The Stripe

I know some of you were having natural deodorant fatigue and I’m sorry, but it has been a long time since I’ve talked about it (over a year!), and I just tried a new(ish) one that I really love. I’m very passionate about natural deodorant. I say that semi joking, but it can be SO hard to find a good one! I’ve talked about this at length here before but traditional deodorants have a lot of bad stuff in them so I will only use natural deodorant. Over the years I’ve tried so many and they realllllly range in effectiveness. There are a lot of good ones, but there are also a lot of bad ones. I have personally found that charcoal deodorants are really, really effective. I have talked about that at length in this post. What makes charcoal so effective is that it’s highly porous so it absorbs bacteria and toxins (it’s said to absorb 100-200x) its weight in impurities.

I’ve been a big fan of the original Kopari deodorant (especially for summer as the formula is so sheer and lightweight but is a deodorant that actually works), and was naturally very excited to try out the new charcoal formula. Spoiler alert: I ended up liking it even more than the original! (You can read my review of the original here, if you’d like.)

Kopari Charcoal Deodorant Review

The Ingredients

First of all, I like that this is a clean formula. It passes Sephora’s clean standards. And while I’m 80/20 in my beauty routine there are certain products where I won’t deviate. (Mostly deodorant and sunscreen). This is an aluminum and baking soda free deodorant. I will not use aluminum as there’s a lot of scary research linking it to breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. I don’t care if it’s completely proven or the FDA still allows it, I’m not going to chance it! Baking soda  I am personally fine with, but I know it causes irritation for a lot of people.

Coconut oil is in all of Kopari’s products, and it’s great because it nourishes and hydrates sensitive skin. And of course the charcoal, which absorbs impurities making the deodorant extra effective. Lastly, it contains a plant based active formula which provide odor protection while warding off the bacteria which causes odor.

What are the benefits of charcoal for skin?

Charcoal is great for your skin as it’s so porous and absorbs impurities. It acts like a magnet to draw out toxins. (I also love a good charcoal bath soak!)

The Texture

The texture of this deodorant (and the original) is one of my favorite things. It glides on smooth and is very sheer; but it’s still highly effective.

Does it Work?

YES. 100%. This is Tracy Anderson workout approved (you’ve seen the photos; I sweat like a maniac and still smell fresh afterward), and it really works with your body for odor protection. This is my current favorite deodorant. I like it more than the Schmidt’s charcoal deodorant. Both are really effective, but this one is more sheer whereas the Schmidt’s one is a little creamier. Not a big deal but every now and then the Schmidt’s one would get a little bit goopy if I wasn’t careful.

I will say that I do tend to rotate my deodorants (is that weird? It’s really just based on my mood/the fragrance!) and also really like the Vapour one (though it’s so expensive) and Agent Nateur (also expensive), and of course good old  Schmidt’s which is only $5 at Target.

photography by Carter Fish.

YOU GUYS! (lol.)

Dr. Bader launched a new product and it’s a body cream. You might have seen me teasing this a little bit on my Instagram stories – they gave me a small jar of the cream (fun fact: the jar above is actually an empty factice for photography; that’s how new this product is!!!) and I’ve been testing it for the past week. Of course a week is not enough to get a FULL impression of a product but I will say that I’m loving it so far.

If you are new here, Augustinus Bader is my all time favorite face cream. I have been using it since the Spring of 2018 when it first launched and am a FAN. No matter what I’m testing or doing I make sure I get this on my face at least once a day. It’s made a huge difference in my skin (hydration, fine lines, even skin tone, radiance) and is probably the number 1 reason that I haven’t gotten Botox yet. I have dry skin so I use The Rich Cream but they also make a lighter version which is perfect for oily or combination types (or “normal” skin during the summer). I hate preaching about such an expensive product but it’s made a really big difference for me; and whenever I meet readers out and about or at our live shows at least one person comes up to me and tells me how it has changed their skin.

The new body cream is made with the same potent complex (TFC8 – Trigger Factor Complex) that makes the face creams so effective. The idea was to create a cream that hydrates while also reversing the signs of aging.  The Trigger Factor Complex awakens dormant stem cells, ramping up skin’s natural renewal process to reveal fresh, youthful skin.

It’s insanely hydrating but NOT GREASY AT ALL (important for summer). The formula is whipped and light and has no fragrance. It sinks in immediately but  leaves your skin soft and silky for a full 24 hours (I have dry skin so it’s rare for me to apply moisturizer in the morning and have my skin still be perfectly hydrated the next day).

I can only speak to a week of testing BUT the Dr. Bader team conducted a 28 day study and the results are pretty compelling. They sent me a full list of user claims but I pulled out what I think are the best/most interesting ones. To be honest I’ve never seen such a strong list of brand claims. I am planning to test the cream for another solid month (once I get my hands on more product; the lab sample is just about gone!) and will report back.

• left skin intensely moisturized and hydrated (100% of participants agreed)
• improved texture, looking more smooth, toned, and even (98%)
• skin feels firmer and more plump (98%)
• calms red, sun damaged skin (94%)
• a reduction in the appearance of stretch marks (90%)
• a reduction in the appearance of cellulite (92%)
• a reduction in the appearance of age spots and discoloration (87%)
• a radiant, healthy glow.

A little goes a LONG way. I tend to really slather myself up with body cream and found that I could get away with far less than usual. I can’t speak to the longer term claims just yet (I have both cellulite and stretch marks so it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference) but this is a brand I really believe in – there is a reason he only has three products (so far). The formulas are incredibly well researched, are based in science (Dr. Bader is one of the world’s leading stem cell and biomedical scientists) and highly effective.

And with any of the products I talk about, I know – this cream is expensive.  It retails for $165 a jar. I am not here to make anyone go into debt over a body cream BUT if you can afford it, it is wonderful. What I will probably do, once I am done testing it for a month, is only use it on the areas where my skin needs extra TLC (areas that have sun damage, stretch marks, or cellulite). I’m really fortunate to get to test a lot of luxurious products for my blog and I’m cognizant of the fact that not everyone can afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a skincare routine. So while I try a lot (I’ve tried $400 body creams and haven’t ended up featuring them because I find them to be unnecessarily expensive and just silly), I am committed to only showing you the best stuff.

(And I’ll be back in another month or so with an update on how these claims hold up!!!)