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Taylor Lane Contributor Content written by Forbes Vetted Contributors is assigned, reviewed and edited by Forbes Staff
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A good deodorant is designed to keep you feeling fresh and dry, no matter the season or activity. Whether you’re looking for an aluminum-free version like the Alo Supernatural Deodorant or a gel formula like the Nécessaire The Deodorant Gel, you’re sure to find a new go-to in our roundup of the best deodorants for women (which includes our top pick from Dove, the Advanced Care Antiperspirant Stick).
Deodorants come in many forms ranging from sticks to gels to sprays, and can feature both subtle and bolder scents as well as fragrance-free options. Ahead, find the very best deodorants for women, including drugstore classics and newer formulas.
Best Deodorant Overall For Women: Dove Advanced Care
Best Drugstore Deodorant For Women: Secret Clinical Strength
Best Natural Deodorant For Women: Alo Supernatural
Best Women's Deodorant For Sensitive Skin: Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti
Best-Smelling Deodorant For Women: Evolvetogether Tulum Deodorant
Best Fragrance-Free Deodorant For Women: Native Deodorant Unscented
Best Gel Deodorant For Women: Nécessaire The Deodorant Gel
Best Sports Deodorant For Women: Lavanila Sport Luxe
Best Deodorant Spray For Women: Dove Advanced Care Dry Spray
Best Women's Deodorant For Dark Underarms: Saltair 5% AHA Serum Deodorant
Best Deodorant Overall For Women
A Top Pick That Beats Sweat All Day Long
MOST POPULAR
Dove Advanced Care
Dove’s gentle deodorant formulas contain moisturizers to soothe, soften and nourish the skin under your arms. Infused with vitamin B3, this particular version also works to help even skin tone and gives up to 48 hours of odor and wetness protection.
Best Drugstore Deodorant For Women
An Affordable, Prescription-Strength Deodorant
Secret Clinical Strength
This prescription-strength antiperspirant from Secret is specifically made to defend against stress sweat, which the brand notes smells worse than sweat from activity or hot weather. While preventing moisture, the product also helps control odor by using a fresh scent that’s made to last all day.
Best Natural Deodorant For Women
A Hardworking Option Powered By Botanicals
Alo Supernatural
If you want to go the natural deodorant route, try this gel formula from Alo that has skincare-level ingredients. It features hyaluronic acid, super antioxidants, vitamin C, cleansing tea tree and anti-odor probiotics, which is the perfect cocktail for keeping underarms fresh. Bonus points: It’s baking soda- and aluminum-free.
Best Women's Deodorant For Sensitive Skin
A Soothing Cream That Reduces Sweat
Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti
Drunk Elephant’s Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream features ingredients that take it above and beyond standard deodorant. It’s packed with mandelic acid, arrowroot powder and shea butter to eliminate bacteria-causing odors and soak up sweat. The product also helps soothe irritated and dry skin.
Best-Smelling Deodorant For Women
A Botanical-Infused Pick
This deodorant from Evolvetogether has naturally inspired scents like fresh earth and green woods, featuring notes of lemon, patchouli, sage and cedarwood. Aside from its invigorating fragrance, the deodorant features tapioca starch, which absorbs sweat, along with the brand’s own DeoPlex ingredient that helps to fight odor-causing bacteria.
Best Fragrance-Free Deodorant For Women
An Unscented Product That Keeps You Feeling Fresh
Native Deodorant Unscented
Native’s deodorant scents range from tropical coconut to warm vanilla to this fragrance-free version. The brand uses an effective combination of ingredients to protect against sweat and odor, resulting in an aluminum-free deodorant also feels smooth under your arms and doesn’t clump.
What our editors say: “I recently started using Native and love it,” says managing editor Emmy Favilla. “It goes on super smoothly with no residue or crumbling effect, and works really well through high-intensity workouts.”
Best Gel Deodorant For Women
A Derm-Recommended Formula
Nécessaire The Deodorant Gel
Nécessaire’s Deodorant Gel is recommended by dermatologist Dr. Rebecca Marcus since it contains skin soothing ingredients like chamomile and 5% glycolic acid, which she says “helps fight bacteria by lowering the pH of the skin.” And even though it comes in gel form, the texture has a creamy consistency that dries down almost instantly.
What our editors say: Senior strategy editor Katie Simpson made the switch to Nécessaire when she was looking for an aluminum-free option. “The gel formula is easy to apply and doesn’t leave white on my clothes,” she says. “I no longer need to apply deodorant multiple times throughout the day, and the eucalyptus scent is refreshing without being overpowering.”
Best Sports Deodorant For Women
An Effective Match For Active And Sweaty Days
Lavanila Sport Luxe
If you’re always on the go and very active, you need a hard-working formula. This one offers all-day protection against odors and wetness thanks to the brand’s aluminum-free odor protection—powered by its beta glucan technology. Aloe and green tea are also included, which soothes skin without clogging. Plus, the deodorant rolls on smoothly and leaves a clear finish.
Best Deodorant Spray For Women
A Skin-Nourishing Formula That Keeps Sweat Away
Dove Advanced Care Dry Spray
If you find yourself shaving multiple times a week, this antiperspirant spray from Dove may be just what you need. Its pro-ceramide formula restores the skin barrier after a fresh shave, all while delivering a fresh, cucumber and green tea scent. Plagued by sweat? Don’t fret: its antiperspirant properties will keep dampness at bay for up to 72 hours.
