The Top Line:

Not really a buy from us: While we enjoyed using Beautycounter’s Deo in Clean Rose, because of plastic use and prohibitive cost, we are going to be a ‘no’ here. We liked how the product worked (and even wicked away some moisture) and smelled (like a modern bouquet). The case is designed very nicely and quite functionally, and the ingredients are clean. If the cost is not prohibitive for your situation, this refillable deodorant is still a step in the right (sustainable!) direction, with reduced plastic use on every refill and cleaner ingredients.

Also, check out our Big Deodorant Roundup Review.

The Breakdown:

• Cost & Products: $28 for the case/fill and $18 for refills at Beautycounter

• How ‘Clean’ Is This? Pretty clean! The list of ingredients is on the longer side, but each of the ingredients are generally natural or considered safe. Since this is not technically an antiperspirant, there is no aluminum!

• Packaging: The shipping came in a nice small box, with paper/cardboard. The deodorant case is plastic, as is the refill.

• Purchasing & Shipping: Shipping on Beautycounter is not “free” and is based on the total purchase. Up to $250, the shipping is $6.95.

• Good to Know: Beautycounter is a certified B-Corporation. B corporations differ from normal corporations in one major way: both make money for their shareholders but B corporations are responsible for upholding their social responsibilities that they set out when forming the company. Read more about them here.

• What’s Your Impact? Natural ingredients for your deodorant, with no aluminum. Additionally, refills of this deodorant use less plastic than a whole new deodorant stick.

The Good:

✔ Certified B Corporation

✔ Nice scent, rose coupled with pepper berry trees and geranium

✔ Refillable deodorant that uses less plastic than traditional sticks

✔ Worked to block smells, even during workouts

✔ Does have some wetness wicking capabilities (but it’s not an antiperspirant!)

✔ Natural ingredients, all rated very low in impact

✔ The case is marvelous to use, and totally reduces the overall footprint but…

The Bad:

✗ The case still has plastic

✗ Cost is so high!

The Experience

Context: We have been trying to ween ourselves away from potentially toxic chemicals for the last two years, and especially over the last six months of WFH. We’ve previously reviewed other natural deodorants: Hammond Herbs (zero-waste), Public Goods, Myro (refillable), and byHumankind (refillable) and we did a big deodorant roundup. Here is our experience with Beautycounter’s Refillable Deodorant:

• The packaging is very pretty and neat, with a lot of information, if a little excessive.

• The case and the refills are both plastic, with the refill using a lot less plastic than a new deodorant stick.

• The size of the case is a reasonable “ladies’” sized stick.

• The deodorant works, even after a workout.

• The scent is not the standard rose you might be used to: it has strong hints of something else. According to the Beautycounter site: “notes of geranium and pepper tree berry.” It smells pretty nice.

• Like most of the natural deodorants we have reviewed, do not overdo it on the swipes! Two to three swipes should be plenty. Any more than that and you’re going to be looking at residue and pilling.

• Perhaps due to the corn starch in the ingredients, we noticed that the deo does a little bit of moisture wicking (but it is not an antiperspirant).

The Cost

We used the best numbers we could: the average user of underarm deodorant/antiperspirant uses between two and twelve sticks per year. In addition to our zero-waste and refillable options, we also compared natural, refillable Beautycounter Deodorant to a number of other popular deodorant brands, like Dove, Old Spice, Tom’s of Maine and Schmidt’s.

Money Report: Holy Moly! Even after investing in the original case, Beautycounter’s refills are super expensive.

Our Recommendation:

Not really a buy from us: While we enjoyed using Beautycounter’s Deo in Clean Rose, because of the combo of plastic and prohibitive cost, we are going to be a ‘no’ here. We liked how it worked and smelled. The case is very well designed both visually and functionally, and the ingredients of the product are clean. If the cost is not prohibitive for your situation, this refillable deodorant is still a step in the right direction, with reduced plastic use on every refill and cleaner ingredients.

We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!