Lume Deodorant Review: Crushing Odor Like a Pro – No Sweat!

About Lume

Lume is a company that’s created a product unlike anything else on the market. They’ve come up with a whole-body deodorant touted to be effective for “pits, privates and beyond”.

This odor control lasts 72 hours and has staggeringly impressive reviews to back this claim up. Perhaps best of all, Lume’s products avoid many of the common pitfalls of other deodorants.

They’re all hypoallergenic, aluminum free, baking soda free, dye-free, vegan, and cruelty free. If you’re in the market for a single product to remedy all of your potential body odor woes, Lume’s deodorant might just be your new holy grail product. 

Overview of Lume

Before delving into Lume’s story, we need to get one thing straight: the company’s name is pronounced lum-ee, not lume. It’s reminiscent of the word luminescent which perhaps hints at how radiant customers will feel after trying out their products.

Lume’s origin story began two decades ago when OBGYN resident and Lume founder Dr. Shannon Klingman noticed a problem with no viable solutions. Countless female patients were being overdiagnosed with bacterial vaginosis and treated with harsh antibiotics.

This was a revolving door of women returning with odor complaints who clearly weren’t having their problem properly addressed. They were suffering the undesirable side-effects of antibiotic overuse and still encountered odor recurrence time and time again. 

Dr. Shannon Klingman believed that since odor problems arise from bacteria on the skin interacting with natural body fluids and oils, this predicament needed an external solution (1). She compared it to treating chapped lips with a nasal spray. Finding a topical treatment could be a much more direct and effective solution with fewer drawbacks, so she set to work developing Lume. 

Lume is essentially able to block the interaction between normal bacteria on the skin and fluids. This is what makes it so effective without causing any harmful skin irritations, pH alterations, or gut microbiome disturbances (2). After creating this game-changing product, Dr. Shannon Klingman became passionate about bringing it to market. 

Lume’s Unified Approach vs. Overwhelming Product Assortments

The big players in deodorant sales tend to only cover up smells for a few short hours instead of neutralizing them at the source like Lume. This means you’ll need to reapply often, and end up going through products quickly.

Additionally, most personal hygiene companies are eager to convince customers they need several highly specialized products for different parts of the body. This strategy increases the company’s bottom line, but it leaves customers with empty wallets and a cabinet full of ineffective products. 

Lume bucks this trend by offering a single simple solution to all body odor woes. You only need to apply a small amount of this potent product to get far better results that you’d find from traditional deodorants. It’s an economical, more environmentally friendly and overall more efficient solution.

Lume is clearly passionate about improving women’s health, confidence and quality of life. Their products took off in no time and they started to notice a demand from men wanting a comparable product. Using the same technology, they created the sister company Mando to target more masculine audiences. The products are equally as effective, but are packaged with targeted marketing and scents from appealing to male customers.

Lume Products Review

Lume has expanded since the creation of their original deodorant product to contain three classes of products: deodorants, bodycare, and laundry products. By far their most popular products are still their revolutionary deodorants, but their website also contains rave reviews for their newer product line additions.

Lume’s products are well suited to any woman wanting to find a fuss-free solution to avoid odor from any body area. One of the aspects that makes Lume most unique is the fact that it can be applied to intimate areas that are usually off-limits for product use.

The pH of a woman’s body can be easily disrupted and the skin easily irritated by harsh ingredients and dyes. Lume was designed with this in mind and is very intentionally dye free and baking soda free for these reasons. 

Aluminum is another concerning ingredient frequently used in deodorant formulations. Aluminum in deodorant has been accused of being a contributing factor of breast cancer since it tends to bioaccumulate in breast tissue.

Lume’s Commitment to Safe and Effective Products

This link isn’t yet clearly established, but many customers still prefer to avoid aluminum containing products as a precaution. Lume has women’s health and safety top of mind, so the fact that their products are all aluminum free is unsurprising, but undoubtedly reassuring for most women.

Lume also makes a point to keep all of their products free of phthalates, sulfates, parabens and talc, all of which can cause harmful health effects over time with repeated use (3).

Unfortunately, these ingredients are extremely common in most other deodorant formulations. If a product doesn’t explicitly state that it’s free of these ingredient categories, it’s usually a safe bet to conclude that they do in fact contain them.

While the exact ingredient blend Lume uses from product to product varies, the main ingredient they rely on for odor control is mandelic acid. This is an ingredient derived from bitter almonds known to gently exfoliate and kill harmful bacteria on the skin (4).

