There are more brands than ever claiming to make the best deodorants out there, but it can take some serious trial and error to find one that works for you and your very own, er, bouquet. There are creams, gels, and sticks; aluminum-free “natural” varieties; and (supposedly) sweat-busting antiperspirants.
Yes, the options are vast, but you don’t have to put your pits on the line to find a great deodorant—just check out our picks below. We talked to dermatologists about which options are truly the best and how you can find your next go-to.
What’s the difference between deodorants and antiperspirants?
TL;DR: Deodorants provide odor protection and antiperspirants prevent perspiration (a.k.a. sweating). Most antiperspirants are also deodorants, but not all deodorants contain antiperspirant ingredients (though some may use alternatives like plant-based powders and starches to help absorb moisture).
The most common antiperspirant ingredients are aluminum salts, like aluminum chloride, Dr. Vasile says. She explains that antiperspirants work by temporarily blocking the sweat glands in your underarms—and, contrary to a popular misconception, there’s little evidence that links aluminum in deodorant to breast cancer or other health conditions. There’s no reason to avoid antiperspirants if they work well for you, Mina Amin, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Los Angeles, California, tells SELF.
Our top picks
- Best Deodorant: Mario Badescu Deodorant, $14
- Best Antiperspirant: Degree MotionSense Lavender & Waterlily Antiperspirant, $6
- Best for Serious Sweat: Dove Advanced Care Cool Essentials 72-Hour Antiperspirant & Deodorant, $24 (for a 4-pack)
- Best for Sensitive Skin: Megababe Geo Deo, $14
- Best Scent: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant, $32
- Best Spray: Dove Aluminum-Free Deodorant Spray, $24 (for a 3-pack)
- Best Cream: Megababe The Cream Deo, $14
- Best Roll-On: Kosas Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant, $18
- Best Deodorant Alternative: PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide, $9
In this article
Shop the best deodorants
If you’re still on the hunt for your BO silver bullet, you’ve come to the right place.
Best Deodorant: Mario Badescu Deodorant
We gave this lightly cucumber-scented deodorant a Healthy Beauty Award in 2024 because it just gets the job done without fuss, muss, or a million reapplications throughout the day. It’s made without aluminum or baking soda and contains hydrating, soothing ingredients like aloe vera, to keep your underarms feeling smooth.
“Finally, a deodorant that works,” one tester said. “I will buy this over and over and over and over again. It makes me happy every time I use it. I am thrilled by [its] sheer brilliance and simplicity.”
Type: Solid stick | Key ingredients: Antibacterial sage for odor, cucumber and ginger root extracts for fragrance
Best Antiperspirant: Degree MotionSense Lavender & Waterlily Antiperspirant
Degree
MotionSense Lavender & Waterlily Antiperspirant
Cut sweat, smell like flowers, and stay fresh all day with this 2022 Healthy Beauty Award winner. It uses aluminum to prevent sweat right at the source, so it’s definitely worth a try if staying dry is your top priority.
You can find Degree’s MotionSense deodorant in a bunch of different scents (including the very summery-sounding coconut and hibiscus), but the lavender and waterlily fragrance won our tester’s heart. “The scent is nice, it lasts for a day without reapplication, and it goes on pretty dry, which is great,” they said.
Type: Solid stick | Key ingredients: Aluminum
Best for Serious Sweat: Dove Advanced Care Cool Essentials 72-Hour Antiperspirant & Deodorant
.png)
Dove
Advanced Care Cool Essentials 72-Hour Antiperspirant & Deodorant (4-Pack)
“I am very sweaty and smelly, and truly haven’t found anything better than Dove’s Advanced Care deodorant,” one SELF staffer says. This longer-lasting formula is made with aluminum, botanical scents like cucumber and pear, and ceramides—the trifecta for hardworking armpits. The aluminum and fragrance work to combat stinky sweat, while ceramides help keep your delicate underarm skin healthy.
If you’re concerned that a deodorant made for serious odor might have a nuclear-strength scent, fear not—this stuff smells refreshing and subtle.
Type: Solid stick | Key ingredients: Aluminum
Best for Sensitive Skin: Megababe Geo Deo
I’ve tried everything from clinical strength antiperspirants to the crunchiest of natural deodorants in search of something that’ll keep my very sensitive pits happy (and relatively stink-free). I don’t know what I’ll do if Megababe’s Geo Deo ever gets discontinued, because it’s the one product that checks both of those boxes for me.
Its eucalyptus, cedarwood, and mint scent transports me to a forest by the beach, and its small amount of baking soda helps curb odors without turning my skin into a rashy mess. It also contains some extra ingredients to help keep skin moisturized and healthy, like shea butter and colloidal oatmeal—two sensitive skin all stars.
