Best natural deodorants 2026

The best natural deodorants keep you smelling fresh all day without a top-up, however active you are.

Unlike antiperspirants, which stop you from sweating completely, 'natural' deodorants focus on keeping you fresh without stopping all sweat from escaping.

We pitted brands such as Mitchum and Salt of the Earth against popular newcomers, including Wild, Fussy and AKT, to uncover the best.

A panel of testers wore them all day. The best kept testers fresh for 10 to 12 hours, while the worst had our testers desperate to top up their pits by lunchtime.

The natural deodorants we tested

The biggest brands and the most popular natural deodorants are listed below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the natural deodorants test results. 

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A selection of the natural deodorants we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best natural deodorants from our tests.

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

AKT The Deodorant Balm

Type Balm

Scent tested SC.00 No Notes (unscented)

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate, other scents available

Bulldog Men's Natural Deodorant

Type Roll-on

Scent tested Original (notes of lemon, geranium and patchouli)

Need to know Other scents available

Dr Organic Deodorant

Type Roll-on

Scent tested Aloe Vera

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate, other scents available

Fussy Stick Deodorant

Tested scent (Bare all: unscented) available from Fussy

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Bare all (unscented)

Need to know Refillable (typical price £6 per refill, can subscribe through Fussy to save 15% per refill), Contains sodium bicarbonate (but has a sensitive range that doesn't), other scents available

Green People Deodorant

Type Roll-on

Scent tested Scent free

Need to know Other scents available

Make Waves Natural Deodorant

Available from Make Waves (£19 for case and one refill)

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Bergamot & Amber

Need to know Refillable (typical price £7 per refill, can subscribe through Make Waves to save 14% per refill), contains sodium bicarbonate, other scents available

Mitchum Women & Men's Natural Power Deodorant

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Coconut (Womens), Cedarwood (Men's)

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate, other scents available

Native Deodorant

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Coconut and vanilla

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate, other scents available

Neal's Yard Spray Deodorant

Type Spray

Scent tested Lemon and coriander

Need to know Other scents available

Salt of the Earth Natural Spray Deodorant

Type Spray

Scent tested Unscented

Need to know Refillable (typical prices £17.99 for 300ml, £27.99 for 500ml), other scents available

The Ilex Wood Natural Deodorant

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Bergamot and tea tree

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate (but has a 'gentle citrus scent' version that doesn't), other scents available

The Natural Deodorant Co.

Type Balm

Scent tested Orange and bergamot

Need to know Contains sodium bicarbonate (but has a sensitive range that doesn't), other scents available

Wild Stick Deodorant

Type Stick (solid)

Scent tested Classic fresh cotton and sea salt

Need to know Refillable (typical price £6.50 per refill, can subscribe through Wild to save 20% per refill), contains sodium bicarbonate (but has a sensitive range that doesn't), other scents available

How we test natural deodorants

We buy every natural deodorant we test, we don't accept freebies from brands, so you can trust our reviews are independent and free from bias or outside influence.

We also regularly revisit the natural deodorants on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing and when we find them we do. 

We focused on odour control as the key selling point of natural deodorants (which don't claim to stop sweat, just to prevent smells). But we also checked if products left stains on clothes, how easy they were to use and apply, and asked tested how dry they stayed to see if any were better or worse in this regard.

Odour control

A panel of testers, of different ages, gender and levels of general sweatiness wore each deodorant for 12 hours.

They undertook light to moderate exercise each day, including walking, running, hot and sweaty crowded commutes, even climbing and weightlifting to assess:

• When they detect their body odour coming through
• How easy the deodorant is to apply
• How quickly it dries
• How irritating on the skin it is

Unlike anti perspirants, deodorants don't stop you sweating. But some do have ingredients to help soak up moisture and minimise sweat patches.

So we don't test deodorants for sweat reduction, but our panel do report which ones left their armpits feeling dry and which felt damp at the end of the day.

Staining

Two common compliants with any deodorant are that they can leave annoying white marks on clothes when applied, or cause yellow staining on the underarms of lighter clothing.

To test the deodorants for this issue, and determine which are the least likely to cause you problems, we apply synthetic sweat (to make sure each deodorant is assessed under the same conditions) and each deodorant to white and black cotton t-shirt swatches.

We then wash these and assess the level of staining left over.

While there's a chance marks will appear over a long period of time with repeated use of a deodorant, in this test we find deodorants that leave no marks, and some that leave obvious stains. 

pH check

We use pH indicator paper to assess how acidic or alkali each deodorant is.

