BEN AND ANNA DEODORANT REVIEW

In this article I will be looking at the three types of aluminium free natural deodorants available from Ben and Anna, and reviewing their Persian Lime natural deodorant. If you are interested in a vegan natural cream deodorant (cream to powder on application), take a look at the Aurelia London Cream Deodorant Review.

Ben and Anna

Ben and Anna are a vegan couple who have made a mission out of living sustainably and plastic free as well as trying to increase the awareness of natural products. Their company, Ben and Anna, does a range of personal care products from deodorants and oral care to shower tablets and hair shampoo bars. All their products have vegan ingredients, are free of aluminium and micro-plastics and they ensure that they select packaging that will have the lowest impact on the environment.

Natural deodorant reviews

I have tried a variety of natural deodorants over the years, some have been very good and some have been absolutely dreadful and made me smell worse than not using a deodorant! For me, there is nothing more disappointing than finding a natural product that does not perform well and that is why I spend my time testing, reviewing and rating natural skincare products so you don’t have to waste your money!

Ben and Anna natural deodorants

Ben and Anna deodorants come in three varieties.

Ben and Anna natural stick deodorant

This option is a 60g solid stick deodorant in a push up tube which uses bicarbonate of soda, arrowroot, corn starch and essential oils to protect against odour and wetness.

It contains shea butter as one of the main ingredients, which is beautifully conditioning for the skin.

It also contains a handful of other gentle oils such as coconut, sunflower and castor. The product comes in a paper tube making it exceptionally environmentally friendly as it is fully recyclable (and probably compostable too).

I was spoilt for choice when it came to the fragrances as there are six available:

• Pure – unscented for those allergic to essential oils or for those who prefer no scent at all

• Provence – with lavender, sage and rosemary

• Pink Grapefruit – with grapefruit and lime

• Indian Mandarin – with orange and citrus

• Nordic Timber – with cedarwood and palmarosa

• Vanilla Orchid – with flowery vanilla and marigold (said to be ideal for sensitive skin but contains parfum see note below)

• Persian Lime – with bergamot, lime, mandarin orange and lemongrass

I plumped for the Persian Lime which won a Vegan Beauty Award in 2021. The product is fairly easy to use.

How to use Ben and Anna natural stick deodorant

You just take off the cap and push the tube underneath with your thumb to get the deodorant stick up the tube. The video on the Ben and Anna website says you should hold the deodorant stick against your armpit for about 10 seconds to soften it but I found it took just a little longer. According to the instructional video you don’t need to apply much at all. They demonstrate just using one swipe but I have to admit I didn’t feel this covered enough of an area on my armpit so I applied a few swipes to ensure the area was covered.

You then just pop the tube top back on. You don’t need to put the product back down the tube as there is enough room in the covering cap to accommodate the deodorant stick that has been pushed up.

Ben and Anna natural deodorant in Persian Lime - ingredients

Sodium Bicarbonate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Zea Mays Starch, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Cera, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Shorea Robusta Resin, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Cera, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Limonene, Rhus Succedanea Fruit Cera, Citrus Limon Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Tocopherol, Linalool, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citral, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Geraniol, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract.

Ben and Anna sensitive deodorant sticks

If your skin reacts to bicarbonate of soda then you could try the Ben and Anna Sensitive Deodorant Sticks, which use talc instead of bicarbonate of soda and again come in an eco-friendly paper tube. It is available three options, Highland Breeze, Japanese Cherry Blossom and Lemon and Lime.

Sensitive skin warning

The absence of bicarbonate of soda in these products makes them ideal for those who find this ingredient irritating but just one word of warning here if you do have particularly sensitive skin. Whilst the main ingredients in these sticks remain the same (apart from talc instead of bicarbonate of soda) they all contain parfum (as does the Vanilla Orchid version of the main deodorant stick line).

Parfum is a term commonly used for synthetic chemical blends of fragrances (or synthetic fragrances blended with some essential oils). Frequently these can be a cause of irritation and redness for sensitive skin and in the wort cases, itching, burning and dermatitis.

I can’t quite understand why Ben and Anna would put parfum in sensitive skin products when they are using essential oils in their main line. Although anyone can be allergic to essential oils you can actually see which ones are in the product from the ingredient list along with their allergens. If you have sensitive skin you have a far greater chance of having a reaction to a synthetic chemical fragrance blend plus they are more likely to contain ingredients which have other side effects. Find out more about what ingredients to avoid in your skincare.

I have super sensitive skin but have never had any problems with any essential oils but have reacted very badly to parfum and I don’t ever use any skincare products which have parfum in them as an ingredient.

Ben and Anna Sensitive Deodorant Stick, 60g - £10.95 - benandanna.uk

Ben and Anna soda cream deodorant

The other alternative in the Ben and Anna deodorant range is their Soda Cream Deodorant Tins. These are 45g tins and come in just three options, Persian Lime, Pink Grapefruit and Vanilla Orchid. The formulations for these look similar to the stick deodorants but note that the Vanilla Orchid option contains parfum as an ingredient (see notes on parfum).

Ben and Anna Soda Cream Deodorant Tins, 45g - £7.95 - benandanna.uk

Ben and Anna Persian lime deodorant review

I have been using the Persian Lime natural deodorant for some time now. It has lasted really well and I have used it in both very hot weather and when it has been cooler. Frequently I am out and about walking with the dog, often uphill and I can get quite hot. Even though I got quite sweaty on my body my armpits remained cool and dry and at the end of the day there was absolutely no odour at all.

Ben and Anna advise that if the weather is very hot the product may soften and to just pop it in the fridge for a while, but I had no issues with it going soft even in a heatwave.

I was really impressed with the product. It is very eco-friendly and rates as one of the top deodorants that I have tested for effectiveness. The Persian Lime version smells lovely and I feel confident about exercising or getting hot and sweaty when I am wearing it as I know it is an effective product.

If I could moan about just one thing it would be that sometimes when you take the top off the tube there can be a few ‘shavings’ from the stick that fall off, but it is such a small thing for what is in fact a really good product. I’ll definitely be trying this product again in another fragrance.

NOTE: However, one note of caution here, all the natural deodorant sticks contain essential oils apart from the Vanilla Orchid, which contains parfum as well (see notes on parfum).

Ben and Anna Natural Deodorant Stick in Persian Lime, 60g - £9.95 - benandanna.uk

Ben and Anna deodorants - overall review

I love the Persian Lime natural stick deodorant with the paper tube packaging and I find it works very effectively as a deodorant and as it lasts a long time, is also good value for money.

I am slightly disappointed that they are using parfum as an ingredient in the Vanilla Orchid fragrance option as they are also stating that this option is suitable for use on sensitive skin (possibly because it has a small amount of calendula extract in it).

I am much more concerned that all three of the sensitive stick deodorants contain parfum. Although some people will buy these if they have a reaction to bicarbonate of soda and be absolutely fine, I think it is a little misleading to say they are suitable for sensitive skin and I would not recommend these particular three products to anyone with sensitive skin as parfum is a known skin irritant. Perhaps renaming them as ‘soda free’ would be more appropriate?

However, despite my issues with the parfum in some of the products, five of the options in the natural deodorant sticks only contain essential oils and I don’t have a problem with these at all and will be buying this product again, probably the Indian Mandarin or Provence!

It just goes to show that you really need to look at the ingredient labels when you buy skincare products.

If you would like to know more about natural skincare, why not read my Guide to Clean Beauty?

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