Acid Deodorants
It all started a couple years ago when women started using P50 as deodorant. I still remember reading this article and having my mind blown but also feeling like it made sense. So I gave it a try (it works!) but quickly abandoned it. P50 is EXPENSIVE! (FYI: Pixi Glow Tonic also works quite well!) Flash forward to now: many of the new to market deodorants have been marketed as “acid deodorants.” This is fantastic news, as they’re highly effective in my opinion and personal experience. The acid kills odor causing bacteria, stopping BO in its tracks. Here are three I’ve tried this summer… they are all highly effective, clean, AND baking soda free. Read on for mini-reviews!
Necessaire Le Déodorant in Eucalyptus ($20)
As you probably know by now, Necessaire is one of my most favorite brands. I LOVE all of their products and I love their chic minimal packaging. The body lotion and shower gel (in eucalyptus!) are two products I adore and frequently repurchase and I was thrilled to see that the brand had made a deodorant in that same eucalyptus fragrance I love. Out of these three products, this one definitely smells the best. This one contains mandelic and lactic acid left me sweat and stink free for a full day. I will say that this one does have some white residue. Also it’s the most expensive of the bunch.
Scully’s Original 12 Hour Deodormint ($10)
Scully’s Deodormint is nothing new, it’s been on the market for three years and was a family recipe for years and years before that. With just three ingredients (alcohol, organic mint oil, and organic citric acid from grapefruit), I was skeptical… but this stuff WORKS. I do four spritzes per underarm and am good for the whole day. And I love that it tingles, too! I also love that you can buy a refill for it and just keep filling up the glass bottle. This one is probably my favorite out of the bunch, though I do prefer the scent of the Necessaire. It’s a little messy but not bad.
Kosasport Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant ($15)
This one was my least favorite, which bummed me out as I was probably most excited about it. (KOSAS is a holy grail cosmetic brand for me; read all KOSAS reviews here!) It’s still a good product. The formula is great – it uses AHA acids and also features aloe vera and hyaluronic acid for hydration. It smells nice and left me sweat and stink free, but I hated the packaging. The rollerball applicator was (for me, you may feel differently) a big pain. It’s really tricky to squeeze and roll. I wish they could have just done a spray or a more traditional rollerball.
I’ve never heard of acid deodorant before! Thanks for the reviews ❤️
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
It’s a game changer!
P50 as deodorant, never knew that was a thing. Will def have to try Necessaire!
https://natashantone.com/
Let me know how it goes!!
I would like to switch to natural deodorant but.. do they work when you work out?? Lol normally I meet with a running group every week and not sure if these would last over 8 miles
Yes, absolutely! Though I’m not running 8 miles!
yeah i’m not either during quarantine!! hahaha but ok good to know! will have to try one of them out
Wow never heard of these before! Are they antiperspirant as well as a deodorant? I feel like when I try new ones they never work for my extra sweaty armpits haha
Hey Jessica,
I def sweat less using them but none are a true antiperspirant! A true antiperspirant contains aluminum which everyone has an opinion about (you can look up research and decide for yourself what you think), but aluminum is a hard no-go for me personally!
I just had a little browse and I think I can’t get any of these in Germany.. so sad!
Lisa | lisaautumn.com
I love the post! Longtime “acid deodorant” fan; my fav the classic Weleda spray deodorants, which are similar formula to Scully’s (alcohol + essential oil). The rose one smells amazing, and it really works. The lime one does kind of smell like gin and tonic though!
Oh! I didn’t realize the Weleda ones used acid too! Funny, when I tried Scully’s it reminded me of the Weleda one. I loved the rose fragrance.
Have been looking for the elusive perfect natural deodorant for me for years…. just ordered Scully’s, so thank you for this post! Excited to try it out.
Awesome!!! Keep me posted on how you like it.
Agree about the packaging with the Kosas one, but I ordered it as soon as it came out. I had been using a Megababe deodorant (which I truly do love) but once it started getting really hot out, it just wasn’t cutting it for me unfortunately. I switched it up with the Kosas one, and I’ve definitely noticed the improvement. I didn’t really understand how to roll and squeeze at the same time lol, but I’ve found that if I just roll the ball over once (with my finger) to get to the side that has the product on it, it helps. I could see how that would get annoying to do every time, but for now I don’t mind. Might have to give the others a try too though. Thanks for the review!
Totally hear that. Also devastated as Megababe has never worked for me. It’s funny, deodorant is so much about your body’s chemistry.
Agree that Kosas works but it’s just too much of a pain for me. The others work just as well, without any annoyance!!!
Did it leave stains? This is my biggest issue with these natural ones, they leave stains on the armpits esp on white shirts!
Which one are you askoing about? did not notice any stains but rarely do with deodorants. Scully’s is likely your best bet as it’s totally clear.
