It’s not a topic that you’d necessarily talk about with your friends at cocktail hour, but truth be told, there’s a lesser-known formula to keep your underarms fresh that isn’t packaged in a stick. The best cream deodorants use natural ingredients to fight odor-causing bacteria, and they're quickly and easily applied with your fingers.
Cream deodorants are whipped formulas — usually housed in a small pot or jar — that contain a combination of ingredients such as baking soda, corn starch, shea butter, coconut oil, clay, and a variety of essential oils in lieu of artificial fragrances or antiperspirants. Natural ingredients aside, many folks find deodorant cream superior to sticks simply because they're so concentrated.
In order to maintain that stick shape, traditional deodorant sticks needs to be comprised of water, active ingredients, and a binding agent to hold everything together. Deodorant creams, on the other hand, don’t need to retain a shape, so the variety of active ingredients that can be mixed together is endless. And many cream formulas provide an emollient layer that traps the active ingredients in, making them work harder, longer.
Deodorant creams have been around since the late 1800’s, making them the OG in odor protection. These seven aluminum-free deodorant creams bring effective modern formulas to this age-old solution.
1A Cream Deodorant Made With Absorbent Arrowroot Powder
milk + honey Cream Deodorant, $15, Amazon
Absorbent arrowroot powder and baking soda replace aluminum in this organic, plant-based cream deodorant. The coconut and vanilla oil option is the company’s best-seller, but it’s also available in bay clove and orange, as well as coconut and lemongrass.
2A Baking-Soda Free Cream Deodorant
Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Cream, $18, Amazon
It’s not uncommon to see baking soda as a main ingredient in a cream deodorant, but this formula replaces it with dietary magnesium. The blend also includes nourishing plant oils and butters for hydration and arrowroot powder and lavender essential oil to keep you dry and fresh.
3A Cream Deodorant That Can Last Up To Seven Days
Lavilin Underarm Deodorant Cream, $14, Amazon
This cream deodorant is a popular fan favorite and with good reason — it keeps you fresh for a whopping seven days! Seriously, you don’t even need to reapply after a shower or shaving your pits. The formula is void of aluminum and chemicals and instead relies on a natural herbal blend.
4An Award-Winning Cream Deodorant That's Extremely Concentrated
Schmidt’s Lavender + Sage Deodorant, $10, Amazon
Schmidt’s award-winning cream deodorant is super concentrated, so you just need a little for it to be effective. Plant-based powders replace aluminum while essential oil blends keep you smelling fresh.
5A Cream Deodorant That's Made For Sensitive Skin Types
Kaiame Naturals 100% All Natural Deodorant, $12, Amazon
When it comes to cream deodorant formulas, no two are alike. This 100 percent natural deodorant relies on activated charcoal powder to absorb sweat and neutralize odor, but it also uses a lower level of baking soda than some other brands out there which makes it safer for sensitive skin.
6A Frosting-Like Cream Deodorant That Absorbs Super Fast
Soapwalla Deodorant Cream, $19, Amazon
If you’re a cream deodorant newb, this one’s for you. Its frosting-like consistency enables the product to absorb quickly, which is perfect if you’re not used to the texture of a cream. Additional benefits include antimicrobial essential oils and a unique blend of vegetable powders and clays to absorb moisture.
7A Cream Deodorant With Antimicrobial Qualities
Primal Pit Paste Natural Deodorant, $12, Amazon
While the name alone might want you to choose this cream deodorant, the fact that it’s blended with antimicrobial coconut oil and hydrating shea butter will have you coming back for more. There are a variety of scents available — all derived naturally from essential oils — but lavender continues to be a reviewer favorite.
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