The idea behind our formulas is simple. Start with plants, and use the parts of them that actually do something. Plants have spent a long time building their own chemistry to protect themselves, and a lot of that chemistry turns out to be useful on skin. Below is what the research says about the plant ingredients we build our deodorant around, with the studies linked so you can read them yourself.
One honest note before we start. The studies below look at these ingredients on their own, usually in a lab. They are not a claim that our deodorant treats or cures anything. It is a deodorant. We are showing you why we picked these ingredients, not promising you medicine.
Coconut Oil: the base that does more than moisturize
Coconut oil is the foundation of our formulas. It gives the deodorant its smooth glide and conditions the skin under your arms, which takes a lot of daily wear from shaving and friction. It also has an interesting side. Most of coconut oil is a fatty acid called lauric acid, and researchers have studied lauric acid for its antibacterial activity. In one study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, lauric acid acted against the bacteria involved in acne. Body odor also starts with bacteria, so knowing what your base is made of is worth something. A broader review of plant oils on skin points to coconut oil for both barrier support and its antibacterial fatty acids.
Shea Butter: barrier support and calm
Shea butter is the other half of our base. It is a rich skin conditioner, and the research on it goes past simple moisturizing. A study in the Journal of Oleo Science found shea butter lowered markers of inflammation in lab cells. The same review of plant oils describes shea butter supporting the skin barrier, which is the layer that keeps moisture in and irritation out. For an area of skin that gets shaved and covered all day, that matters.
Essential Oils vs. Synthetic Fragrance
Our scents come from essential oils, which are the concentrated oils pressed or distilled from plants. Plants make these oils partly to defend themselves, so it is not a surprise that research finds many of them have antimicrobial activity. A systematic review of essential oils and a separate review of how they work both document this. The alternative most conventional deodorants use is synthetic fragrance. Here is the catch with that word. Under US labeling rules, a company does not have to tell you what is inside "fragrance." The FDA lets fragrance be listed as a single trade secret, which can stand in for dozens of undisclosed ingredients. We would rather name our scents. Prefer nothing at all? Unscented is there for you.
Where Plants Stop and Minerals Start
We are being straight with you, so here is the honest line. Plants do the conditioning, the scent, and part of the work. The heavy lifting on odor comes from minerals: baking soda in our classic formula, or zinc and magnesium hydroxide in our baking soda free formula. Both are effective, and which one is right for you comes down to your skin. You can read the full comparison in our guide to baking soda and baking soda free deodorant. Plants and minerals, each doing the job it does best.
Why This Is the Harder Way to Make Deodorant
Plant ingredients cost more, change a little from batch to batch, and take more care to work with than synthetic stand-ins. We use them anyway, because the chemistry is real and it is already there. That is what better by nature means to us. Not a slogan about nature being nice, but a choice to use ingredients with documented properties, and to show you where those properties come from. You can see the full list and what each one does in our ingredient guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are plant ingredients actually better than synthetic ones?
Not as a blanket rule, and we would not claim that. What we can say is that specific plant ingredients we use, like coconut oil and shea butter, have documented properties in published research, and that plant-derived scents can be named on the label while synthetic fragrance often cannot. We choose plants for that chemistry and that transparency.
Does the coconut oil in your deodorant fight odor?
The antibacterial research on lauric acid is about the ingredient studied on its own. In our formulas, coconut oil is the skin-conditioning base. The odor control comes from baking soda, or from zinc and magnesium hydroxide in the baking soda free line.
Why essential oils instead of fragrance?
Essential oils come from named plants, so you can see exactly what is scenting your deodorant. Synthetic fragrance can be listed as one word that hides many ingredients. If you would rather have no scent at all, we make an Unscented version of every formula.
Are essential oils okay for sensitive underarms?
Most people do fine with them. If your skin is reactive, start with Unscented, and see our guide to what causes deodorant irritation.
The Frank Bottom Line
Better by nature is not a mood. It is a choice to build a deodorant on plant ingredients that have real, documented chemistry, and to tell you plainly where that chemistry does the work and where minerals take over. Want to try it? Start with our baking soda free stick for sensitive skin, or the baking soda stick if you want extra strength.
