Beauty

This Is The Only Natural Deodorant That Hasn't Irritated My Sensitive Armpits

Photo Courtesy of Farmacy Beauty

Like Nicholas Cage searching for the National Treasure, I’ve been on the hunt for a decent natural deodorant for years. Through much trial and error, I’ve gotten lost in the Arctic of irritation, swam through a waterfall of sweat, and been trapped in a stinky, old pyramid rife with odor. My grueling exploration has finally led me to writing this Farmacy Natural Deodorant review, which will make you believe this new formula is essentially the National Treasure of natural deodorants.

I’ve been a Secret Fresh Clear Gel in Luxe Lavender ($9 for pack of 2, Target) devotee since forever, but when the natural deodorant trend hit the beauty market hard, I, naturally, felt like I needed to hop on board. Since then, I’ve tried every natural deodorant out there, and while there were a few that I liked, there were so, so many that my underarms did not.

There’ve been natural formulas that would start burning instantaneously as soon as I applied it to my skin, and I’d run back to the bathroom to wash the stuff off my underarms as fast as possible. There have been others that don’t sting or cause itchiness, but they don’t end up doing much else, either — they leave me feeling sweaty and sticky, and never actually mask any odor.

I was so close to giving up on my holy grail natural-deodorant quest, but then I thought about how Mr. Cage refused to quit amidst doubt. So I gave the new Farmacy Freshen Up 100 percent natural deodorant ($15, Sephora) a test run. And man, am I glad I did. The deodorant comes in a lovely mint-green stick, and the unexpected smell is the first thing I noticed (and what really intrigued me). Although it’s labeled as “with moringa and papaya,” the deodorant smells more minty than anything else — almost like you want to eat it.

While I do love the scent, I’m more obsessed with the way this deodorant makes my pits feel. Unlike the previous deodorants that wreaked havoc on my skin, I want to apply this stick to my armpits a million times all day. The mix of peppermint oil, kaolin clay, and water offers a cooling sensation upon contact, and it feels like my armpits are diving into a pleasantly chilly ocean after a hot day on the beach. I’ve never felt this cooling sensation from a natural deodorant (or any deodorant for that matter) before, and I’m here for it.

I waited for my armpits to freak out and start itching the first day after using this, but it never happened. I waited for my body odor to start wafting from my armpits by the end of the day, but it never happened. This deodorant doesn’t irritate my underarms (thanks to the fact that it’s baking soda-free), and I continued to smell fresh all day long. I would know, because I was sniffing my underarms stealthily throughout the day, and couldn’t smell a thing.

To be honest, I’m not a huge sweater, so I’m not the best judge on whether this natural deodorant will prevent you from sweating a lot. However, natural deodorants are aluminum-free and aren’t really supposed to prevent you from sweating (that’s what the aluminum is for), so if you’re someone who sweats profusely, perhaps a natural deodorant isn’t right for you. If you’re someone like me, who doesn’t sweat too much, but also has the most sensitive skin in the world and gets irritated by every other natural deodorant, this new Farmacy pick is for you. Me, and my calm, non-irritated, sweet-smelling underarms approve.