Between the shiny, millennial-centric brands delivering fresh drops through your letter box, the more established, cult buys and the indie outfits selling a fine line in ‘natural and organic’ products, the beauty landscape has never felt more cluttered.
To help you to navigate this brave new world of retinol, AHAs, jade rollers and double cleansing, WH beauty editor, Perdita Nouril, is here to try and test the new drops that are making their way into her (very full) bathroom, via her column, Beauty Dispatch.
Here, she’ll share the freshly released heroes that she loves: ready to let you know where to spend your skin and hair care cash. This time around, she tries Glossier’s brand new deodorant.
<br />While it’s true that just a few years ago natural deodorants were viewed as a hippy alternative created to please the clean beauty brigade, they’ve quickly become an everyday staple, earning their stripes as a hard working product worthy of a spot in your bathroom cabinet . With brands such as Caudalie, Aurelia, Aesop and L’Occitane all releasing sticks, creams and roll-ons, it was only a matter of time before cult beauty brand Glossier jumped on the bandwagon. So, is their latest launch worthy of the hype? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Glossier deodorant?
So what’s the deal with their latest bodcare drop? In a nutshell, the Glossier deodorant stick is a gorgeous smelling, refillable twist up stick, that, like the rest of the Glossier line, looks minimal and chic. Created with sensitive skin types in mind , it’s formulated without aluminum, baking soda, acids, and water, things that the brand say can disrupt skin’s pH level and cause irritation, (more on this later).
Hero ingredients include superfruit elderberry extract and coconut oil to keep skin conditioned and keep odor at bay. There’s also the addition of potato starch, a naturally derived ingredient that absorbs moisture, which in turn helps your pits to feel.
Like most brands who are conscious of doing their bit for the planet, the glossier deodorant comes in a refillable tube and the empty can be recycled after use. Although, depending on your area you may need to go to a drop point rather than placing in your blue bin.
As for the smell, which let’s face it, we know Glossier do incredibly well, the deodorant is available in 3 scents. This includes the iconic ‘Glossier’ scent as well as ‘Sandstone’, said to be inspired by the Big Sur and conjures up images of pine trees and salty sea air. ‘Orange Blossom Neroli’, which fans of the Body Hero collection will recognize thanks to sunny and sparkling notes of citrus leaves and cedarwood. There is also ‘Unscented’, which the brand say is for ‘when you don’t want to smell bad, or at all.’
A review of the Glossier Deodorant
The Glossier deodorant glides on easily enough and two swipes is enough to feel like you’ve got decent coverage under your arms.
Like most natural deodorants, Glossier’s is aluminum free. These deodorants have become all the rage because the naturally occurring substance that stops you from sweating is a pretty controversial one.
Reports have suggested that aluminum has been linked to breast cancer but Cancer Research state that ‘there is no good evidence to suggest this,’ and that ‘the NHS tells people not to use spray deodorants before a breast screening. This is because they can affect the screening results, not because they are harmful.’
In response to removing aluminum most brands have opted for baking soda, but from past experience this not only feels grainy in the formula but also causes irritation (for me anyway), so I was pleased to see Glossier didn’t use it, opting for elderberry extract instead.
As for the scent, they’re all spot on, (except for the unscented one, obvs). They’re not too overpowering but crucially strong enough to last pretty much the entire day. I was impressed when I did the sniff test at the end of the day after work, and I also found I came out of a sweaty spin class smelling pretty decent. A win in my book.
Glossier Deodorant: The Verdict
The first thing to say is that unlike antiperspirants (that use aluminum) deodorants, whether Glossier or otherwise can mask body odor, but they can’t stop you from sweating, so stick to your antiperspirants if this is something you want to control.
If you are looking to switch to a natural deodorant from antiperspirant (and Glossier is a great one to go with) be prepared for what’s known as the two week window, where your body adjusts to not relying on aluminum. Some peeps call it a ” detox”, but this is a way off and there are only two organs capable of detoxing and that’s your kidneys and liver. So, really it’s more of a transitional phase and it can take a while to adjust to. This doesn’t mean that your deodorant is doing a good job though.
Overall, I’ve tried many a natural deodorant in my time and only a few really stack up. For years I’ve been a fan of Caudalie’s Vinofresh, thanks to its heavenly eucalyptus scent. However, Glossier’s new drop just might have pipped it to the post. I love the refillable aspect, the Big Sur scent is a winner for me who doesn’t love a bodycare product that sits pretty on their shelf?
The only glitch is the price point. It’s not cheap, especially since you can buy deodorants for around a fiver. Moreover it’s dropping at a time when so many of us are looking to chill on the spending front. However, it is a hefty tube and I can see it latest a good few months.
The glossier deodorant is available on 17th January here.