A Bit About Pits

Top Cruelty-Free Deodorants

If your attitude stinks, we’d suggest talking to a good friend or counselor about what ails you. Or go for a walk! Or pet a kitten!

If you literally stink, sometimes all it takes to run your personal brand of stench out of town is switching up your deodorant. Unfortunately, many antipersperants and deodorants are full of chemicals and additives that can wreak havoc on your hormones and skin, hence why you may not be feeling as fresh as you once did.

Deodorant is one of the cornerstones of our hygiene regiment. Finding the right deodorant can mean everything regarding fighting body odor. And how we smell can either convey a sense of confidence or lack of it. We at Cruelty-Free Stuff believe that you should be able to have your cake and eat it too.

And by that, we mean that you should be able to find an outstanding, quality deodorant that helps you smell good while also helping our planet. Because without a beautiful world to peruse, who cares how good you smell? By purchasing products that are not tested on animals, you’re helping support a less cruel, more sympathetic world. One that embraces our ecosystem and equally respects all of the inhabitants that contribute to it.

There’s a vast and growing movement of informed consumers wanting more cruelty-free deodorant options. The great news is that cruelty-free deodorants are plentiful. But we understand why you may be a bit hesitant to spend a couple of hundred dollars testing out dozens of deodorants to find your favorite. You could spend that same money on much more fun endeavors like ice cream or miniature golf, or unicycle lessons! Or all three simultaneously (good luck)!

We’ve curated four of our favorite cruelty-free deodorant brands, all with unique offerings that they bring to the table.

Our top cruelty-free deodorant brand is Humble, for their ingredient transparency, simple formulas, and commitment to being both Leaping Bunny and Cruelty-Free International certified. PĀPR, Lume, AND Native round out our top choices.

OVERALL WINNER

Humble | https://humblebrands.com

Yes, “humble” is their literal brand name, but in reality, Humble boasts an impressive lineup of deodorants that fit varying needs and wants. Their original formula comes in, that’s right, 15 different offerings, with scents like Mountain Lavender, Black Spruce, Bergamot and Ginger, and Forbidden Tonka Bean. If making decisions is not one of your strong suits, do not fear: they offer variety packs in travel sizes so you can find your favorite first before plunging into buying the full-sized sticks.

Humans like to overthink things, but Humble has kept its product as simple as possible, only containing four ingredients: non-GMO corn starch, beeswax, baking soda, and fractionated coconut oil. The company offers many of the scents listed above in a vegan/sensitive formula that substitutes beeswax for wild-harvested candelilla wax and replaces baking soda with all-natural magnesium hydroxide.

But wait, there’s more! The third tier of deodorant offered by Humble showcases CBD as their featured ingredient, with 230 mg of CBD in each stick.

We love Humble because we feel good supporting a company that does simple really well while still offering fantastic variety.

A COMPANY WITH OUTSTANDING VALUES

PĀPR | https://papercosmetics.com

PĀPR unapologetically has the planet in mind with its core lineup of cruelty-free deodorants. Their products are all vegan, aluminum-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, and even come in biodegradable packaging. The company just released a new “Bare Naked” offering with no fragrance and no baking soda for those individuals with skin sensitivities.

Each stick is a bit pricy, but a little bit goes a long way. The packaging gets props for being biodegradable but can be a bit tricky to handle with its “push-up” functionality. We appreciate that PĀPR recognizes this and that their product is unique: inside each container, there’s a heartfelt note saying, “Get over it! The edge can get a little greasy. On behalf of our planet – thanks!”

“So Hot Right Now” certainly wins the contest for best-named deodorant on our list.

A DIZZYING AMOUNT OF VARIETY

Native | https://www.nativecos.com

The white label with simple, vertically oriented colored text: Native products are known for their simple branding and ease of recognition at the store. What many don’t realize is just how many styles Native offers, with more than a dozen scents in both their original plastic containers and their new paperboard style, similar to the type mentioned above with PĀPR. You end up paying a dollar more per stick for the plastic-free version, but we think that extra buck is worth lessening the negative impact on our environment.

Scents include Citrus + Herbal Musk, Lavender + Rose, and Cucumber + Mint. All of the deodorants listed as “sensitive” are made without baking soda, and packs can be ordered as well to take advantage of bulk discounts.

All Native products are cruelty-free and vegan.

MOST UNIQUE

Lume | https://lumedeodorant.com

Our final entry differentiates itself from the rest of our picks as a deodorant that applies and acts less traditionally. Whereas our other picks are hard stick deodorants in varying forms, Lume is actually more of a lotion-like substance formulated to control odor for 72 hours. Whereas most deodorants attempt to mask odor, Lume has designed a product to prevent it.

This deodorant really sticks out (not literally…you get what we’re saying) for its wide application, as varying sizes of tubes can be purchased for other parts of the body such as feet and private areas. For this reason alone, we think Lumebrings exceptional value to our list for how it answers the needs of consumers looking for body odor control other than their armpits.

Their unscented formula does not contain masking fragrances to cover up the scent of the raw ingredients. Lume is made from naturally derived ingredients and is also aluminum-free, baking soda-free, and cruelty-free. It is free from essential oils and fragrance oils.