15 Best Natural Deodorants and Aluminum-Free Formulas (Tested & Reviewed 2024)

I’m all about sustainable beauty products, which is why this natural deodorant from Papr is one of my new faves. The packaging is fully made of paper (meaning no plastic!) and is completely biodegradable. Just push up the tube like a push-pop, and swipe it on. It absorbs moisture with tapioca starch and baking soda, all while moisturizing your skin with coconut oil, shea butter, and castor oil. And, if you have sensitive pits, they make a fragrance-free version that’s also formulated without potentially irritating baking soda.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch, baking soda (absorb sweat and oil); coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? No* (But has a sensitive-skin version without)

THE REVIEWS: “This has been the best natural deodorant I have found,” writes one reviewer. “The scent is pleasant and mild and will last all day without needing to reapply. Comes in a biodegradable paper tube also, so there’s no single-use plastic to dispose of.”

I love this fragrance-free natural deodorant for my sensitive skin, because it’s free of baking soda and artificial fragrance that tend to irritate me. Instead, it uses kaolin clay to help soak up excess oils and sweat, along with soothing aloe vera to help calm my perpetually inflamed armpits. And I <3 the lightweight, smooth texture that comes from its moisturizing prickly-pear oil and coconut fruit extract.

• Key ingredients: Kaolin clay (absorbs oils and sweat); aloe vera (soothes); coconut fruit extract and prickly-pear oil (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I LOVE this deodorant,” writes one tester. “I have Celiac disease, and this is the first deodorant that I haven't had a reaction to. And there truly is no smell to it.”

Dermatologist Anar Mikailov, MD, recommends giving this drugstore natural deodorant a try because it's “formulated with absorbents like arrowroot powder and rice bran wax to keep your skin dry,” he says. “It also has natural deodorizers like magnesium and tea tree oil, along with coconut oil and shea butter to keep your underarms, groin, underboobs—wherever you sweat—smooth.”

• Key ingredients: Arrowroot powder, rice bran wax (absorbs sweat and oil); magnesium, tea tree oil (antibacterial); coconut oil, shea butter (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “This deodorant smells so good, glides on smooth, and leaves my underarms feeling so soft,” writes one reviewer. “Overall, it’s the best aluminum-free deodorant I’ve tried thus far, and I've tried a lot of them out there!”

Natural deodorants have taken one too many of my white T-shirts (FYI: the yellow pigments of the oils and butters in the formula can rub off and stain), which is why the major selling perk for this fragrance-free natural deodorant is that it rolls on completely clear, meaning it won't stain your clothes or leave behind marks. It uses antibacterial hops extract—yup, the ingredient found in beer—to help neutralize body odor, along with aloe vera to soothe your skin and shea butter to moisturize.

• Key ingredients: Hops extract (antibacterial), aloe vera (soothing), shea butter (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to a review, “So far, this is the best natural deodorant that I have tried. It’s not goopy or sticky like others. It doesn’t burn my skin and haven’t had problems staining clothes with it.”

If you’re used to natural deodorants feeling stiff and dry, try this gel formula. It glides on so smoothly, thanks to rich moisturizers (hi, coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil), but it still absorbs into your skin without leaving a sticky, waxy residue. It actually feels somewhat cooling, which is why I keep this in my gym bag to swipe on after sweaty workouts.

• Key ingredients: Coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “The only deodorant to ever work for me,” writes one tester in a review. “I’ve spent hundreds trying other brands that always end up smelling funky after any sweating. Not this! The smell is luxurious, and the texture and longevity are amazing!”

So, this is technically a deodorant for teens (ya know, people whose hormones are raging), which is how I knew it would be great for me, a v sweaty person. It uses a combo of MVP-level sweat and oil absorbers: magnesium hydroxide, arrowroot powder, and tapioca starch to wick away sweat, and in turn, curb odors. Keep in mind, though, that this formula does include baking soda, which is great for absorbing moisture, but can be potentially irritating for folks with sensitive skin.

• Key ingredients: Magnesium hydroxide, arrowroot powder, and tapioca starch (oil and sweat-absorbing)
• Baking-soda free? No

THE REVIEWS: “Not a teen and not a male, but this deodorant works well,” one review reads. “I wanted an aluminum-free option that didn’t irritate my skin. This fits the bill. I hope they can create new scents that will be more gender-neutral in the future!”

I can’t stop raving about By Rosie Jane’s Dulce perfume, which led me to test their fresh-smelling natural deodorant spray. TBH, the fine mist almost feels like a body spray, so it absorbs into my skin without feeling sticky, wet, or like I’m even wearing anything. The formula’s alcohol also kills bacteria that can cause odor, while its witch hazel and aloe vera work to soothe my skin.

• Key ingredients: Alcohol (kills odor-causing bacteria); witch hazel, aloe vera (soothes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: One tester writes, “I was so excited to try this as the smell is incredible. It smells so fresh and citrusy; it’s amazing. I do obviously sweat still, but it's just sweat, no smell. I've found that for me, it works better if I spritz three sprays on each armpit, then wait a few seconds before I put on my shirt.”

