It’s no secret plastic stinks, but thanks to plastic-free deodorant you don’t have to. And you bet your BO we have a whole list of them lined up for you.
See, not only are conventional deodorant tubes plastic, but sadly are rarely ever recycled properly due to a composite plastic combination of #2, #4, and #5 types of plastic even within the same tube.
For example, the roller dial and cap are often different plastic than the tube itself, and would thus need to be completely disassembled to be recycled properly.
But we digress. These options prove you don’t have to smell to be sustainable. We’ve curated a list of cardboard deodorant tubes to refillable deodorants, and the brands that make them not only prioritize responsible packaging but also safe ingredients and formulations.
Soon we’ll be launching our brand new Brand Rating System which will assess a range of sustainability-related criteria, like chemical use and ethical sourcing, which you can learn more about here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Low Waste, Low Stink With The Best Plastic-Free Deodorants
If you’re worried about the trees being cut down to make your waste-free deodorant in cardboard tubes, rest easy knowing PAPR Cosmetics plants a tree for every one their plastic-free packaging uses.
Butter Me Up Organics’ zero waste deodorant paste is amazingly effective for all-day wear and (in our experience) the product lasts ages.
Hit the trail without fearing your post-hike body odor thanks to the organic, wild-harvested, and highly effective ingredients utilized by Trail Botanica.
Index: Zero Waste Deodorant Brands
- Ethique Jump to section
- PAPR Cosmetics Jump to section
- Each & Every Jump to section
- Trail Botanica Jump to section
- Fat & The Moon Jump to section
- Butter Me Up Organics Jump to section
- EcoRoots Jump to section
- Hammond Herbs Jump to section
- HiBAR Jump to section
- Meow Meow Tweet Jump to section
- Rainwater Botanicals Jump to section
Ethique
Ethique’s Aluminum-Free Zero Waste Deodorant
Catching a whiff of Ethique‘s zero plastic deodorant changed our personal care routine forever. Ethique was the OG waste-free deodorant we tried, and we still keep going back to it all these years ago—both because it really works and we support everything this brand stands for.
With a range of scents, the fact that they’re vegan, palm oil-free, cruelty-free, aluminum-free, and non-toxic. And if you want a zero waste baking soda-free deodorant option, here it is. Instead, they’re made of antibacterial magnesium hydroxide, anti-inflammatory zinc oxide, absorptive bamboo, jojoba oil, almond oil, and essential oils (or not, in the case of the unscented).
If you’re looking for a plastic-free men’s deodorant, we recommend trying the Rustic™ Citrus & Earthy Deodorant Stick.
About Ethique
New Zealand company Ethique has cultivated a huge range of sustainable beauty products. Whether you need zero waste shampoo or home cleaning products, they’ve got it in a non-toxic, waste-free form designed to help you #giveupthebottle.
Aside from donating 2% of sales, Ethique is a Certified B Corp, verified climate-neutral, and plastic-free.
PAPR Cosmetics
PAPR Cosmetics’ Vegan Zero Waste Deodorant
PAPR Cosmetics joins some of the best vegan and cruelty-free deodorant brands with a formula that’s also paraben, silicone, sulfate, palm oil, and aluminum-free.
Instead, their formulas makes use of ingredients like coconut oil, baking soda, tapioca starch, castor oil, and shea butter. However, it’s not alcohol or baking soda free, so it may be irritating to those with really sensitive skin
We like the sound of all their scents, but if you like to be out, about, and BO-free From Dusk Til Dawn, don’t miss their bestselling unisex scent of the same name, so you smell fresh lemongrass and mildly spicy Italian Bergamot all day and night.
About PAPR Cosmetics
Committed to a carbon-neutral and cruelty-free ethos, PAPR is dedicated to safeguarding both our planet and bodies. With a commitment to ethical beauty, each PAPR product is crafted using PETA-certified vegan and the finest natural ingredients that have minimal impact on our health and the environment.
They confront the waste generated by conventional beauty by offering products packaged not in plastic but (you guessed it) paper—specifically FSC-certified cardboard printed with soy ink. For every tree that goes into their sustainable forestry certified packaging, they replace it by planting a new one.
Each & Every
Each & Every’s No-Waste Deodorant
“Prepare your nose for planet-friendly pleasure” with Each & Every’s variety of delectable non-gendered scent.
They’re formulated sans aluminum, parabens, gluten, baking soda, or artificial fragrance. Instead, you’ll see EWG verified and cruelty-free ingredients like tapioca starch, dead sea minerals, and natural essential oils.
The tubes may look like your average deodorant, but they’re actually made from renewable and carbon negative sugar cane.
