The Very Best Deodorants for Your Sweatiest, Stinkiest Days (2024)

• Best Overall: Mario Badescu Deodorant

  Courtesy of brand

  Mario Badescu

  Deodorant

  $14

  Amazon

  We gave this lightly cucumber-scented deodorant a Healthy Beauty Award this year 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 and calm. “Finally, a deodorant that works,” wrote one tester. “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.”

  • Active ingredients: Antibacterial sage for odor, cucumber and ginger root extracts for fragrance

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Subtle but effective scent
  • Contains added moisturizers
  • Suitable for sensitive skin types

  Cons

  • No antiperspirant ingredients

• Best Antiperspirant Deodorant: Degree MotionSense Lavender & Waterlily Antiperspirant

  Courtesy of brand / Amanda K Bailey

  Degree

  MotionSense Lavender & Waterlily Antiperspirant

  $5

  Walmart

  Cut sweat, smell like flowers, and stay fresh all day—this 2022 Healthy Beauty Award winner helps you accomplish all three of those lofty goals. 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 MotionSense deodorant in a bunch of different scents (including the very summery-sounding coconut and hibiscus), but the lavender and waterlily variety 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 wrote.

  • Active ingredients: Aluminum

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Under $5
  • Keeps you dry
  • Long-lasting

  Cons

  • Can be tough to wash off, according to Walmart and Amazon reviewers

• Best Budget: Dove 0% Aluminum

  Target

  Dove

  0% Aluminum

  $7

  Target

  Brendan Camp, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York, tells SELF that this drugstore pick is great for people with sensitive skin, since it doesn’t contain common irritants like baking soda and alcohol. He also likes that it still contains a subtle amount of fragrance (in case your skin can tolerate added scents and fragrance-free products aren’t your jam). It also contains glycerin, one of the most common moisturizing ingredients out there, to help your pits feel softer and smoother.

  • Active ingredients: Added fragrance

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Under $7
  • Made with sensitive skin in mind

  Cons

  • Takes a little longer to dry, according to Target reviewers

• Best for Serious Sweat: Advanced Care Cool Essentials 72-Hour Antiperspirant & Deodorant

  Amazon

  Dove

  Advanced Care Cool Essentials 72-Hour Antiperspirant & Deodorant (4-Pack)

  $24 $17

  Amazon

  “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—you can think of that combo as the trifecta for hardworking armpits. The aluminum and fragrance work to combat stinky sweat, while the 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—Target reviewers report that this stuff smells refreshing and subtle.

  • Active ingredients: Aluminum

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Great for workouts and extra-sweaty days
  • Under $10 (per stick)

  Cons

  • Some Amazon reviewers notice residue on their skin and clothes

• Best Cream: Megababe The Cream Deo

  Courtesy of Megababe

  Megababe

  The Cream Deo

  $14 $11

  Amazon

  See Also

  These Deodorants Fight Even Smelly Armpits and Lots of SweatThe 12 Very Best Women’s Deodorants and Anti-perspirantsBeat the Heat This Summer With These 14 Byrdie Editor-Approved DeodorantsThis Deodorant Made Our Editor Smell Like a Fresh Garden Rose After a Long Run

  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—it’s a pleasure to use too. Our testers appreciated that the tube’s opening was rounded, so they could apply and rub in the cream without getting their hands messy.

  • Active ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid, essential oils for fragrance

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Easy to apply
  • No crusty residue
  • Prevents in-growns

  Cons

  • Takes longer to dry than a stick formula

• Best Spray: Secret Weightless Dry Spray

  Courtesy of brand / Amanda K Bailey

  Secret

  Weightless Dry Spray, Wild Rose

  $7

  Amazon

  $7

  Walmart

  Fast-drying spray deodorants can’t be beat for their convenience, and this one from Secret won a Healthy Beauty Award back in 2022. “It smells amazing and really keeps you feeling good all day,” one tester wrote. “The rose scent is subtle, but combats sweat expertly.” (It also comes in several other scents if you prefer something fresh or fruity.) Unlike a lot of other deodorant sprays, Secret’s Weightless Dry Spray doesn’t contain alcohol, so it’s less likely to cause dryness and irritation.

  • Active ingredients: Aluminum

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Dries quickly
  • Easy to apply

  Cons

  • May lose air pressure before the product runs out, according to Amazon reviewers

• Best Roll-On: Kosas Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant

  Sephora

  Kosas

  Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant

  $16

  Nordstrom

  $16

  Sephora

  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 wrote.

  • Active ingredients: Mandelic acid, lactic acid

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Clear
  • Fresh scent options

  Cons

  • Not strong enough for super-sweaty days

• Best for Sensitive Skin: Attitude Baking Soda–Free Deodorant

  Amazon

  Attitude

  Baking Soda-Free Deodorant

  $14 $12

  Amazon

  Because it’s made with soothing ingredients like chamomile and oat extract (and without potential irritants like baking soda), Attitude’s deodorant is especially helpful for people with sensitive skin, Gabriella Vasile, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist and owner of Réforme Dermatology and Aesthetics in Charleston, South Carolina, tells SELF. Instead of aluminum, it uses white clay to absorb sweat and BO, and it’s available in three scents, plus an unscented formulation. Plus, Attitude’s plastic-free packaging is biodegradable.

