Ah yes, summer: the season of sunshine, surfing, and, of course, sweating. With the record-breaking levels of heat, one has to think that there must be record-breaking levels of perspiration. Whether it has been dealing with the smelly, sticky, or just plain wet, these past few months have really made me revisit my gratitude for deodorant. Living in New York City, you, unfortunately, have no choice but to be in the near-constant presence of others - and their smells. Most of us take great care not to be the smelly person on the subway, but when presented with skin-screaming, face-frying, mind-melting heat, that can be harder than you think. Finding the right product becomes a must, and clearly Pilgrim’s understands that, so let’s get into it.

First of all, their packaging is gorgeous - and 100% biodegradable. Anyone who says they don’t judge a book by its cover is probably a liar. Their containers use bold but tasteful color schemes and feature traditional tattoo-inspired illustrations like a tiger, skeleton, and vintage sea diver. Furthermore, the fact that packaging is 100% biodegradable is exceptionally impressive in comparison to other brands that, at best, feature plastic refillable containers.

Going into deodorants themselves, there are three scent choices: classic unscented, blue cypress coconut, and wild orange cedarwood. All of the ingredients are vegan, cruelty free, biodegradable, baking soda and aluminum free, and palm free, again adding to their environmentally-conscious design. Unlike other natural deodorants, which tend to smell quite strongly of a single essential oil, meant to aggressively mask the body odor scent rather than eliminating it, the two scented options are a much subtler blend. The blue cyprus coconut option smells like a gentle mix of fresh sage and wood - quite similar to palo santo. The wild orange cedarwood option smells like savory citrus with a touch of leafy evergreen. Neither of these read as a “gendered” scent, and overall do a good job of combining “musky” natural scents with clean ones, and they are in no way overpowering.

For me, even if a natural deodorant has a pleasant smell, their downfall lies in the ingredient blend. In most cases, in order to create a moisturizing and “gliding” effect, deodorants rely on heavy oils or butters, which, while good for the skin, when mixed with baking soda, one of the most common odor-eliminators, can actually become quite abrasive and leave rings of irritation. I remember walking around the city for two days with my arms raised because I tried a natural deodorant and all it did was burn my skin - ouch. Furthermore, without an ingredient to dry the underarm area, you end up with a very wet and slick armpit - gross. The Pilgrim’s deodorant addresses this issue: it contains arrowroot as the first ingredient, which is highly absorbent, meaning your pits will be much drier. While it does contain coconut oil for moisture and anti-bacterial effects, it also contains candelilla wax, which will help seal the ingredients in without a slick and slippery feeling. In addition to the scented oil blends to help with smell, the inclusion of magnesium hydroxide gently raises the pH of the skin from a weakly-acidic 5.5 to an alkaline 9 (or higher). This change in skin pH inhibits the growth of odor-producing bacteria that would normally thrive in the armpit by removing “favorable” conditions without damaging the skin itself. No bacteria means no stink. Science is amazing.

Now, if you are reading this and excited to try these products, you should be. Just be aware that if you are going from a deodorant that contains aluminum to these natural ones, it is a process. Aluminum in deodorants works by filling the pores and stopping sweat from occurring all together. Essentially, the aluminum product motto is “if you are physically unable to sweat, you can’t smell.” Some sweat is necessary for clearing out skin and managing body temperature, however, so switching to an aluminum-free deodorant is a great idea. Once you stop using a deodorant with aluminum, your body is going to purge those aluminum corks out of your pores, along with all the waste trapped in there. This will smell. It does not mean the new deodorant is not working - it means your body has to detox the old gross stuff first. Think about it like a blocked faucet: you’ve removed the clog, but there is still a lot of backed up sludge that has to come out the drain before the water runs clear. You have to let that nastiness move through the pipes first before you get to the clean drinking water. During this switchover time, clay and/or charcoal masks (like the ones for your face), can speed up the detox process. Exfoliating the armpit with cleansing scrubs and salicylic acid (a key acne-fighting ingredient) can also help speed up transition. Give it some time, and soon you will be the best smelling person on the MTA (that is a low bar, but you get the idea).

On a personal note, as both an athlete and the type of person to get the sweats after one-too-many sips of coffee, I take my perspiration hygiene quite seriously. I simply cannot risk being a wet, stinky person - it is not fair to myself and to my teammates. Pilgrim’s deodorant addresses all my needs in terms of absorption, bacterial management, and scent. I know that I am clean, protecting my skin, and making an environmentally sound choice.

It feels good to smell good.