Skin pH varies person-to-person, but on average it is slightly acidic. A number of natural deodorants are slightly alkali, usually because of the presence of sodium bicarbonate, which is added for its odour neutralising properties.

A pH that is strongly alkali or acidic (aka not in balance with your skin pH) is more likely to be potentially irritating, especially if you have sensitive skin. 

While we let you know if any of our panel found a deodorant irritating, we also let you know if a deodorant's pH is more or less acidic or alkaline than the majority, so if you have sensitive skin, you can make an informed choice.

Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

Does natural deodorant work?

Yes, but maybe not in the way you expect.

The smell of B.O. is caused by the by-products made by bacteria munching on your sweat. So to reduce body odour you can either cut it off at the supply, or neutralise the by-products.

Antiperspirants do the former, using aluminium to temporarily block the sweat glands, reducing the amount of sweat, and therefore 'food', for the bacteria in your armpits.

Deodorants, on the other hand, use ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate to neutralise the by-products, scent to mask, and ingredients such as bamboo powder to soak up excess sweat.  

The new wave of deodorants market themselves as natural and there has been some shade thrown at aluminium as an ingredient. However, studies and advice from reputable bodies, including Cancer Research, have found no link between aluminium, deodorants and breast cancer.

There are other reasons you may opt for these products, though. Some people can find antiperspirant deodorants irritating, particularly spray formulations. And you're more likely to find refillable or plastic-free options in the natural deodorant market. 

You may also not want to stop sweating altogether. In these cases a natural deodorant could be right for you.

Tips for switching to natural deodorant

• Natural deodorants come in different forms, including solid sticks, roll-on, sprays (using atomiser lids rather than aerosols) and balms.
• If you're switching to natural deodorants from antiperspirants it can take a couple of weeks to be effective as your body adjusts.
• Not all natural deodorants are refillable. We've tested Wild, Fussy, Make Waves and Salt of the Earth that all do refillable natural deodorants.
• Our tests found clear differences between natural deodorants in terms of how long they last. Join Which? to instantly find out which ones came out top.

How to refill Wild, Fussy and other stick deodorants

Each brand has its quirks, so check out our tips below for simple switching:

Wild

1. Twist the base to the left (clockwise) until you can't twist it any further. Remove the refill currently in the case.
2. Pull the base out of the main body. Take your Wild deodorant refill and press onto the base of the case.
3. Slide the base with deodorant attached back into the main body.
4. Twist the base right (counterclockwise) until the deodorant stick appears.
5. Alternatively you can watch a demo on Wild's YouTube channel

Fussy

1. Twist the base to the left (clockwise) until you can't twist it any further. 
2. Remove the lid and pinch both sides of the top of the main body case to remove that.
3. Remove the refill currently in the case.
4. Place the refill inside the main body.
5. Replace the top of the main body.  
6. Alternatively you can watch a demo on Fussy's YouTube channel

Make Waves

1. Twist the base to the left (clockwise) until you can't twist it any further.
2. Twist the base 90 degrees. Pinch the release clips at the base of the case and pull the inner case out.
3. Remove the refill currently in the case and replace with new refill.
4. Slide the inner case back into the outer case and twist the base 90 degrees.
5. Alternatively, you can watch a demo on Make Wave's YouTube channel

'It took me a few goes to get the hang of switching refillable deodorant cases. On one notable failed effort with Fussy I forgot to remove a crucial part and spent ages trying to force a square refill into an oval hole! But once you've done it a couple of times, it's super easy. And our testing panel generally found the same. Overall, I feel much better using it and knowing that as a result, less hard-to-recycle plastic is needlessly going to waste.'

Jessica Carson, Which? health and wellbeing editor

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How to get deodorant stains out of clothes

Prevention can be better than cure. These steps can help to prevent white marks, and stop yellow stains building up over time on lighter clothes:

• Wait until deodorant has completely dried before putting on clothes
• Wash sweaty clothes sooner rather than later. Don't let the sweat sit and dry into the fabric.
• Apply thinner layers of deodorant to reduce the amount getting on your tops.

If you have stubborn stains left on your clothes, the most common recommendation is to pre-treat the stains, leave to soak for a few hours and then machine wash the garment. Some common home remedy pastes are:

• Three parts baking soda and one part water
• White vinegar
• Lemon juice and water

We're looking into how well laundry detergent can work at removing fresh and old stains, as well as other treatments if it can't make a dent in those stubborn stains.

So keep your eyes peeled for the results coming here in the future. In the meantime, check out our Best Buy laundry detergents.