About Each & Every
Each & Every is a 100% vegan and cruelty-free brand that also offers shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face oil, and reusable makeup wipes. They evaluate all supply chain partners on a set of Clean Criteria and how their practices consider local ecology.
While their plastic-free deodorant packaging is not home compostable, their Conscious Club Recycling Program makes it easy to responsibly dispose of. Once you’ve collected five containers, email Each & Every for a free return label and receive a $10 credit.
Trail Botanica
Trail Botanica’s Compostable Deodorant Tubes
If you’re active or outdoorsy, Trail Botanica (formerly Apothecary Muse) has some of the best zero waste deodorant when effectiveness and reliability are key. With earthy-inspired and gender-neutral scents, these deodorants in a paper tube are a scent-sible choice for all genders and skin types.
All paraben and aluminum-free, you’ll find organic essential oils, coconut oil, candelilla wax, illipe butter, bentonite clay, grapeseed oil, and non-nano zinc oxide.
About Trail Botanica
“Adventure Skin Care” specialists, Trail Botanica’s all-vegan, palm-oil-free products include vegan sunscreen, muscle salves, and award-winning cold-process soaps. Everything else is sustainably packaged in plantable wildflower seed paper, compostable cardboard, or reusable tins, with biodegradable labels printed with wax-based ink.
Founder Eryn Hughes is passionate about ethical sourcing, which is why she often forages for ingredients herself or uses local, organic companies. She even delivers local orders herself by bicycle.
Fat & The Moon
Fat & the Moon’s Zero Waste Deodorant Cream
Fat & the Moon “is for the full spectrum of stinky” with creams that block odors and bad microbes without plugging the body’s natural detoxifying and temperature regulating sweat system.
Made from “ethically and safely wildcrafted” ingredients like organic coconut oil, arrowroot powder, beeswax, and antibacterial essential oil, these deodorants are soothing and subtly scented. If your skin puts the pH in pHincky, opt for their bicarb-free Sensitive Pit Cream.
The products come in a recyclable deodorant glass jar or deodorant tins, that are smaller and perfect for on-the-go use.
If creams and sticks are not your shtick, they also make deodorizing body powders.
About Fat & the Moon
As you can see by their entertaining product descriptions, women-owned Fat & the Moon puts the “fun” in zero waste beauty fundamentals. They have a huge selection of skincare, zero waste makeup, and more, each handmade to order.
While not entirely a vegan company as some products contain beeswax, they are cruelty-free and palm oil free as well as largely organic. They regularly donate to charity and sponsor local community causes.
Butter Me Up Organics
Butter Me Up Organics’ Zero Waste Replacements For Deodorant
Butter Me Up Organics offers several varieties of no-plastic deodorant for whatever your needs are—sensitive skin (baking soda-free), standard, and even an Arm Pit Detox to help your body’s biome adjust if you’re just making the switch to zero waste natural deodorants.
We like to keep it simple with their basic Organic Deodorant, which we’ve been using this whole hot summer to superb stink-free success. The cruelty-free cream comes packaged in a glass jar that houses only seven core ingredients: coconut oil, arrowroot powder, shea butter, baking soda, kaolin clay. That’s in addition to a couple essential oils to bestow its slight scent of rosemary and lavender, but we’d like to emphasize the ‘slight’. It’s not overpowering at all, which we love.
About Butter Me Organics
Butter up your pits, face, teeth, and pretty much anything else with the help of Butter Me Up Organics. Their range of zero waste skin care and home products is extensive, as is the list of toxins you’ll never find in their all-natural and mostly organic products.
Aside from ethically sourced beeswax, they also don’t contain animal byproducts and they never utilize animal testing. They also give back as much as possible to causes near and dear to them, like animal rescues and local California wildfire fighting efforts.
Both product housing and shipping materials are entirely plastic-free and mostly compostable, save for the glass jars, which you can recycle or reuse.
EcoRoots
EcoRoots’ Sustainable Zero Waste Deodorant Balm
EcoRoots utilizes mostly organic ingredients that work with your body’s natural functions to reduce odor—as opposed to blocking your pores. Depending on your pits’ preference, they offer two options.
Their deodorant tubes which are packaged in compostable cardboard come in Coconut, Lavender, Eucalyptus Mint, or Unscented varieties. A combination of coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and wildcrafted candelilla wax will keep your pits moist(urized) in all the ways you want and dry in those you don’t.
They also offer a baking soda-free deodorant cream in the same scents that comes in a reusable glass jar with an aluminum lid. We love this ourselves, largely because it swaps out baking soda for non-irritating arrowroot powder. Where some natural deodorants can cause us to rash out, this one leaves our skin feeling smooth, supple, and delightfully scented.
Both the zero waste deodorant stick and cream are handmade in small batches and contain no baking soda, palm oil, aluminum, parabens, silicone, preservatives, and toxic ingredients.
