Odour Care

Let me tell you a bit about something near and dear to my heart. It’s all about finding toxin-free products that perform well, so that you can reduce your exposures of all the harmful stuff out there. Our governments (most in the world) allow thousands of chemicals, known cancer-causing ones included, in your personal care products. It’s all because of ‘loopholes’ in industry regulations. As long as the company says it’s a trade secret, governments can’t ask what’s in it to ensure its safety. Seriously!? Yeah, I know, right!

CertClean is one of those amazing companies trying to set things straight. They are working hard to make it easier for you to confidently shop for cleaner products, free of thousands of harmful chemicals. You can see some of their certified products in local shops already. The Clean Beauty Awards is one of their wonderful initiatives that help get some of these clean products recognized for their dedication to safer skincare. It’s time to take the dirty out of the beauty industry!

This year’s (5th) Clean Beauty Awards offered no shortage of AMAZING products. There were 371 products from all over the world who entered. I was lucky enough to judge TWO product categories this year: Body Wash and Odour Care. I definitely found some new favourites! 

I’m sharing my notes with you so hopefully you’ll find some new favourites of your own!

As a side note, PurPicks, a partner of the Clean Beauty Awards, is another wonderful way to explore clean products. The site is based on real reviews and offers products only with a 3rd party certification. It’s a favourite resource of mine for cleaner personal care picks. You can access it here, at PurPicks.com

Odour care had to be the most impressive category I have ever judged. Basically all the products worked very well for me, and I loved the scent of almost every single one too. So impressed! 

KIND-LY- 100% Natural Deodorant: Rose & Geranium

This provided an easy roll-on application. It was a nice scent, wasn’t too overpowering, though not my preferred scent. It was in plastic, so not as ideal as some of the other products I tested. I wouldn’t recommend to patients over some of the other brands, for that reason, since I really do take into account the plastic exposure. However, it worked well, so that’s a thumbs up from me.

Birch Babe Naturals: Seabreeze and Chantilly Scent

So I got the Seabreeze scent, opened it up and had a huge aversion to it. Personally, I still can’t understand how Seabreeze never smells like salt and seaweed. I contacted the company to see what the scent was made from. If it were actually essential oils, I would have tried it. They confirmed, however, that it was NOT essential oil-based. Apparently, it is their most popular scent. I get that people would choose something that is similar to the drugstore brand smells, but I just simply can not use such products.

I will say, they have the best customer service though. They offered to send me another one to try. This one was called Chantilly, and was scented with essential oils. It smelled lovely and earthy. I so appreciated their care in sending me a new product. So kind of them 🙂

I was, perhaps, most enamoured by the packaging. I loved that it’s a paper product, and that they took the time to design such a beautiful and sustainable product. 

If you’re going to buy it, I would definitely recommend the essential oil-based ones or probably even the unscented version.

Glowing Orchid Organics: Grapefruit & Bergamot Deodorant

I had some issues with application consistency of this product, based on fluctuating temperatures with where I kept it in the bathroom. It would either be a bit hard and not as easy applied, or it would be super gooey from the heat blasting into that cupboard (it’s an oddity of a bathroom vanity).

It was actually better when I applied it, then rubbed it in with my fingers. It’s clay-based, so it was a bit messy if I didn’t rub it in more fully, and sometimes would end up on the underarms of my shirts.

The scent is nice and mild and the odour protection aspect is good too. As a bonus, they have great, sustainable packaging, which I loved.

Cleo & Coco: Aluminum-Free, All Natural Charcoal Deodorant

This is the only one in the bunch I tested with a distinctly vanilla scent, which I personally liked. It had easy application and worked well. Would have been nice to have more sustainable packaging or look fancier, but it gets the job done. Since it’s a stick, it doesn’t go on like a paste and leave residue. Clean and easy. Simple as that.

EcoTan: Coconut Deodorant

This has a lovely easy roll-on application, but the downside is that ease of application lends to plastic packaging. Not my favourite choice, especially for a liquid product. 

It smelled like coconut, which I loved. It also was more compact, so would be a great one to take traveling or to take to work for post-work gym sessions or date nights.

Black Chicken Remedies: Axilla Natural Deodorant Paste (Original)

Weird name, but works so well! I had the original version, which has baking soda. It had a lot of moisture-rich plant butters in there to make the overall feel really smooth. 

It’s a bit odd to get used to applying it to your fingers, but once you’re over that, it’s such a lovely product! I wish it would have come in glass, which would make it even more of a top recommendation. 

That being said, I would highly recommend this one, just based on performance. It has a lovely mild scent, so it’s not overpowering, but was one of the best ones for odour control. Loved it!

Routine Inc.:  Moon Sisters

Loved the packaging. Possibly my favourite. I really appreciate a product that is in glass. It’s the most inert (especially compared to plastic). This is super important when it comes to applying in such a sensitive area as your underarms. Anything in plastic is at risk of leaching into the product, which then is applied to your underarms (and close to your lymphatic system and breast tissue). Plastics are a known carcinogen, so it’s not an ideal combination. Glass really removes the potential toxicity in that equation. So super bonus points for that!

This is another one with finger-first application, but again, once you’re used to it, it’s not an issue. The texture was maybe slightly grainy (from baking soda), but they do have other kinds without it, if you’re looking for an even smoother feel. 

On that note, I LOVE that they tell you about the other kinds you can purchase from them. It really shows how much they’ve thought about the specific needs of their customers. There really is a Routine Inc. deodorant for everyone!

Top recommendations for this one, especially for the fact it comes in glass. Truly, it’s that important! 10/10 will get again.

UPDATE: As of 2020, ROUTINE INC. brand is my ultimate fave. I am currently using bicarb-free “Oh! Blackberry Betty”

Hope you enjoyed my reviews! It was so much fun! If you’ve tried any of these products, let me know your thoughts! You can also check out my reviews on BODY WASH HERE.