Type: Solid stick | Key ingredients: Baking soda, zinc oxide for odor control
Best Scent: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant
Donna Karan
Cashmere Mist Deodorant
Donna Karan’s best-selling Cashmere Mist stick has a luxe floral scent (featuring hints of jasmine, lily of the valley, and sandalwood) that one SELF staffer loves, saying it’s made her a believer in fancy deodorants.
The fragrance lasts an impressively long time—and our staffer says she can pick it up even when she wears perfume in addition to deo. It’s also no slouch when it comes to sweat control. The classic version, featured here, uses aluminum to block moisture (but it’s available in an aluminum-free formulation too).
Type: Solid stick | Key ingredients: Aluminum
Best Spray: Dove Aluminum-Free Deodorant Spray
Dove
0% Aluminum Deodorant Spray
Experts and SELF editors agree on Dove’s aluminum-free line of sticks and sprays—they’re lightly fragranced, but still easy on sensitive skin. The spray in particular is great when you need to apply (or reapply) on the go and don’t want to deal with any sticky, clumpy residue. It dries instantly and contains glycerin, one of the most common moisturizers out there, to help your pits feel softer and smoother.
Type: Spray | Key ingredients: Zinc neodecanoate for odor control, added fragrance
Best Cream: Megababe The Cream Deo
According to our 2023 Healthy Beauty Award testers, just a thin layer of this creamy-dreamy deodorant will last you the whole day. It’s aluminum- and baking-soda-free—instead, it uses a combination of mandelic and lactic acids (which have antibacterial properties) to address odor. Both of these acids also exfoliate the skin to help prevent pesky ingrown hairs from cropping up and reduce hyperpigmentation.
Not only does Megababe’s award–winner perform extremely well, but it’s also a pleasure to use. Our testers appreciated that the tube’s opening is rounded, so they could apply and rub in the cream without getting their hands messy.
Type: Cream | Key ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid, essential oils for fragrance
Best Roll-On: Kosas Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant
Kosas
Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant
Here’s another natural deo that uses mandelic and lactic acids—this time in a cooling, roll-on formula. It goes on clear and moisturizes the skin with hyaluronic acid and aloe vera. One SELF staffer noted that, while it feels pretty wet at first, it dries quickly and works great on chiller days. “For high-sweat days, I need a few applications throughout the day to keep BO at bay. But for normal days, a few swipes in the morning is just fine,” she said.
Type: Roll-on | Key ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid
Best Deodorant Alternative: PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide
PanOxyl
Acne Foaming Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 10%
If basically all deodorants have delivered lackluster results (or you just want to try something different), this tried-and-true acne cleanser might be your holy grail. As SELF has previously reported, benzoyl peroxide—the main ingredient in PanOxyl’s face wash—can help reduce odor-causing bacteria in your pits, preventing your BO from getting out of control.
For best results, let it sit on your skin for a few minutes, then rinse, Gabriella Vasile, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and owner of Réforme Dermatology and Aesthetics in Charleston, South Carolina, tells SELF. Repeat up to four or five times a week (any more and you could risk drying out or irritating your skin).
Type: Rinse-off cleanser | Key ingredients: Benzoyl peroxide
FAQs about deodorants
What should you look for in an effective deodorant?
A good deodorant should prevent BO in the first place and help mask it when it eventually arises. First, look for ones made with ingredients that make it difficult for odor-causing bacteria to accumulate. Alpha-hydroxy acids (or AHAs) like mandelic or lactic acid and antibacterial or antimicrobial agents like benzoyl peroxide are all great options, Dr. Vasile says. Next, added fragrances, perfumes, and plant-based essential oils can all impart a lovely fragrance to your deo of choice. (Just keep in mind that you might need to test out a few before you find a scent that you want to smell like all day long.)
For bonus points, Dr. Vasile also recommends looking for deodorants made with hydrating ingredients like shea butter, glycerin, or oatmeal. After all, a moisturized pit is a happy pit.
Is there anything you should avoid in a deodorant?
A lot of common deodorant ingredients (even ones found in “natural” varieties) can be irritating if you have sensitive skin. Look out for essential oils, baking soda, chemical exfoliants like AHAs, fragrances, and alcohol, Dr. Vasile says. Any of these could cause a reaction, depending on your skin’s tolerance level—so if they show up in a deodorant that you still really want to try, make sure to patch test it first before swiping it over your whole pit.
Related:
Get more of SELF’s stellar product recommendations delivered right to your inbox (for free!).