About EcoRoots
The sustainable roots of Colorado’s EcoRoots run deep, so it’s no wonder they’re a favorite zero waste beauty brand. While they began as an ethical marketplace selling cleaning and personal goods made by other sustainable brands, their in-house line of products—ranging from laundry detergent to razors—has taken center stage with a healthy cult-following.
And considering everything is natural, vegan, cruelty-free, plastic-free, mostly palm oil free and made in the USA, it’s not surprising.
Orders ship in non-plastic packaging (obviously) and each time you shop here means a contribution to Ocean Conservancy through EcoRoots’ 1% for the Planet membership.
My Personal Review of EcoRoots Deodorant:
“I’m a big fan of the Rose Geranium and Coconut. Works really well (except maybe if your doing intense exercise, you might want to add a bit more product). The scents are subtle, unlike all the conventional Axe-type deos. And the product is creamy (it does have a slightly grainy texture, probably because of the natural formulation), more than other brands I’ve tried, I found the application really easy, especially in summer the product becomes very soft. The only drawback (a small one), and this goes for all deodorants in a jar, is having to wash my hands after using the product.”
Review by Lyall Mabin, SJ’s Co-founder
Hammond Herbs
Hammond Herbs’ Plastic-Free Natural Deodorant
With scent combos including Lemongrass & Peppermint, Tea Tree & Lavender, Orange & Patchouli, or Bergamot & Lime, Hammond Herbs‘ zero waste deodorants are designed for all-day cover.
They’re free from aluminum, parabens, synthetic preservatives, synthetics fragrances, and animal testing. They’re not vegan, however, as they do contain organic beeswax. Other natural and organic ingredients include cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, shea butter, arrowroot powder, essential oils, non-GMO vitamin E oil, and baking soda.
About Hammond Herbs
The genius behind much more than an eco-friendly deodorant brand, Elise Hammond handcrafts (in small batches) body butters, deodorants, vegan tooth powders, and more. All feature “ethically sourced materials” mostly from local and Fair Trade sources.
Like the deodorant sticks, they also come in compostable containers, plastic-free shipping, and help contribute to the brand’s varied charitable endeavors.
HiBAR
HiBAR’s Vegan Plastic-Free Deodorant
HiBAR’s deodorant is available in three refreshing natural fragrances: Fresh Rain & Cucumber, Bergamot & Cedar, and Lavender & Jasmine, which is the one we’re especially obsessed with
Each tube has a stylish, oval-shaped design with a straightforward push-up applicator. It doesn’t contain any parabens, phthalates, aluminum, or dyes.
Based on our personal testing, the vegan formula provides all-day protection (hooray for no mid-day stinkies!), all in a 100% compostable or recyclable container. Plus, a little goes a very long way. We tested one tube and found it literally lasted us for right months, including the hot summer months!
About HiBAR
The Minnesota-based non-toxic deodorant brand crafts all kinds of cruelty-free products, like zero waste face wash and shampoo bars (we’ve tried both and love those, too). None of the products contain any parabens, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, or animal-derived ingredients.
HiBAR’s products are Leaping Bunny Certified and shipped in plastic-free packaging, including recyclable and compostable shipping materials.
On top of all that, they have eliminated nearly five million plastic bottles from becoming waste and work with partners like rePurpose Global to fight the plastic epidemic.
Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet’s Plastic-Free Deodorants
Meow Meow Tweet creates small-batch deodorant in both stick and cream form, both of which are 100% vegan and palm oil free. Their baking soda-free variety is ideal for sensitive skin, while their mini sticks are perfect for travel or testing if MMT is right for you.
Choose between glass jars or—our favorite of theirs we’ve tried—zero waste deodorant in a paper tube, which makes applying just a little more convenient.
Plus, the Lavender Bergamot scent is light and earthy enough that it works for both men and women.
About Meow Meow Tweet
Meow Meow Tweet is a small batch and zero waste skin care company offering body care, facial care, soaps, and deodorants. They source all of their largely USDA organic ingredients ethically from Fair Trade suppliers.
They support an impressive number of charities with ongoing monthly donations.
Rainwater Botanicals
Rainwater Botanicals’ Zero Waste Deodorant
Rainwater Botanicals‘ no-plastic deodorant consists of a blend of skin-soothing oils, bacteria-fighting arrowroot powder, and essential oils. They also offer one for sensitive skin, which uses clay instead of baking soda.
All are cruelty-free, vegan, palm oil free, and come in compostable deodorant paper tubes.
About Rainwater Botanicals
Rainwater Botanicals has three core philosophies: natural ingredients, no animal testing, and sustainability (focusing on local, organic, and ethically sourced ingredients).