Lume Pros & Cons

There are many positives to using Lume products over traditional deodorants, but here is a brief review to outline the pros and cons:

Lume Deodorant Products Review

Now that we’re ready to examine each Lume product with a thorough eye, we should differentiate between the different types of deodorants they have. They have smooth solid sticks, invisible cream sticks, and invisible cream tubes. All of these versions contain the same patented technology and can be used on any area of the body.

The scent selections are: minted cucumber, soft powder, clean tangerine, toasted coconut, lavender sage, peony rose, fresh alpine, or unscented. All three types of deodorant feature the same scent selections.

Lume Smooth Solid Deodorant Review

The solid smooth sticks have a 4.2/5 star rating on Lume’s website from a staggering 16,400+ reviews. That’s some serious social proof! 

This product looks identical to a regular deodorant with a twist up base and plastic cap on the top. This difference lies in its effectiveness, and in the fact that it can be used in underarms, privates, belly buttons, underboobs, or anywhere else that needs odor control. 

The solid sticks come in Lume’s full range of eight different scents. The scents were one factor that did originally receive some negative feedback from customers, but they’ve since been reformulated and they review prove that their new formulations are very appealing.

Another concern a select few customers have is the occurrence of white marks on their clothing from the deodorant.

This is only mentioned a handful of times in the thousands of reviews, so it likely depends on how much product the customer applies, the type of clothing they’re wearing, and perhaps even their skin biology. Regardless, if deodorant invisibility is a high concern, Lume’s next two deodorant products may be a better fit.

Lume Invisible Cream Sticks Deodorant Review

The invisible cream sticks also come in all eight scents and are housed in traditional deodorant packaging. The deodorant itself is a gel-like substance that rubs in like a lotion to be completely invisible. The package features a twist up bottom dial to allow a small amount of the product to be neatly applied at one time without waste. 

The ingredient list for Lume’s invisible cream sticks contains a mix of natural and lab-formulated ingredients. This may be concerning for individuals who prefer to only use completely natural products, but the fact that Lume does filter out many known harmful ingredients should still give some reassurance. 

The main concern for many customers may be the fragrances themselves since allergies are not uncommon. Luckily, Lume does have unscented versions of all of their deodorant types, and the fact that it functions as a “pre-odorant” by mitigating scents before they even occur means that the fragrance containing formulations are not necessary for it to be an effective product.

The invisible cream stick also has rave reviews and is a safe bet for anyone wanting an easy way to smell great all day.

Lume Invisible Cream Tubes Deodorant Review

The invisible cream tubes house the same product as the invisible cream sticks, but in a larger, more simple package. They also come in all eight scent varieties and have an impressive number of 5-star reviews. Out of over 8,100 reviews, the tubes have an overall rating of 4.2/5 stars.

The product description recommends using just a pea-sized amount of the cream since “a little goes a long way”. It claims to have over 150 underarm applications within each tube, making it a more economical choice than the stick version. 

The scents are light and refreshing, and the broad range of choices means practically anyone should be able to find one suited to their personal preferences.

All of Lume deodorants can be purchased individually, or in bundles to reap some savings. The custom bundles available are 3-packs of tube deodorant, 3-packs of stick deodorant (cream or solid), a duo of a tube and a stick deodorant, or a 6-pack of mini cream deodorant tubes. 

Lume Bodycare Products Review

Beyond Lume’s popular deodorants are their bodycare products that are designed to compliment them. They have soap bars, body wash, deodorant wipes, and body creams. The scents for these products are the same as the options for the deodorants, though they don’t all have the entire range of eight available. 

Lume Acidified Body Wash Review

One thing you’ll instantly notice about all of Lume’s products is the fact that they’re all designed to match the natural pH of human skin. Many ingredients (such as baking soda) can disrupt this delicate pH balance which impairs the skin’s moisture barrier and frequently causes irritation.

This also leaves the skin prone to bacterial overgrowth which is the origin of odor issues to begin with.

The acidified body wash makes a point to avoid this problem and also contributes to odor control through the same technology as the deodorant products.

It’s important to note that since body wash is completely rinsed off, its effects won’t be as pronounced and it would still be wise to follow up with some sort of deodorant product for complete all-day odor control.

The body washes come in five scents: toasted coconut, lavender sage, clean tangerine, peony rose and unscented. They’re also safe to use on all areas of the body and have an impressive 4.2/5 star rating from more than 4900 reviews. Each bottle contains over 40 uses.