My underarms are v prone to ingrown hairs and breakouts, which is why I slather them with this natural cream deodorant from Megababe. Using lactic and mandelic acids, this cream helps chemically buff away dead skin that can get trapped in your follicles and disrupt hair growth, leading to ingrown hairs. But it also helps soothe the irritation you might already have on your skin with niacinamide and aloe vera. FYI, though: The AHAs in the formula can be irritating if used too often, so only swipe this on your skin two or three times a week and never right after shaving (unless you want burning pits).

• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, aloe vera (soothing); lactic acid, mandelic acid (exfoliating)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “While this one doesn't smell as good as some of the other Megabage deos, it works like a dream for me,” one reviewer writes. “I also experience a lot of discoloration and bumpiness on my underarms, and this has really quelled that.”

Instead of picking up a brand-new deodorant every time I run out, I prefer to opt for a refillable option, like Glossier’s natural deodorant (which, btw, just won a Cosmo 2023 Holy Grail Award). Its coconut-oil base glides across your skin, as magnesium hydroxide and potato starch help soak up some odor-causing sweat. And when you’re ready for a new one, just recycle the empty tube and pick up a refill for $4 cheaper.

• Key ingredients: Coconut oil (moisturizing); magnesium hydroxide, potato starch (sweat-absorbing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: One review reads, “​​The reusable container is surprisingly heavy and durable, and I actually want to display it in my room. With extreme workouts, your underarms may feel a little damp, but not smelly.”

This spritz-on underarm toner has legit completely changed the way I wear deodorant. I just spray it on before my deodorant because it’s loaded with exfoliating lactic acid, which lowers your skin’s pH to decrease odor-causing bacteria. TBH, I could use it alone, but under another natural deodorant, I notice my armpits and underboobs are odor-free for a full eight hours without needing to reapply.

• Key ingredients: Lactic acid (exfoliating)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “'I’m slightly obsessed with this product,” one tester writes. The reason being...I haven't smelled any body odor on myself in months since using this. Not only do I not smell anymore, my deodorant lasts me all day and night until I wake up the next morning. It's wild...I don't know how they made such a product but I am a customer for life.

The Third Rose fragrance of this deodorant rivals some of my best perfumes based on how luxurious it smells, with notes of rose, citrus, and wood. But don’t worry: There’s no talc, baking soda, or aluminum here. Instead, this clean beauty product, one of dermatologist Becca Marcus's top recs, uses alcohol to kill odor-causing bacteria and tapioca starch to soak up moisture under your pits. Needless to say, I need to test the other five scents asap.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch (soaks up sweat), alcohol (kills odor-causing bacteria)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: According to one reviewer, “I struggle finding natural deodorants that work well. But I love the scent of this, and it does work most of the day. Many deodorants only work for an hour or two for me. This lasts much longer.”

FYI: This is the deodorant I'm currently wearing as I type this because it lasts me from running to the subway to sweating in the office to anxiously waiting for my date at happy hour. I can go the longest stretches of time between reapplications for when the light and clean scent wears off. The texture is quite dry (that's the tapioca starch at work), which wicks away unwanted sweat and moisture, but it uses coconut oil and shea butter to simultaneously moisturize my pits.

• Key ingredients: Tapioca starch (sweat-absorbing); coconut oil, shea butter (moisturizes)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “This is great,” one tester writes. “Kept me dry and smelling fresh all day. I really like how easily it glides on too.”

The hero of this formula is the blend of mandelic and lactic acids, aka alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) that lower the pH of your skin to help prevent odor-causing bacteria from thriving and causing B.O. AHAs also work to gently exfoliate your skin to smooth bumps and brighten discoloration, while the formula’s aloe vera helps soothe possible irritation. And to further reduce potential itch, grab the fragrance-free version.

• Key ingredients: Aloe vera (soothing); lactic acid, mandelic acid (exfoliating)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I did the ultimate test for this deodorant,” writes one tester. “I recently went to Coachella and camped the whole weekend. This deodorant kept me smelling beachy clean all weekend! I found the one and will not let her go!”

If your underarms tend to get v dry, you’ll love this ultra-moisturizing natural deodorant from Hey Humans. Shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower-seed wax, candelilla wax, and soybean oil coat your skin as you glide this on, moisturizing and locking in hydration. All the while, the all-natural formula leaves out potentially irritating silicones, aluminum, baking soda, and propylene glycol. Consider it a conditioner for your pits.

• Key ingredients: Shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower-seed wax, candelilla wax, soybean oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “My mother-in-law suggested this to me, and I’m so grateful she did,” writes one reviewer. “The product goes on smoothly, smells amazing, and keeps me from sweating. Great product!”

Whether you have ultra-sensitive pits or would rather smell like your vanilla perfume than your deo, you might prefer using a natural deodorant free of fragrance and essential oils. So, lemme introduce you to this one from Alaffia Naturals, which has absolutely no scent whatsoever. What it does have, though, is sweat-absorbing arrowroot powder and charcoal as well as moisturizing and skin-softening shea butter and coconut oil, all of which keep your pits dry but not dried out.

• Key ingredients: Arrowroot powder, charcoal (sweat-absorbing); shea butter, coconut oil (moisturizing)
• Baking-soda free? Yes

THE REVIEWS: “I have been trying out most of the Alaffia deodorants, and I think this one is the winner for me,” one review reads. “It keeps me smelling good for up to two days and has a drier finish than some of the others I’ve tried. This one is the one I keep going back to in high heat and humidity.”