Whether you're dealing with sensitive skin or trying to do a deodorant detox, the best natural deodorants without baking soda can do the seemingly impossible: keep body odor at bay all day long without irritating your underarm area. The picks below were chosen with different needs in mind, but they’re all free from baking soda. Also, they’re all highly rated on Amazon.
If you've deduced that baking soda is a problem for your skin type, you might also want to avoid other potentially harmful ingredients, like aluminum, parabens, and phthalates. The options found here have you covered.
However, without the sweat-duct-blocking power of aluminum, a natural deodorant is going to need to have a few key ingredients in order to be effective at keeping you BO-free. Most natural deodorants contain an antibacterial agent like tea tree oil, coconut oil, or magnesium that fights the odor-causing bacteria in sweat. Some natural deodorants will also contain sweat-absorbing ingredients, like kaolin clay, arrowroot, or cornstarch, which can help ward off underarm stickiness. Still other deodorants contain essential oils for masking odor. The best of the best natural deodorants — like the options below — will have all three: an antibacterial agent, a sweat-absorbing ingredient, and essential oils.
If cruelty-free and vegan labels are important to you, know that all of the deodorants on this list are certified cruelty-free by PETA, and several are vegan as well.
1
The Best Overall: A Natural Deodorant Formulated For Sensitive Skin
Schmidt's Natural Deodorant for Sensitive Skin has a creamy consistency that is free from baking soda, aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens, phthalates, and artificial fragrance. This pick features coconut oil as an antibacterial agent and arrowroot powder to absorb sweat — plus, it uses skin-soothing essential oils and natural magnesium to neutralize body odor. This option is also certified vegan and cruelty-free by Vegan Action.
What fans are saying: “I always had red spots on my armpits. I thought this was just how my skin was — it's been like this since I can remember. Then I started looking into what I was putting on my armpits...and it unlocked this idea that I could have extreme sensitivity to deodorant ingredients. Life-changing information, and this product was life-changing the first week I used it. No more redness, complete coverage all day long, and no foul smell. I'm a new person!”
2
The Best Scented Option
This baking soda-free deodorant by milk + honey is aluminum-free, paraben-free, propylene glycol-free, gluten-free, and designed with sensitive pits in mind. It uses magnesium hydroxide, organic coconut oil, and organic tea tree leaf oil to fight odor, while arrowroot powder works to safely soak up sweat. This pick also contains calming lavender oil, and it's certified cruelty-free by PETA. Another nice bonus: it's "Austin, TX summer-approved."
What fans are saying: "I’ve tried a lot of natural deodorants and this is the best so far. It smells great and hasn’t caused any skin reactions, even though I have sensitive skin. It keeps working all day and can withstand high intensity workouts."
3
The Best Natural Deodorant Cream
Formulated without baking soda, clay, or aluminum, Meow Meow Tweet Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream uses magnesium and arrowroot powder to help control moisture and odor, while shea butter and coconut oil work to moisturize the skin. Jojoba seed oil, lemon peel oil, orange peel oil, bergamot peel oil, and grapefruit peel oil add fresh scents to this organic and fair trade natural deodorant, and this pick is certified cruelty-free and vegan by PETA.
What fans are saying: "My absolute go to, my number one. I've been using this every day for a solid year and I have three backups, so I never, ever run out! I can't tell you how much money I wasted trying to find a non-toxic, all-natural, aluminum-free, NON-IRRITATING deodorant that WORKS! WELL, THIS ONE IS IT!!!! I hit the gym, play sports, hike, go to the beach and Meow Meow Tweet's Grapefruit deodorant performs like a dream ... "
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