If there was ever a time to test out a new deodorant, this hot and sweaty week is it.
This is an interesting one because it’s reusable with minimal plastic involved. Bathroom and skincare products tend to be among the worst for excess packaging and single use plastic, so I’m making a conscious effort to avoid that as much as possible.
London-based Wild sent me their reusable deodorant applicator to try out. It’s made from durable aluminium and recycled plastic, with a natural deodorant refill that’s zero plastic and completely compostable. On top of that, the company donates part of their sales to a climate change charity. This I like. Why aren’t more companies doing that?
How Wild works
As you can see below, the whole system is pretty simple. The reusable outer cover comes in three colours: Aqua (a pretty mint green) Coral (as shown here) and Silver. You can buy a case plus one or more refills, or join a subscription service to receive new refills every 2, 3 or 4 months.
The starter pack contains an outer case plus a refill (mine was Coconut Dreams, a blend of coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa). Assembling the case is very simple – it’s just a question of shoving the refill up inside the case and twisting to release the product.
Natural deodorant – does it work?
This is a vegan-friendly, cruelty-free deodorant, free from artificial fragrance, parabens, aluminium and sulfates. Instead the fragrance and odour-fighting power comes from a blend of essential oils and moisturising natural oils such as coconut, shea and sunflower. The refills come in a variety of scents: coconut, orange, mint or rose.
As you can see, it looks very sleek and stylish – but how does it make your pits smell? Before I switched to Wild, I was using Kiehl’s Cross Terrain, which is pretty heavy duty and active for 24 hours. I don’t think I’m massively sweaty even when exercising, but I do get the odd case of night sweats when I’ve been on the wine (sorry, TMI I know) and I figure it’s better to be prepared.
All in all I felt like the Wild deodorant performed very well. It’s not an anti perspirant so it’s not aiming to stop you sweating – just that when you do sweat, you won’t smell bad. I’ve been wearing it for the last few weeks and nobody has complained yet. I’ve decided to call the case Oscar, for obvious reasons.
One thing to bear in mind: if you are moving from using an anti-perspirant to using a natural deodorant like this one, you may well experience a 10 day-ish transition period where your body seems to be sweating more. This is down to the aluminium salts in anti-perspirants that block sweat glands, versus natural deodorants which don’t contain aluminium. I didn’t experience this, and many people don’t, but equally some people do so it’s something to consider if you’re moving to natural-style pits. Stick with it, shower more and it will pass.
All in all I think this is a great concept, with a product that works well at a reasonable price.
Product details
Wild natural deodorant is availabe here at the Wild website. Prices vary depending on which option you go for. One case plus refill is £12, and you can then subscribe to add more refills from £5 each. Or you can stock up with one case plus three or five refills, from £25. UK postage is free.
*PR Sample