[unpaid/sample/affiliate/ad] I’ve suddenly had an influx of deodorants – how timely! I tend to use a standard, available in the supermarket brand, Mitchum, but deodorants have changed from your common or garden pit squit into something much more luxurious altogether. If you think about it, deos are the perfect opportunity for fragrance variations – and it’s a way to individualise and personalise an everyday chore into a more pleasant experience. We can start with Malin + Goetz Otto Deodorant.
If ever there was a unisex rose fragrance, this is it. The scent is petal, stem and leaf all rolled together so what you get is a limited edition, earthy, cologne-y kind of a rose that’s somehow a little spicy and peppery. With ‘natural’ deodorants, they’re relying on different ingredients to stop sweat and smell – cornstarch and clay in this instance and you need to know that it will take about 3 weeks for your body to acclimatise to this new way of keeping your underarms in check. A heatwave probably isn’t the time to make the change but The Malin + Goetz deodorant works on both sweat and odour. Nivea’s website has a great and concise way of explaining the difference between deodorant and antiperspirants so I’ll quote them…’Put simply, if the purpose of deodorant is to stop the smell of sweat, the action of antiperspirant is to prevent your body from sweating for a period of time. Antiperspirants temporarily block the sweat glands on your skin to avoid any sticky underarms or unwanted sweat. Deodorant is a skincare product that helps to keep your underarms smelling fresh. Rather than stopping sweat like antiperspirant, deodorant works on the bacteria on the skin to stop the odour escaping from your pits.’ Couldn’t have put it better myself! Otto Deodorant is £22 HERE. Incidentally, Malin + Goetz picked up an award at The Industry Awards for their room spray – not surprised because it’s brilliant.
I’ve written fairly recently about AKT London and the founders’ theatrical background. It seems so fitting they’ve named their summer limited edition fragrance for their deodorant balm Hay Fever after the famous Noel Coward comedy. It takes a little while for the fragrance to come through and also a little while to work it into your armpits – it’s not, as suggested, like marmalade for your sweaty places – it’s more of an earthy, hay-ish kind of smell with a touch of rosy tea. I don’t mind that – the last thing you want is a deodorant that’s battling with your fragrance. AKT uses their trademarked ‘Deo-Barrier Complex’ which is a natural plant and mineral powder creme to powder formula. It is both natural anti-perspirant and deodorant. It’s £21 HERE.
In theory, all deodorant is all over deodorant but in practice it doesn’t feel right. Luna’s All Over Deodorant in Waterlily and Citrus is designed for anywhere (within reason!) and everywhere on the body. I’ve tried this for boob sweat and found it effective on all but the really madly hot days which would be a challenge for any product. Luna uses DEO-PLEX® to absorb odours which is an enzyme based odour neutraliser and SYMDEO which inhibits the microorganisms that cause odour in the first place. This is the one, of the three, that felt most like skin care, maybe because of the aloe content and the hyaluronic acid. Based on use, Luna might struggle on the craziest hot and humid days but I like the idea that anywhere prone to perspiring such as boobs, belly folds or underarms all have the same formula. It’s £14 HERE.
