“This deodorant is so chic!”
Said no one while apply their own under their sweaty, hairy armpits. Applying deodorant isn’t like pampering your skin with say, a moisturizer, or Snapchatting your sheetmask. That’s because from what seems like the beginning of (sweaty) times, deodorants have been the ugly stepchild of beauty. So much so that the very products aren’t even considered as beauty at all. That’s about to change thanks to the dawn of natural deodorants that have been making the rounds.
SEE ALSO: We tested out the most popular deodorants on the Internet
Traditionally, deodorants have been sold by the billions thanks to our society being super phobic over sweat and the odor that comes with it. It’s why most deodorants try to eliminate sweat altogether by adding aluminum salts, which is extremely effective at blocking pores from perspiring. But the problem is that there have been studies that show that aluminum actually has a negative effect on the body. Some studies have linked breast cancer to aluminum, a disease that affects both men and women. This happens when toxins from sweat aren’t able to leave the body, thus clogging lymph nodes around the armpits and the breast area. Aluminum itself is also said to absorb into the bloodstream and affect the blood brain barrier, which has been linked with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
These fears are legitimate. In a world where we have eliminated ingredients such as sulphates and parabens, why is it that we still accept aluminum in our products?
(Photo by David Yi/Very Good Light)
It’s one reason why I’ve been on a quest to replace my own deodorants with more natural ones. The problem I’ve found is that by the end of the day, my armpits aren’t as fresh as the aluminum salted ones. They feel soggy, old and well, dank AF. So I was really skeptical when I came across Corpus deodorant on my Instagram page. The brand comes in the chicest mint container with golden font and is aesthetically as beautiful as a Le Labo fragrance or Byredo. Doing a little more research, I found that Corpus deodorant is vegan, all natural, contains organic ingredients, is paraben and talc-free, and most importantly, excludes aluminum.
(Photo by David Yi/Very Good Light)
Upon reaching out to the brand, I learned that it wasn’t a surprise at all that this product was so elegant and perfectly marketed – so much so that it’s currently sold out everywhere. That’s because the chic product is the brainchild of Jean-Pierre (JP) Mastey, who was once the president of the mega men’s brand, Baxter of California. The man was there at the transition from the brand’s historic sale to mega conglomerate, L’Oreal in 2013.
“Formulating a true natural product always felt just out of reach,” he tells Very Good Light about natural deodorants. He’d been attempting to concoct natural deodorants on his own for some time but it was only when he became a new dad that it became extremely important to him. “I found myself dissecting and eliminating personal care and household products that had any chance of leaving potential hazardous residuals in the way.” After giving it another go, spending over 2 years collaborating with chemists who used vegan ingredients, he’d created a product that not only smelled really good but was super effective at eliminating odor.
(Photo by David Yi/Very Good Light)
The end result is three deodorant scent profiles. They come in Santalum, which has sandalwood notes, The Botanist, with petitgrain and vetiver root, and my obsession, No. Green, which has bergamot, pink lemon and orange blossom notes. The entire line is full of essential oils that not only smell fresh, but are effective at lasting a long time.
“We use natural fragrances which are essential oils and isolates derived from flowers, fruits, sap, seeds or skin of the plant, as well as the bark, leaves, roots, resins or wood of certain trees and never as a result of synthetic chemistry,” he explains. “This option of isolates vs. simple essential oils gave a wider library to work with and provided us the opportunity to create unique and elevated scent profiles not normally found in the natural product world.”
He also tells us that by eliminating aluminum an allowing the body to naturally sweat, the body “will adjust the volume of sweat it produces.”
(Photo by David Yi/Very Good Light)
I was totally skeptical upon testing this out. To me, sweating is not only uncomfortable but I get really, really insecure that I ~may~ have some kind of body odor. This, especially after working out a Crossfit on the daily.
From Day One, I was seriously amazed by just how beautiful No. Green smells. It reminded me of the first time that I spritzed Le Labo’s Santal 33 or Byredo’s Gypsy Water on me, two staples that I spritz on me. Both, obviously, have become one of the most popular fragrances for any beauty connoisseur. I’d add No. Green to this list.
Yes, it was that iconic.
No. Green has a lemon-fresh scent but more so, is so well-rounded with its deeper bergamot and orange blossom notes that you feel like you, yourself, are citrus plant in full-bloom. I thought that a natural deodorant would be sticky, waxy or chalky. But Corpus deodorant goes on super smoothly. Every time I apply the deodorant, I feel as if my underarms are smiling with complete joy from being tickled by such delicious fragrances. I feel as if I’m doing the world a service by wafting my arms and spreading this scent far and wide.
Does it stop sweat? No, not completely like aluminum does. But it is pretty effective at stopping your pits from over-perspiring. Your pits will be soggy by the end of the day and you’ll probably want to apply this deodorant a couple of times if you’re going to be out and about for a long period of time. Unlike my traditional aluminum deodorants that I apply once in the morning, this one had my applying at least twice to feel fresh.
TLDR;
Final thoughts? If you hadn’t noticed, I’m obsessed with Corpus deodorant. I haven’t liked a product so much since coming across Byredo’s line a few years ago. If you’re seeking a chic product that’s natural, effective and rolls on smoothly, this one is for you. Corpus is $32 for a set of three, or $24 for an individual scent.