Thanks for the recommendations Grace! I just moved to “natural” deodorants in March and just finished Megababe. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me (I stuck it out to the very end); now I’m using Kopari and it seems pretty good however I sometimes smell by the end of the day. Good thing I WFH so it’s just my husband around and he hasn’t mentioned anything to me yet! I live in AZ so I need a good one…..I’m going to try Scully’s!
It’s funny – it seems like people are either team megababe or team kopari depending on chemistry! Megababe didn’t work for me but I love Kopari! But know plenty of people who had the opposite experience!
I was about to send a question on the next Q/A you posted to see if you had tried the new Kosas deodorant so this came at a great time! I just switched to natural deodorant but I feel like I need something a bit more powerful so I’m going to try Scully’s or the Kosas deodorant! Thanks so much for reading my mind and posting these (haha)!
Awesome!
Thank you for this post! (well, I mean, thank you for ALL the posts!, but thank you for this specifically) I ordered Scullys! I have never heard of acid deodorant and can’t wait to try. I have been disappointed in natural before (first Soapwalla, then Schmidt’s). I love that it is a refillable spray bottle– total genius!
It’s so smart. I really like it. Let me know how it works out for you!
Over the past couple years, I’ve been trying so hard to make the switch from my Donna Karan Cashmere Mist. I tried Ursa Major, Native, Schmidt’s (charcoal, baking soda, and formula w/o baking soda), Kopari, Lavanila, Agent Nateur, and Primal Pit Paste! None of them worked – either the baking soda caused irritation, they didn’t work smell-wise, wouldn’t last through the work day, or they didn’t dry down and felt too “wet” for too long after applying. The Kosas one is actually the first one for me that WORKS. I was confused by the rollerball at first, but I’ve found if I shake it (like a cocktail) with the cap on, then apply it, it works perfectly. No smell, no wetness, no reapplying in the afternoon, no residue, no clumps, no getting on my clothes. I should note that I live in Florida too, and yet it still survives the brutal summer temps and humidity. I’m super impressed so far, so maybe give the shaking trick a try!
For what it’s worth, two things!
1 – I don’t think Cashmere Mist is thaaaaat bad, as it doesn’t contain aluminum.
2 – I feel you – I’ve tried all of those, too! It’s super hard bc I have found that with clean deodorants, they tend to stop working after a couple months and then I have to switch it up.
Going to try your tip for the Kosas – thanks for sharing!!!!!
I’ve been using acid deodorant for several years now, and you know what the best one is? Good old Stridex pads!!! Cheap and super effective. I have very sensitive skin, which is why I stay away from natural deodorants – I have yet to find one that doesn’t irritate. But I have zero issues with Stridex pads (and I use the maximum strength ones in the red jar). It’s true that alternatives like Pixi or P50 would also work (really any AHAs will), but Stridex is just so easy, cheap, and effective. I wouldn’t use anything else. Also, by using and acid deodorant, you’re killing the bad bacteria that causes sweat stains, so there’s that extra benefit as well!
Ah that’s so clever!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
I love the deodorants from Necessaire as well. Finding a good deodorant is as hard as finding a good dentist – Necessaire works for me.
You are totally right with that comparison!
I’ve been using my pixie glow tonic for deodorant since reading this and my mind is blown.
I live in super muggy New England, so I’ve been so sweaty recently that I constantly smell like peaches and crave peach rings… why is women’s deodorant always fruit scented?!
Yesterday, despite the heat and no AC at home, I had ZERO issues for the first time in weeks. On my run I kept having to discreetly stop and sniff myself when I was alone on the trail because I was so amazed. It was like I had spilled water on my pits. They were slick but bizarrely totally scentless. I even made my (very weirded out) boyfriend sniff me when I got home.
Isn’t it mind blowing!!!! It’s so effective!!!
I feel like you’d like any of these options a lot – and none of them are remotely fruit scented.. you made me laugh and that’s exactly why I bought the Necessaire one!
so happy to read this, was just about to order Kosa but going to try Scullys! Love that it’s a spray & easy!!
Aw yay – hope you love! Really liked it!!!
Wish I had read your review before buying Kosas! I was “influenced” elsewhere and it is SO messy 🙁 Just ordered Scully’s. Thanks, Grace!
oh man! Hope you love!
So I am a super sweaty person and natural deodorant NEVER works for me. For the last three weeks, I have been layering the Scully’s and the Kosas. I started doing that because I don’t like the scent of the Kosas one and the Scully’s smells great. I definitely needed a good week to 10 days for my body to adjust, but I am actually stunned by the results. I put a few spritzes of the Scully’s on, let it dry for a few minutes, and then apply the Kosas. Works like a charm, even through workouts and the disgusting humid weather that CA has been having lately. The only warning (and this is probably super obvious to most people) DO NOT use the Scully’s right after shaving your armpits. I almost cried!
oh that’s amazing!