Type "Primal Pit Paste" into a search bar and you get old jars on resale sites, reviews from a decade ago, and maybe a post claiming the brand was discontinued. None of it tells you where the deodorant went. So here is the frank answer. Primal Pit Paste is Pretty Frank. The name on the label changed. The deodorant did not. It is still made in the USA, and it is shipping from this site today.
The Short Version
Primal Pit Paste started in 2012 with a jar of deodorant paste built on organic coconut oil, shea butter, arrowroot powder and baking soda, as Whole Foods Magazine described it. It was one of the early natural deodorants, years before the category got crowded.
In 2020 the brand changed its name to Pretty Frank. Beauty Independent covered the change that year: the shelves had filled up with look-alike natural deodorants, and the new name was meant to set the original apart from the copies. Frank, as in plain and honest about what goes in the jar.
Today we make that same deodorant in two formulas, in jars and sticks, plus travel minis and a lip balm.
What Stayed the Same
The formulas. Pretty Frank uses the same natural formulas Primal Pit Paste was known for. Organic coconut oil is still the base across the line, with shea butter in our sticks and baking soda jar (our baking-soda-free jar has none), and arrowroot powder still absorbs moisture, and the odor fighting still comes from baking soda in one formula and zinc oxide with magnesium hydroxide in the other. Our ingredient guide walks through every one, and what we leave out.
The choice. You can still pick your formula. Baking soda is our extra strength line. Baking soda free uses zinc oxide and magnesium hydroxide instead and is made for sensitive skin. If you are not sure which one was yours, our guide to baking soda vs. baking soda free will sort it out in two minutes.
The scents. Lavender and Coconut Lime, two scents from the jar days, are still here. So are Unscented, Jasmine, Orange Vanilla, Woodlands, Charcoal Seaside and Vanilla Peppermint, and Patchouli in the jar. Every scent comes from essential oils, not synthetic fragrance, which we explain in our post on essential oils vs. synthetic fragrance.
How it is made. Handcrafted in the USA with organic, food-grade ingredients, and Leaping Bunny certified.
What Is Different
The name and the label, mostly. The lineup is also simpler than it once was. We make deodorant: jars and sticks in both formulas, travel minis for trying a new scent or packing light, and a natural lip balm. If you remember a Primal Pit Paste product that is not on our site today, that is why.
Is Pretty Frank Still in Business?
Yes. We are making and shipping deodorant right now. Orders go out from prettyfrank.com, and you can also find Pretty Frank on Amazon. If a page somewhere says we closed, it is wrong. The quickest way to check is to add a stick to your cart.
If You Used to Buy the Jar
The jar is still the jar. Warm a pea-sized amount between your fingertips, smooth it on, and go about your day. The baking soda jar comes in Unscented, Extra Strength Unscented, Lavender and Patchouli. The baking soda free jar comes in Unscented, Lavender and Unscented Charcoal.
If you would rather skip the fingers, the same formulas come in sticks. Our guide to paste vs. stick covers how to apply each one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Primal Pit Paste discontinued?
No. The name was retired in 2020, and the deodorant is sold as Pretty Frank. Same formulas, same choice of baking soda or baking soda free.
Is Pretty Frank the same formula as Primal Pit Paste?
Yes. Same natural formulas. Every product page lists exactly what is in it.
Where can I buy Primal Pit Paste now?
Right here, as Pretty Frank, and on Amazon. We would skip the old jars on resale sites. A deodorant made from coconut oil is meant to be used, not kept for years, as we explain in our post on whether natural deodorant expires.
Why did the name change?
By 2020 there were a lot of natural deodorants that looked like the original. The new name was meant to stand apart from them, and it fits how we talk: plainly, with nothing to hide about what goes in the jar.
The Frank Bottom Line
Primal Pit Paste is back as Pretty Frank. If you loved it then, the same jar and the same sticks are here now, in the formula your skin liked. Start with the extra strength baking soda stick, the baking soda free stick for sensitive skin, or the original jar.
