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 active at the center of Core, Max, and Sensitive. It's a fine crystalline mineral that works by adsorption: it captures and holds the odor molecules bacteria release, so they never reach your nose, and limits the bacterial growth that produces them. The amount differs by formula. Core carries less of it and leans on magnesium instead.
In: Core · Max · Sensitive
Zinc Oxide
A gentle mineral zinc that works alongside the primary active, and the only zinc in Tea Tree. Mildly soothing to skin.
In: all four formulas
What Sits Alongside It
This is where the formulas differ, and it's how you choose between them.
Magnesium Hydroxide
A mineral that barely dissolves in water. It neutralizes the acidic compounds behind the smell, converting them into salts that don't carry. Because it only dissolves as acid appears, it releases gradually through the day rather than all at once. It's the lead active in Core and a supporting one in Max. Sensitive contains none.
In: Core · Max
Triethyl Citrate
A plant-derived ester that works with your skin's natural acidity rather than raising its pH. The same bacterial enzymes that cause odor break it down, so it interrupts the process quietly. This is why Sensitive is the one for skin that's reacted to naturals before.
In: Sensitive
Methylheptylglycerin
A biobased ingredient that helps limit odor-causing bacteria while staying gentle on skin and the surrounding microbiome.
In: Core · Max · Sensitive
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil(West Indian sandalwood)
A woody botanical oil used at trace level in support of odor control.
In: Max · Sensitive · Tea Tree
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
The lead botanical in Tea Tree. Its active compound, terpinen-4-ol, has documented antimicrobial activity against odor-contributing bacteria.
In: Tea Tree
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
A botanical that complements tea tree's freshness and helps keep skin balanced.
In: Tea Tree
Sodium Bicarbonate(baking soda)
The oldest tool in natural deodorant. It neutralizes the acidic compounds bacteria release, and it has stayed in use because it works. It's also the most common cause of natural-deodorant rash, which is why we use it deliberately and only in Tea Tree, for people whose skin does well with the traditional approach. Core, Max, and Sensitive use none.
In: Tea Tree only
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 four 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: Max · Sensitive · Tea Tree
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 four formulas
Cellulose
A lightweight texturizing absorber. It controls tackiness and rounds out the powder blend, and it's the most optional of the four.
In: Max · Sensitive
The nourishing oils(apricot kernel, grape seed, safflower, jojoba)
Skin-conditioning oils that keep the formula comfortable to wear. Core keeps it to one, apricot kernel, for a drier and more matte finish. Max and Sensitive share a four-oil base, which is what gives them a cushioned glide.
Varies by formula
Bisabolol
A calming ingredient naturally found in chamomile, included to soothe skin and reduce the chance of irritation.
In: Core · Max · Sensitive
Tocopherol(vitamin E)
An antioxidant that conditions skin and helps keep the oils fresh.
In: all four formulas
Why four absorbers instead of one. Tapioca, bamboo, rice powder, and cellulose aren't padding. 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. Core runs a shorter version of this stack, which is part of why it feels drier and more matte than Max.
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: Max · Sensitive · Tea Tree
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.
Varies by formula
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 used in place of silicone, and it's what takes the drag out of a wax-heavy stick.
Varies by formula
Titanium Dioxide
A mineral opacifier that keeps the formula looking clean and white on application rather than translucent or grey. Kept low to avoid a chalky look.
In: all four formulas
What's Deliberately Not Here
No aluminum in any formula. We don't block sweat, we work on the odor. No alcohol and no propylene glycol, two common sources of sting. And no baking soda in Core, Max, or Sensitive. Tea Tree uses it deliberately, the way the botanical approach always has, so if baking soda has given your skin trouble before, that's the one to skip.
Full Ingredient Lists
Core
Tapioca Starch, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Magnesium Hydroxide, Stearyl Behenate, Lauryl Laurate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Methylheptylglycerin, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Chloride Hydroxide, Bisabolol, Titanium Dioxide, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Tocopherol
Max
Tapioca Starch, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Magnesium Hydroxide, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, 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, Natural Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Bisabolol, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Tocopherol
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 + Mineral
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.