  • Active ingredients: White clay (a.k.a. kaolin) for sweat and odor

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Gentle and soothing formula (especially the unscented variety)
  • Contains added moisturizers

  Cons

  • Slightly crumbly texture, according to Amazon reviewers

• Best High-End: Corpus Third Rose Natural Deodorant

  Amazon

  Corpus

  Third Rose Natural Deodorant

  $26

  Amazon

  $26

  Nordstrom

  Dr. Camp recommends this splurge-worthy natural deodorant from Corpus, specifically shouting out its light scent and water-based, long-lasting formula. It comes in the form of a stick, but upon application, it has a gel-like consistency that absorbs and dries quickly. Amazon reviewers love the texture of this deodorant—many people described it as “gliding” across their skin and noted how easily it blended, with no lingering cast or white marks. Others mentioned that they needed to reapply throughout the day, though, so consider keeping your stick handy if you’re out and about.

  • Active ingredients: Silica for odor and sweat, essential oils and extracts for fragrance

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Great texture
  • Absorbs quickly

  Cons

  • Pricey
  • May need reapplication

• Best Scent: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant

  Sephora

  See Also

  There's a Big Difference Between Antiperspirants and Deodorants—Here’s What You Want to Buy

  Donna Karan

  Cashmere Mist Deodorant

  $32 $26

  Amazon

  $32

  Nordstrom

  $32

  Sephora

  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. According to Sephora reviewers, 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 (it’s available in an aluminum-free formulation too).

  • Active ingredients: Aluminum

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • Lovely, long-lasting fragrance
  • Doesn’t stain clothes, according to Sephora reviewers

  Cons

  • Pricey

• Best Deodorant Alternative: PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide

  Amazon

  PanOxyl

  Acne Foaming Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 10%

  $10

  Amazon

  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, thus preventing your BO from getting out of control. Dr. Vasile says to let it sit on your skin for a few minutes, then rinse. Repeat up to four or five times a week (any more and you could risk drying out or irritating your skin).

  • Active ingredients: Benzoyl peroxide

  Pros & Cons

  Pros

  • No residue
  • No reapplication
  • $10 and under

  Cons

  • Can bleach clothes
  • Doesn’t prevent sweating

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• Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream

  Sephora

  Drunk Elephant

  Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream

  $16

  Sephora

  $16

  Ulta

  Mina Amin, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Los Angeles, California, likes Drunk Elephant’s fragrance-free Sweet Pitti deodorant cream, noting that it’s especially well-suited to people with sensitive skin. It uses mandelic acid to curb body odor and arrowroot powder to absorb sweat—plus, it contains nourishing shea butter to keep your underarms well-moisturized.

  • Active ingredients: Mandelic acid, arrowroot

• Dove VitaminCare+ Aluminum Free Deodorant

  Amazon

  Dove

  VitaminCare+ Aluminum Free Deodorant Stick

  $12

  Amazon

  $12

  Target

  A favorite of both Dr. Vasile and Dr. Amin, Dove’s VitaminCare+ deodorant contains niacinamide, or vitamin B3, to help keep your skin hydrated and calm. It’s made without aluminum, and, according to Dr. Vasile, it leaves no trace of a white cast.

  • Active ingredients: Added fragrance

• Malin+Goetz Eucalyptus Deodorant

  Amazon

  Malin+Goetz

  Eucalyptus Deodorant

  $24

  Amazon

  $24

  Nordstrom

  This super-smooth deodorant from Malin+Goetz may help neutralize your BO, Dr. Camp says. Its key ingredients, eucalyptus oil and citronellyl (which comes from compounds in various flower and plant oils), are thought to have some antibacterial properties. Those star components also give the deodorant a refreshingly light, springy scent.

  • Active ingredients: Eucalyptus oil, citronellyl

• L’Occitane Solid Stick Deodorant

  Amazon

  L'Occitane

  Solid Stick Deodorant

  $22

  Amazon

  $22 $16

  Target

  SELF’s editor in chief swears by L’Occitane’s stick deodorant, specifically the lively “energizing cedrat” scent (if you want something with woodsier notes, go with the “eau des baux” scent, she says).

  • Active ingredients: Essential oils for fragrance

• Schmidt’s Aluminum-Free Deodorant

  Amazon

  Schmidt’s

  Aluminum-Free Deodorant

  $14

  Amazon

  $11

  Target

  This is another Healthy Beauty Award–winner that wowed our testers with its formula and fragrance in equal measure. It’s made with colloidal oatmeal, which can help keep sensitive skin calm, and its scents are surprisingly luxurious.

  • Active ingredients: Added fragrance

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Sara Coughlin is a writer and editor with ample experience covering health and wellness trends. As SELF's senior commerce writer, she's taken a special interest in skin care, outdoor recreation, sleep, fitness gear and apparel, and more.