18 best natural deodorants that are kinder to your skin (2025)

Once viewed as a hippy marketing ploy, natural deodorants have mostly shaken off their bad rep. Nowadays, many of us are more vigilant than ever about what is going into and onto our bodies – including the risks of ingredients in deodorants such as aluminium.

From the rise in vegan diets, to a recent obsession with “clean” beauty, we’ve moved away from judging those who didn’t buy whatever was readily available in the supermarket, and are often desperately trying to learn about more natural, healthier ways to live.

There has been speculation in the past that normal deodorants were linked to cancer but, with little evidence to support these claims, Cancer Research has categorically ruled this out as a possibility. Although, some people still prefer to avoid ingredients such as aluminium and talc, found in most regular deodorants, either for personal health reasons or possible allergies.

When it comes to natural deodorant, there are no hard-set rules as to what can and can’t be included in the formulas, but Healthline does suggest the following as three core foundations. Firstly, ingredients such as coconut or tea tree oil are included for disinfectant or antibacterial properties. Essential oils such as lavender, bergamot or sandalwood provide scents instead of synthetic fragrances, and naturally absorbent ingredients such as cornstarch, baking soda or arrowroot combat moisture, but won’t prevent sweating like an antiperspirant.

So, with the majority of ingredients coming from natural sources, and many people implying this forms a happier and healthier underarm microbiome, if you’re in two minds about whether to give a natural deodorant a go, we’d certainly encourage you to go for it. But remember the research suggests it’s more of a personal preference rather than a necessity, and you should always patch test before, as with any product, to check for any possible reactions.

How we tested

Our tester has been on the hunt for a great natural deodorant for years, dipping in and out of different products yet always eventually falling back to a fail-safe normal spray-on after a too-heavy gym session, long tube ride or hot day.

This time around, they ditched the normal deodorant for six weeks in favour of more than a dozen natural ones. Did they smell? Sometimes. Even when they thought they were onto a winner, there was always a friend passing a spray-on under the table.

But that didn’t stop them. Slathering on the natural deodorants at the gym, at home, in the car and anywhere and everywhere you would usually wear deodorant, day in, day out, looking for ease of application, scent, feel and, ultimately, how well it stopped them from smelling of BO.

The best natural deodorants for 2025 are:

• Best overall – Megababe rosy pits natural deodorant: From £8, Cultbeauty.co.uk
• Best budget buy – Mitchum men natural power cedarwood: £5, Boots.com
• Best crystal formula – Urtekram deodorant fragrance-free: £4.68, Amazon.co.uk
• Best for sensitive skin – Malin + Goetz eucalyptus deodorant: £14, Cultbeauty.co.uk
• Best refillable – Fussy wide-eyed citrus natural deodorant: From £12, Getfussy.com