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Finding a good deodorant is much like finding a good pen: Sometimes you just happen upon it, and other times it requires an extensive hunt and many, many attempts, which is to say that deodorant is subjective and highly personal to your taste. For example, I like anti-perspirants with aluminum that can hold up to my heavy sweating. You may be different, but generally, a good deodorant — anti-perspirant or not — will stop you from smelling and offending your fellow man and, if it’s meant to reduce sweat, will make your armpits less sweaty. Deodorant falls into two categories: with aluminum and deodorants without. Aluminum-free deodorants are often referred to as “natural” and use ingredients like arrowroot powder, magnesium, and baking soda to absorb additional moisture and keep you smelling fresh. Aluminum will help to stop you from sweating; natural deodorants will not.
To track down the best women’s deodorants and anti-perspirants, I talked to dermatologists, athletes, trainers, and sweaty Strategist staffers about the deodorants and anti-perspirants they’re using to stay fresh, and I tested a few of them to make sure they belong on this list. Our picks, below.
Update on December 17, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Anti-perspirant or deodorant
Deodorants are broken down into two categories: anti-perspirants and deodorants. Anti-perspirants contain aluminum, which blocks the sweat glands to minimize sweat and cut down on the smell. Deodorants use a range of ingredients to absorb sweat and minimize odor. A popular ingredient in non-aluminum deodorants (often referred to as natural deodorants) is baking soda, which does a good job of absorbing sweat and smell. Baking soda can be sensitizing, however, and has been known to cause irritation and sensitivity for some people. With that in mind, we’ve included lots of baking-soda-alternative formulas, too.
Scent
Deodorants come in a wide variety of scents, from floral to earthy to citrus, to scent your pits and mask the funk. Fragrance can also be an irritant, however, so that’s something to keep in mind if you have sensitive skin.
Price
Deodorants tend to be on the more affordable side, but if you want to get the biggest bang for your buck, we’ve noted how much you get in a tube as well as the cost per ounce.
Anti-perspirants
Best anti-perspirant–deodorant stick overall
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Cucumber melon | Price: 2.6 ounces (Approx. $2/ounce)
If you don’t need a superstrong anti-perspirant like Dove’s Clinical Protection, the standard Dove is a solid option. The classic offers 48 hours of anti-perspirant protection and has moisturizing ingredients for the skin. This was the deodorant I used throughout high school, and it was a solid performer: It kept me dry and was super-affordable. The main drawback is I’m not the biggest fan of the brand’s scents. Cucumber melon now feels a bit juvenile to me, but the line features some other options, like coconut and lavender. Tamara Pridgett, founder of fitness creative agency Extended Day Studios and host of The First podcast, has been wearing it since middle school and counts it among the products she can’t live without. “It’s my go-to, and I need to have it at all times,” she says. “I like it because it doesn’t get clumpy underneath my armpits, and it lasts an eternity.” Strategist writer Emma Wartzman is also a fan: “I have tried a lot and nothing works better for me than this one.”
Best anti-perspirant–deodorant stick for sensitive skin
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Unscented | Price: 2.6 ounces (Approx. $1/ounce)
If your skin is on the sensitive side, Dove makes an unscented anti-perspirant deodorant that’s designed to be nonirritating. Fitness coach Avamaria Rivas is both a heavy sweater and someone with sensitive skin. To avoid irritation, she wears deodorant only when she leaves the house or teaches fitness classes. Her product of choice is Dove Sensitive, which she found after trying both natural and traditional options. “It’s the only deodorant that doesn’t break me out,” she says. “I also like that I don’t smell and that I stay fairly dry after my intense workouts.”
Best clinical-strength anti-perspirant–deodorant stick
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Cucumber | Price: 1.7 ounces (Approx. $5/ounce)
If you’re a heavy sweater, Dove’s Clinical Protection is a better bet than the options above. It features green tea, which has anti-inflammatory properties that help safeguard against irritation. “This is my longtime favorite anti-perspirant. I’ve used it for many years,” says Dr. Jessica Krant of Art of Dermatology. “It does the trick for wetness and odor and never irritates my skin.”
Best anti-perspirant–deodorant gel
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Lavender | Price: 2.6 ounces (Approx. $2/ounce)
For a gel-textured deodorant, Secret’s Fresh Clear Gel is a great option. In my experience, it dries down clear, doesn’t transfer to clothing, and is very long-lasting. Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla is also a fan: “It survived eight-hour shifts when I worked in retail and got me through hourlong job interviews when I was ridiculously nervous,” she says. Then there’s the scent, which Pardilla describes as heavenly. She opts for the lavender fragrance (though the deodorant also comes in scents like rose, coconut, and water lily), which she describes as “subtle but sweet.”
Best anti-perspirant–deodorant stick for supersensitive skin
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Unscented | Price: 2.25 ounces (Approx. $4/ounce)
If you’re supersensitive, you may want to try Vanicream. Despite having a fairly high concentration of aluminum (20 percent), it’s unscented and free of practically any other irritant you can think of. It’s also long-lasting, offering clinical-strength protection for up to 24 hours.
