If you’ve read my blog post reviewing natural deodorant you know that I’ve tried a plethora of different natural deodorants. Even though ultimately Schmidt’s was the winner, it was still lacking in a few areas, which led me to continue my search for the best natural deodorant.
I joined Beautycounter as a consultant earlier this year because I feel strongly about clean beauty products and like to support companies that are trying to make a difference, both for humans and for the planet. Beautycounter has a clean deodorant called the Clean Deo that was on my list of products to try and when it arrived in my latest order I was super excited to get my sweat on.
The set-up
My goal was to wear the Clean Deo daily for a week so that I could get a good comparison to my Schmidt’s product. Switching from an antiperspirant to a natural deodorant necessitates getting used to sweat. Brands will tell you there’s an entire detox process, but I can’t find any solid evidence to support this. The bottom line is that when you’ve spent years wearing antiperspirant you’ve forgotten what it’s like to have damp underarms. I think it takes about 2 weeks to get used to your body sweating instead of feeling dry all of the time.
I’m definitely a heavy sweater. I work out daily, take my dog for walks, love to go hiking, and all sorts of other things active and sweaty. Don’t even get me started with how much my anxiety makes me sweat. For a deodorant to keep up with me is pretty difficult and generally requires me to reapply throughout the day.
Application
Schmidt’s has long been my go-to because it doesn’t irritate my skin with reapplication, is a vegan product, smells great, and glides on fairly smoothly. You do have to warm it for a few seconds in your underarm to make it roll on smoothly. Additionally Schmidt’s does leave a white product residue behind and unfortunately leaves underarm stains on many of my shirts.
Beautycounter Clean Deo (I used the coconut scent) has a great application feeling- better than Schmidt’s and requires no warming. Just simply remove the cap and apply. It glides on super smoothly and requires only 1-2 swipes without leaving a white residue. Did I mention that I only had to re-apply a handful of times this past month? Way less often than when using other natural deodorants on the market.
I have been using the Clean Deo daily for over a month now and can attest that it has not stained any of my clothes.
But is it vegan?
Schmidt’s is a vegan product and Beautycounter’s Clean Deo has beeswax. So depending on how strongly you feel about beeswax usage this may be a dealbreaker for some people. I personally try to look at every product holistically before making the decision to use it. For me, I can forgive the use of beeswax when taking other factors into consideration- including that Beautycounter is leaping bunny certified. Leaping Bunny certification is an important criteria for me if a product I’m considering isn’t 100% vegan. Veganism looks different on everyone. Veganism for me involves challenging my own and conventional views of what makes someone or something vegan, as well as setting priorities for what criteria is met and if I’m willing to compromise.
Beautycounter’s Clean Deo also has an amazing feature that other deodorants don’t. Instead of throwing away the entire stick when it’s done, you keep the container and simply refill it with a new canister. I’m definitely not the only fan out there, either. The Clean Deo was recently featured in the Toronto Star’s round up of the best refillable products and Marie Claire’s 17 best deodorants. Making the deodorant packaging refillable cuts its water, fossil fuel and greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 47%! This is a huge win for the environment.
Final thoughts
Overall, Beautycounter’s the Clean Deo is my new go-to and my Schmidt’s has started collecting dust.
Considering making the switch to clean beauty? You can shop the Clean Deo and other Beautycounter products here.