What our editors say: “I sweat a lot, and this is the only formula that consistently keeps my underarms feeling dry,” says senior deals editor Kara Cuzzone. “While it took a bit of getting used to, I actually prefer the feeling of the spray to a classic stick, which would sometimes leave clumps under my arms.”
Best Women's Deodorant For Dark Underarms
A Skin-Brightening Blend With A Subtle Fragrance
Saltair 5% AHA Serum Deodorant
This Saltair serum deodorant has a unique formula that doesn’t skimp on actives. It contains mandelic acid to fight odors and exfoliate, lactic acid to reduce the appearance of ingrowns and (everyone’s favorite) niacinamide for brightening the skin. The resulting blend makes for smooth, even underarms that carry a light yet evocative fragrance.
What our writers say: “One of my current favorites is Saltair’s serum deodorant with AHA,” says Sales. “I like it for the smell, but also because my underarms tend to get dark and it helps.”
Best Women's Deodorant For Odor
A Natural Option That Comes In Unique Scents
Humble Deodorant
For those especially concerned about odor, Humble’s deodorants have you covered. This aluminum-free pick comes in a wide range of fragrances, from the sweet palo santo and frankincense to the more woodsy patchouli and copal. Scent lovers will appreciatethe custom bundles on their website that allow you to select up to three deodorants at a time.
What our editors say: Senior updates editor Karen Tietjen is a big fan of Humble. “The ingredients are clean, it goes on smooth and the price is right,” she says. “The Mountain Lavender scent is one of my favorites.”
Best Vegan Deodorant For Women
Fresh, Fruity And Cruelty-Free
Megababe The Smoothie Deo
Megababe’s The Smoothie Deo is an award-winning vegan formula that’s cruelty-free, dermatologist-approved and chock-full of odor-regulating probiotics. It’s become a cult favorite on TikTok for good reason: the pH-balancing fruit enzymes (lemon, orange and bilberry extracts) it contains banish odors and also leave you smelling deliciously sweet for hours on end.
What our testers say: The pH-balancing properties make this deodorant stand out to ecommerce partnerships manager Georgie Olmeda. “I also like that I don’t need to keep swiping it on all day,” she says. “They have a ton of different scents available and other body odor products too.”
MORE FROMFORBES VETTED
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The beauty and grooming team at Forbes Vetted is comprised of industry veterans with decades of collective experience. We regularly research and test skincare products to ensure we’re giving the most accurate recommendations.
- Along with our staffers, writer Taylor Lane has tested multitudes of deodorants to report on the best ones for odor-free underarms for various skin types and preferences.
- Every iteration of this story has been overseen by deputy editor Jane Sung who has over 15 years of beauty and lifestyle experience.
- We also tapped experts like dermatologist and Maei MD founder Dr. Rebecca Marcus for professional advice on how to find the top deodorants for different hygiene needs.
- We regularly update this story to verify prices, list placements and more. In our April 2024 update, editorial assistant Whitney Bruno incorporated tester feedback and added new selections including the Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant Deodorant and the Saltair 5% AHA Serum Deodorant.
How We Chose The Best Deodorants For Women
To compile this list of the best deodorants, we dug deep into consumer reviews, analyzed the ingredients of our selections and consulted with staffers and experts for recommendations.
- We researched deodorants from best-selling brands, narrowing down products to the most effective across a range of price points, scents and ingredients.
- We polled staffers on their firsthand testing experiences to assess products’ overall value. We incorporated their favorite picks, including the Humble Original Formula Aluminum-Free Deodorant and Megababe’s The Smoothie Deo.
What To Look For In The Best Deodorants For Women
“The best deodorants contain ingredients that fight body odor that results from the combination of bacteria and sweat,” says dermatologist and founder of Maei MD Dr. Rebecca Marcus. Before shopping for deodorants, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Formula
The goal is to manage sweat and eliminate odor, but it’s best to find a formula that works well for you. Each deodorant is crafted differently—some are suited for average amounts of sweat, while others function best for those who are very active or perspire excessively. Formula types can include traditional solid sticks, gels, sprays and more.
Strength
Marcus recommends assessing how much you’re sweating, since that will help determine what deodorant you need. For those with average sweat levels, most formulas will keep you dry. “For those with excessive sweating, clinical strength antiperspirants may help when other products aren’t getting the job done,” she says. Clinical strength antiperspirants contain higher concentrations of the active ingredient that blocks sweat glands and prevents sweat from reaching the surface of the skin.
Ingredients
The golden rule is that less bacteria translates to less odor. This can be targeted in a couple ways: antiperspirants, which tend to rely on aluminum to actively block sweat, or formulas that target the bacteria itself using ingredients such as AHAs like glycolic acid since they work by decreasing the pH of the skin, creating an environment that is inhospitable to bacteria. Marcus does warn to stay away from a long list of ingredients and to be cautious when it comes to scents since they can irritate the skin.
Fragrance
While many gravitate toward deodorants with scents to help mask odors, consider opting for a fragrance-free pick. “Fragrance is a top cause of irritant contact dermatitis, and the axillae are particularly susceptible to this as the skin there is thinner and more delicate than on other areas of the body,” says Marcus. That means if you shave, this further compromises the skin barrier and increases susceptibility to allergic contact dermatitis.
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