Best anti-perspirant deodorant for heavy sweating
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Everest | Price: 2.7 ounces (Approx. $5.5/ounce)
Generally, I prefer deodorant that’s traditionally marketed to men since the scents are more up my alley. (Even though the names are admittedly a little silly, I would still rather smell like “Everest” than “cucumber melon” any day of the week.) I stole a stick of this from a Costco-size stash meant for my dad and never looked back. Since I’m a heavy sweater, I need the big guns. Sometimes I find this deodorant does transfer to my shirts, but that’s the price I’ll gladly pay to stay dry and sweat-stain free.
Best anti-perspirant wipes
Antiperspirant or deodorant: Antiperspirant | Scent: Unscented | Price: Approx. $2/wipe
If you’re a heavy sweater, then SweatBlock’s antiperspirant wipes need no introduction (they’ve even been endorsed by the International Hyperhidrosis Society). But for the uninitiated: SweatBlock contains a high concentration of aluminum chloride and needs to be applied at night. I use one wipe under my arms before I go to bed once a week and it keeps me dry for up to seven days. They’re also great as a full-body deodorant if you want to treat other areas of your body that are prone to heavy perspiration, like your lower back or under your boobs. I’ve used these consistently for the past six years whenever I need to bring out the big guns — summer weddings, birthday parties in overcrowded bars, a subway platform in July — and they’ve never let me down. I still use regular deodorant in the mornings for odor protection, but when it comes to reducing moisture, nothing compares to these.
Best anti-perspirant wipes for face
Protection type: Anti-perspirant | Scent: Unscented | Price: Approx. $1.46/wipe
Face sweat is particularly hard to conceal, which is why I highly recommend using SweatBlock’s face wipes to prevent the sweat before it starts. They’re formulated with a gentler aluminum chlorohydrate that is less irritating for the more sensitive skin on your face than aluminum chloride, along with soothing witch hazel and vitamin E. Like the SweatBlock wipes above, you can use them at night or 30 minutes before applying morning skin care, though I personally prefer to do this at night so I wake up nice and dry and eliminate an extra step in the morning. I apply once a week for most of the year and up to twice weekly during the summer. And if you’re worried about a breakout, I’m pleased to report that after months of weekly application, my skin is clearer than it has ever been.
Natural deodorants
Best long-lasting natural deodorant
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Deodorant | Scent: Rose and vanilla | Price: 3.25 ounces (Approx. $3/ounce)
Schmidt’s is a big player in the natural-deodorant space — beloved by celebrities, Strategist staffers, and dermatologists. Like many natural deodorants, Schmidt’s uses baking soda to absorb and neutralize odor along with arrowroot powder, which helps soak up sweat. But if you’re particularly sensitive to fragrances, you may want to skip it because Schmidt’s uses essential oils to scent its products.
Best natural deodorant without baking soda
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Deodorant | Scent: Cotton and lily | Price: 2.65 ounces (Approx. $5.28/ounce)
Lots of natural-deodorant formulas contain baking soda, and while it’s effective in absorbing odors (similar to the way it eliminates smells in your fridge), it’s more alkaline than your skin, which can throw off your pH balance and cause irritation. If that sounds like you, I recommend Native’s Sensitive line, which is baking-soda free and uses tapioca starch to absorb sweat. It contains oils and moisturizers like shea butter and coconut oil to help it go on smoothly, and it comes in a bevy of scents.
Best AHA deodorant
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Deodorant | Scent: Citrus, ylang-ylang | Price: 2.4 ounces (Approx. $7/ounce)
AHAs have become the popular new ingredient in deodorants, supposedly making armpits inhospitable to bacteria and thus eliminating the funk. The main ingredient in this deodorant is shikimic acid, a natural deodorizer that also helps fight acne. The formula contains an assortment of other acids, such as lactic and mandelic, which help with brightening and exfoliating. AHA deodorants can be particularly useful for people who struggle with ingrown hairs, as the acids help to keep pores unclogged. It also comes recommended by the Zoe Report’s deputy beauty editor, Hannah Baxter, who has been using this product for over a year.
Best-smelling natural deodorant
Anti-perspirant or deodorant: Deodorant | Scent: Lemon, patchouli, sage, and cedarwood | Price: 1.7 ounces (Approx. $12/ounce)
For a natural deodorant with a serious scent profile, try Evolvetogether’s line. “It goes on more like a body balm than a deodorant and makes my armpits feel really soft,” says Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo. “It keeps me dry, knocks out any body odor even on the hottest days, and it’s clear, so it doesn’t leave any white marks.” And while the formula’s great, Corsillo says the best part is the scent. She likes the Tulum fragrance, which has notes of lemon, patchouli, sage, and cedarwood: “It’s a bit Topanga Canyon and a bit fresh lemon water at the spa.”
Some more women’s deodorants we’ve written about
Our experts
• Hannah Baxter, deputy beauty editor at the Zoe Report
• Susan Binder, dermatologist and founder of Binder Dermatology
• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer
• Dr. Michelle Henry, dermatologist
• Dr. Jessica Krant, dermatologist at Art of Dermatology
• Ambar Pardilla, Strategist writer
• Tamara Pridgett, founder of fitness creative agency Extended Day Studios and host of The First podcast
• Avamaria Rivas, Fitness coach
• Emma Wartzman, Strategist writer
Additional reporting by Tembe Denton-Hurst
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