Lume Acidified Cleansing Bars Review

If body wash isn’t your thing, the acidified cleansing bars are essentially the soap version of the same product. It offers all the same benefits: a sudsy lather, acidified pH formulation, five scent options, and a squeaky clean, odor-controlled post-shower result.

This product claims to control odor for up to 24 hours on its own without the use of additional deodorants to increase its effectiveness. 

It’s also appropriate for sensitive skin, and safe to use on any area of the body.

Lume Soap Bars Review

In addition to their acidified cleaning bars, Lume also makes soap bars. These products are similar, but an important difference is that their soap bars are triple milled to create an extremely dense product free of water or air.

This means the soap bar will be long-lasted with potent ingredients. It incorporates more moisturizing ingredients than the acidified cleansing bars, so it may be better suited for those with dry skin. 

It also doesn’t contain the same odor-controlling technology and functions more similarly to a high quality traditional soap.

Lume Acidified Deodorant Wipes Review

The deodorant wipes Lume makes are an extremely convenient product for traveling or on-the-go hygiene touch ups. They only come in the cool cucumber scent, and they have either 15-wipe or 45-wipe packs available.

The wipes have a 4.5/5 star rating from over 6000 reviews claiming that it’s an effective and easy to use product. It contains Lume’s usual odor-controlling technology and is safe to use on any part of the body.

Lume Acidified Body Cream Review

The acidified body cream may not initially seem like an overly important product from omitting odor, but its acidic composition may just make the difference between smelling like roses or B.O.

It’s clinically proven to reduce the look of dry, red, or rough skin through its soothing ingredients, and better yet it won’t contribute to bacterial overgrowth on the skin like some other lotions can because of its well designed formula. 

It also contains odor controlling technology and can be used for “arms, butt cheeks and beyond”.

Lume Laundry Products Review

Lume has two laundry products which are both out of stock as of this post, but regardless they’re important to discuss because of their unique features

Lume Laundry Sink Soak Review

The laundry sink soak has been developed to treat seemingly untreatable stink in clothing. Sometimes clothes can continue to smell off no matter how many times you wash them because they’ve developed a biofilm coating that other detergents can’t get off.

The laundry sink soak can break down biofilms and remove even the most stubborn smells.

To use the product, you’ll simply need to soak your clothing in a liquid solution of the sink soak plus water for 60 minutes before washing as usual. The 1000+ rave reviews claim this product is a game-changer for laundry, and well worth the purchase if you’re struggling to combat lingering smells.

Lume Pre-Laundry Spray Review

The pre-laundry spray works similarly to the sink soak, but in a quicker and easier-to-use formulation. It also contains biofilm breaking enzymes and can tackle seemingly untamable stench.

It’s safe for most materials (with the exception of wool and silk) and can simply be sprayed on the problem areas 30 minutes before completing laundry as usual.

This product’s reviews also claim it’s a huge game changer for particularly smelly clothes like workout gear.

One customer wrote: “of all of the things I have tried over the years to tame the pit stink, NOTHING even came close until I tried Biofilm Buster for pretreating laundry.”. It seems just a few spritzes of Lume’s pre-laundry spray could be all it takes to have perfectly fresh smelling clothing again. 

Where Can I Purchase Lume?

Lume is currently only available from a few sources. You can shop their entire product selection directly from their website, online through Amazon, or in-person at target.

Subscriptions and Discounts

Lume is very reasonably priced compared to most of their competitors. Their deodorant sticks are generally $15 USD, and their deodorant tubes are currently listed at $20 USD.

When you consider just how effective they are, the low cost-per-use can easily justify the slight splurge on a product that provides odor protection for up to 72 hours. There are several discount options available as well.

Shopping for bundles instead of individual products is a great way to save some money at Lume. You can also “subscribe and save” 15% on your orders.

They also generously offer free shipping on orders over $25 USD. Last but not least if you sign up for emails you get a chance to win a $50 gift card and are entered in a weekly giveaway.

Lume Alternatives

A few reasonable alternatives to Lume would be:

Athena Club – A natural and affordable deodorant

Curie – A full body deodorant spray

Undercarriage – A full body natural deodorant cream

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Lume is a worthwhile product for anyone concerned with smelling fresh all day long. As long as you’re not sensitive to any of the fragrances and you don’t mind the price point or inclusion of some non-natural ingredients, Lume is an excellent investment.