Non-Toxic Deo Review: What’s the dealeo with Nivea, Clicks MyEarth & The Apothecary?

This year one of my goals was to stop using toxic deodorant.

Certain chemical ingredients found in deodorant and antiperspirants, like parabens, triclosan, phthalates, propylene glycol and aluminium are linked to several medical conditions including certain cancers.

“The most common concern about aluminium in antiperspirants and other topical products is that it’s linked to breast cancers. There’s little evidence that typical exposure to aluminium causes cancer or any other health condition, though.” says healthline.com

 

So to start this story, here’s a side note: I am someone who literally will forget to put on deodorant 80% of the time, so I know I don’t sweat much. I honestly don’t think my natural smell is too bad, either. I can totally live with my BO. I’m mentioning this for a reason!

 

Okay, so as the weather started getting a bit cooler in SA around April-May, I thought it’d be a great time to embark on this “new deo” journey.

Up until this year I have been consistently using NIVEA Pearl and Beauty Roll-on since my teens.

 

I usually shop for most of my toiletries at Clicks on a monthly basis, so the first non-toxic deo I opted to try is this Clicks MyEarth Roll-on, for R26,99

 

Here’s the product description as on the Clicks website – MyEarth products use ingredients and packaging that are kind to you and to our planet. MyEarth pineapple & geranium antiperspirant roll-on deodorant has a natural origin triple antimicrobial and antiperspirant active complex that provides invisible protection against sweating and odour, and is free from aluminium and parabens. The silica-based formula, together with sage oil and horsetail extract, absorbs excess moisture under the arms and keeps you smelling fresh. Here’s why it’s good: Essential oils. Natural scents. Vegan friendly. Cruelty-free. The journey of our packaging: The Journey for our roll-on is 100% recyclable. By recycling, you’re reducing waste and helping create jobs. Recyclable Responsible disposal.

 

Packaging is important to me, and this range of products is 100% recyclable. I really enjoyed the smell, and would say it kept me feeling fresh about half the day (6 hours or so), but then I’d low-key start smelling myself by the time the afternoon rolled around. So, not the 48 hour protection we’re used to, but manageable for me.

Another thing I noted about this product was it’s watery consistency, so if the bottle was not upright (like while I’m traveling), it got a bit messy.

I wanted to give more brands a try and decided on the Apothecary brand which I’d seen on FTN for R89,99 as the second product to trial when my Clicks MyEarth Roll-on finished.

 

Here’s the product description of what I bought – The Apothecary’s cream deodorants are made with a blend of natural protective and bacteria-fighting ingredients. These are a smarter alternative to ordinary sprays and roll-ons, which come loaded with harmful chemicals that do no good for your body, or the planet. Only useful, safe and effective ingredients go into The Apothecary’s products. They’re created with your health in mind, in the most sustainable way possible. The Rose & Geranium Cream Deodorant has a light flowery fragrance, to keep you wonderfully fresh.

 

This product was quite a bit more expensive than the previous one I tried. I loved the packaging, as it comes in a lovely glass jar, and it had a creamy consistency instead of a watery consistency. The thing I love most about The Apothecary is the fact that the products are handmade, and I love supporting local, woman-owned businesses.

This one really stumped me though, because I was expecting it to be better than the first product I tried. I don’t know why I expected that… Maybe it was the nicer packaging and the words “smarter alternative” & “to keep you wonderfully fresh” as part of its description.

I was a little disappointed.

Firstly, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE IT! The instructions say use a “pea sized” amount, but no matter how much I use, I still just smell like myself, and the flowery fragrance just wasn’t there. The fact that its main ingredient is coconut oil does not help with perspiration – instead it aggravates it. I would sweat profusely when I put this on. It also made weird clumps which I think is a result of the coconut oil and cornstarch ingredients together. I’ve tried using less, then tried using more. I’ve tried using it when it was more solid and when it was a bit softer (temperature causes the consistency to change just a little bit sometimes). I just don’t know what to make of this. I feel like I’m better off not using anything, because the way this deo made me sweat more whilst also NOT neutralising my odour and leaving clumps under my arms was really upsetting me and my friends.

 

I’m all for being more sustainable and doing the natural ingredient stuff, but it was becoming summer out in these South African streets… I needed something that at least wouldn’t make me sweat from the moment I put it on.

 

So while hunting for my next product to try, I came across this natural deodorant from Nivea.

Nivea Naturally Good  cost me R33.95 and is said to give you “natural freshness all day long”.

Containing 95% ingredients of natural origin, has a 100% vegan formula, 0% aluminium and claims to give 24 hour odour protection.

The product description on the Dischem website for the Aloe Vera variant reads: Nivea naturally good aloe vera lady deodorant roll on 50ml has a 100% vegan as well as an aluminum-free formula that confers a natural freshness to the skin which avoids bacterial spread. It helps to keep away unpleasant body odours and perspiration. It is formulated without aluminum, animal origin ingredients.”

 

I bought a 2+1 FREE special from Dischem, so I tried both variants and they smell super fresh. It gives decent odour control. Packaging is recyclable. All round great product, in my opinion. So far, so naturally good with the Nivea deodorants and unless someone convinces me otherwise, I’ll stick to this range for a while.

If you’ve tried a great non-toxic deo – please comment below. I’d love to give it a try too, but I’m not trusting product descriptions anymore, I want real, sweaty human reviews only.

 

Colourful Kisses

Sherri