Ingredients: water, potassium alum, xanthum gum, zinc citrate, benzoic acid
EWG Safety Rating: 2 (safe) - click for report!
Price: $3.99 US
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I am always skeptical about mass marketed brands, afterall, they require longer shelf life standards and are usually massively produced. When Tom's of Maine sent me their newest roll-on deodorant to try, I was anxious to enter their ingredients into EWG to see the safety rating. After coming up with a safe rating, I happily applied the deodorant to start testing.
I am a sweater, not the furry kind that keeps you warm in winter, no. The kind that makes you a set, dripping mess under your arms for apparently no reason whatsoever. I'm pretty sure it is linked to hormone changes with having children, but whatever the reason, it requires control to prevent odor. I've tried so many different deodorants in different forms (sprays, roll-on, stick, gel) and definitely have found that some do not work for me, whilst others work wonderfully! This deodorant falls into the latter category...it works GREAT!
Although it is not an antiperspirant, I swear I do not sweat as much while using this deodorant. As you may know, it is healthy for your body to sweat - it rids your body of toxins and prevents overheating! But, odor is not a necessary component of this, it's just a consequence, so you want to find a deodorant that controls odor and still allows you to sweat. I can say that over our 2 week trial, the Tom's of Maine crystal confidence deodorant worked through the day with a single application.
On a side note, I had a bad reaction to the mineral salt crystal rocks sold as deodorant - resulting in a chemical burn and swelling for several days under my arms. Although this deodorant utilizes similar mineral salts to kill bacteria, I did not suffer a reaction from this product (not even when applied after shaving).
NOTE: The ingredient, potassium alum, is controversial. Although we have researched this ingredient thoroughly and have found it to be safe in this application (along with other independent research institutions such as EWG), there are some who are concerned about the possibility of aluminum toxicity through use of this particular ingredient. Here are some of the factors we considered in our decision to test this product:
- FDA-approved for use in foods (now as many of us know, this does not mean it is inherently safe, however it has been used for a very long time with no health effects shown in low doses)
- It is a naturally occurring mineral found within the USA (TN) - however, it can be synthetically created as well, and the synthetic variety is associated with minor skin irritation
- It is used to filter water and is an ingredient in baking powder - if you drink water or eat baked goods (bread), you are already ingesting higher quantities of this ingredient
- Minerals are generally absorbed much more readily through ingestion than through topical/skin application, application method provides minimal exposure
- A very small amount is needed once daily on a small area of the skin only to be effective, thus exposure is minimal
- We have previously tested potassium alum crystal deodorants (the solid rock variety) and had severe skin reactions, however no reaction whatsoever was noted with this product
- EWG and many other well-respected scientific based institutions rate this ingredient as safe for topical/skin use
