Deodorant Ingredients, Explained
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Every Ingredient, Explained
Our rule is simple: every ingredient earns its place, or it's not in the stick. Here's what's in each formula and exactly what it does.
The Zinc
Zinc Chloride Hydroxide
The zinc at the center of Sensitive. It's a fine mineral powder that captures and holds the odor molecules bacteria release, so they never reach your nose. It doesn't dissolve in water, so it stays where you put it.
In: Sensitive
Zinc Oxide
A gentle mineral zinc, and the one zinc all three formulas share. It works on odor alongside the other actives and is mildly soothing to skin.
In: all three formulas
What Sits Alongside It
Each formula layers a few actives that do different jobs. This is where the formulas differ, and it's how you choose between them.
Sodium Bicarbonate(baking soda)
The classic odor neutralizer, and a deliberate choice. It neutralizes the acidic compounds bacteria release, and alongside zinc it gives the formula real staying power when you sweat. Sensitive leaves it out, because skin that has reacted to natural deodorant before does best without it.
In: Max · Tea Tree
Triethyl Citrate
A plant-derived citrate ester. On the skin's surface, natural enzymes break it down into citric acid right where odor forms, and it also helps the base glide. Suppliers describe it as a non-microbicidal deodorizing agent.
In: Max · Sensitive
Methylheptylglycerin
A biobased ingredient that helps limit odor-causing bacteria while staying gentle on skin and the surrounding microbiome.
In: Max · Sensitive
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil(West Indian sandalwood)
A woody botanical oil used at trace level in support of odor control.
In: all three formulas
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
The lead botanical in Tea Tree, used in odor care for generations.
In: Tea Tree
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
A botanical that complements tea tree's freshness and helps keep skin balanced.
In: Tea Tree
Moisture & Skin Care
Tapioca Starch
A fine natural starch, the primary absorber. It takes up moisture and gives the stick its dry, powdery, non-tacky feel.
In: all three formulas
Bamboo Silica(Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder)
A silica-rich plant powder, a second absorber with a different particle size than tapioca, which broadens the moisture control.
In: all three formulas
Rice Powder(Oryza Sativa)
An ultra-fine absorber that tunes the finish, giving it a soft, silky feel rather than a chalky one.
In: all three formulas
Cellulose
A lightweight texturizing absorber. It controls tackiness and rounds out the powder blend.
In: Sensitive
The nourishing oils(apricot kernel, grape seed, safflower, jojoba)
Skin-conditioning oils that keep the formula comfortable to wear and give the stick its slip. This is the Zaffré base: it goes on smooth, leaves nothing on your shirt, and never turns tacky.
In: all three formulas
Bisabolol
A calming ingredient naturally found in chamomile, included to soothe skin.
In: Max · Sensitive
Tocopherol(vitamin E)
An antioxidant that conditions skin and helps keep the oils fresh.
In: all three formulas
Why more than one absorber. Tapioca, bamboo, and rice powder aren't padding, and Sensitive adds cellulose on top. They carry different particle sizes and hold different amounts of moisture, and layering them is what produces a finish that stays smooth instead of turning chalky partway through the day.
Scent
Natural Fragrance
Our scent blend, used at low level and built to fade rather than linger. Sensitive's fragrance-free option omits it.
In: all three formulas
The Glide
The waxes and esters that make a stick apply smoothly and invisibly, chosen instead of coconut oil and plant butters specifically to avoid oil transfer to fabric.
Plant waxes(candelilla, carnauba, sunflower & rice bran wax)
Structure and a smooth, non-greasy finish, all plant-derived.
In: all three formulas
Esters & glide agents(stearyl behenate, lauryl laurate, jojoba esters, C13-16 isoalkane, heptyl undecylenate)
These give the effortless glide and dry-touch feel without the oil marks that coconut- and butter-based sticks can leave on shirts. The C13-16 isoalkane is a light, dry-touch slip agent made from castor and sugarcane, used in place of silicone.
Varies by formula
Titanium Dioxide
A mineral that keeps the formula looking clean and white rather than translucent or grey. Kept low to avoid a chalky look.
In: all three formulas
What's Deliberately Not Here
No aluminum in any formula. We don't block sweat, we handle the odor. No alcohol and no propylene glycol, two common sources of sting. And Sensitive leaves out baking soda too, for skin that has reacted to natural deodorant before.
Full Ingredient Lists
Max
Tapioca Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Triethyl Citrate Natural, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, C13-16 Isoalkane, Heptyl Undecylenate, Jojoba Esters, Stearyl Behenate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Lauryl Laurate, Methylheptylglycerin, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Zinc Oxide, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Bisabolol, Natural Fragrance, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax
Sensitive
Tapioca Starch, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Triethyl Citrate Natural, Zinc Chloride Hydroxide, Jojoba Esters, Stearyl Behenate, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, C13-16 Isoalkane, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Lauryl Laurate, Cellulose, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Methylheptylglycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Heptyl Undecylenate, Zinc Oxide, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Natural Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide, Bisabolol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Tocopherol
Tea Tree
Tapioca Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Stearyl Behenate, Jojoba Esters, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Lauryl Laurate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Zinc Oxide, Natural Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Tocopherol
Sensitive's fragrance-free option omits Natural Fragrance.