was a bit sticky, but definitely NOT stinky - woo hoo! Having said that it wasn't all that humid and I only jumped on the treadmill for half an hour, but this one worked well enough for me to consider it for a day at the office. That kind of confidence is my ultimate benchmark for a deo. Other bonuses are that it's free from alcohol, Aussie made and cruelty-free. I'm keen to try the other scent (Clean & Crisp) which is predominantly Mint & Sandalwood. Giving this an 8/10 ♥...

So that's how it turned out - one success out of four, but I'm so glad I tried all these, especially the last one which is an excellent find ♥...

Have you tried any of these deordorants?  What's your go-to aluminium-free protector?

Take care of you, and keep safe,

kats xxx