By using paperboard, glass, or metal packaging and offering refills in compostable bags where possible, Rainwater Botanicals is zero waste down to the recycled paper mailers and boxes and vegetable starch packing peanuts.
They support the North Beach Paws no-kill animal shelter and local children’s charities.
Is There A Zero Waste Antiperspirant?
If you’re seeking a plastic-free antiperspirant, we hate to break it to you, but we recommend stopping the search. Antiperspirants work by blocking sweat glands with aluminum salts. While the idea of not sweating sounds great in theory, unfortunately, aluminum is a known neurotoxin—not to mention blocking your body’s natural ability to cool itself and purge toxins isn’t good long-term.
So you won’t find any zero waste deodorant with aluminum on this list, as we always recommend aluminum-free natural deodorant.
But what about baking soda? Sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda, is a common ingredient in many natural deodorants, though it is not, strictly speaking, “organic”.
Plenty of people have debated the question of whether baking soda belongs on the skin given it can cause irritation. EWG has listed baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) as a low-risk, non-toxic ingredient, though baking soda doesn’t work for everyone. If you have sensitive skin it can cause an adverse reaction, so you might want to opt for baking soda-free variety.
Otherwise, it is a really effective ingredient for combating the odor-causing bacteria on your skin.
Hi Selene, sorry to disappoint, we do try to update the articles with new brands fairly regularly but there is a lot to cover and we also tend to stick to what’s been working well for us, even if they’ve been on the list for ages. We also have readers from outside the US so we do try to be inclusive.
Have you considered reviewing the old spice and secret no plastic releases? I’m curious how they stack up (or don’t, as the case may be).
I don’t expect them to be better, but I do expect them to be something I could point to for friends to try without having to special order just for deodorant.
Hi Vince, no we haven’t come across the Old Spice and Secret no plastic releases, we’ll take a look on the next update, thanks!
It would be nice if you could include price also. any maybe a follow up article for reusable packaging deodorant like Wild?
Thanks for the ideas Sophia!
Ooooh, you covered Hammond herbs! I’ve been using thier tooth powder and pit stick for almost a year and love those products so much! They ship in compostable packaging too.
This list is incredible and saves me a LOT of time in researching (especially the palm oil free aspect!), but I was wondering if there was any way to add where the brand is located (Country and/or state) since I want to limit the travel distance from my location, as I am sure others looking at this list are also looking to do. I was also wondering if there is any way to note if a company is woman-owned/black-owned/native-owned, since I want to support minority communities when possible (though I think currently there is no zerowaste brand like that). But thank you for this list, very comprehensive and easy to understand, thank you for this!
Thanks for the comment Jaime, so happy it’s helpful! Great ideas thank you. We have had folks ask for the location information before but generally the brands are US based (where most of our readers are) so we will specifically mention if a brand is not US based. As we grow we’ll look at doing country specific lists to be a bit more inclusive. One hot tip in the meantime – we love supporting small Etsy shops and you can search Etsy by location to find small makers that are close to you, if that helps (and Etsy offsets their shipping emissions). I love the idea of noting if a company is women owned/black owned or native owned – we will look to include that information (and more of those brands), thank you!
Doctors on youtube explain that the bacteria underneath your armpit are basic and aluminum is acidic which is why it counteracts those effects. I am trying to find a deoderant that simply uses compostable or plastic free packaging but that does not have baking soda, since it is basic. Do you have any reccomendations for me?
Ethique is awesome! Also No Tox Life. The reason why both of those brands work for me is because they’re the only ones that I have found to contain bamboo extract. And bamboo extract holds some huge amount of sweat? Lol I’m so sorry but I forgot the figures and don’t want to give you any inaccurate information. Also, Ethique smells like Lavender and Vanilla, while No Tox Life smells like Roses. I love them both! Oh, if you like coconut, I suggest Habitat Botanicals. They’re related to that one company that makes sustainable iphone cases. Anyways, Habitat Botanicals are great. All three of these companies don’t use baking soda and all are cruelty free, vegan, and palm oil derivative free. Also, all their packaging is compostable. Those are all my check marks lol Good luck!
Oh my goodness, this blog post is excellent and so informative! Thank you so much for taking the time to research each of these deodorants and even have a DIY option too. As a fellow blogger, I know how much work and effort goes into writing blog posts so I just wanted to give you two thumbs up. You’re amazing!
Also, I personally love Meow Meow Tweet’s deodorant. The lavender scent is so nice! 🙂
Hi, I’ve been using the Ben and Anna natural deodorant and I find it’s not super effective. I used another brand before which worked better for me. I checked reviews online and I think I’m not the only one who thinks Ben and Anna one isn’t up to much.
Are you aware that water is a chemical compound? Just curious.