Native Deodorant Review: Most Well-Known Natural Deodorant?

About Native

Native started out as a small natural deodorant company in San Francisco, California, but it’s grown leaps and bounds in the past few years. It’s now likely the most well-known natural deodorant on the market today. You could even say it’s a household name.

Native is well known because it has a wide selection of deodorants that smell wonderful, have high-quality ingredients, and actually deter odor. 

Many natural deodorants simply can’t compete with the effectiveness of conventional antiperspirants, so the entire market had a bad rap for many years.

Thanks to Native and other similar brands, public perception of this is starting to change and the market for natural products in general is quickly growing. Native is leading the way in this front due to its accessible marketing, and the positive reputation it’s worked hard to earn which has established product trust.

Keep reading to find out if this positive reputation is accurate, and how the rest of Native’s ever-expanding product lines measure up next to their classic well-loved deodorant.

Overview of Native

Native was started by Moiz Ali in 2015 but was quickly bought out by Procter & Gamble in 2017 due to its rapidly rising success. Despite this change in ownership, Native claims to stay true to its original values and continue to create products in-line with their brand mission. 

The brand Native is well-known for caring about ingredient transparency and avoiding harmful substances in their formulations. The idea for the company was born when Moiz Ali was reading through the long ingredient list on his conventional antiperspirant and decided to look them up.

His curiosity led him to discover that many commonly used ingredients have harmful health effects, so he was quick to concoct a plan to offer a healthier alternative (1). From this, Native deodorant was born.

Native also makes a point to only use vegan and cruelty-free ingredients in all of their products, and they’ve made continual adjustments to their products to offer more environmentally friendly solutions. They clearly care about their customers’ values and seem to put in significant effort into reformulating products or protocols to be better in line with them.

Native Products Review

Native quickly evolved past their single superstar product origins into an entire spectrum of personal care items. In addition to their original deodorant, they now have a sensitive skin edition, a spray deodorant, body wash, lotion, bar soap, shampoos, conditioners, a hair mask, sun screen, facial cleansers, facial serums, facial moisturizers, and toothpaste.

You could essentially shop your entire toiletry collection exclusively from Native if you wanted!

One of Native’s main claims to fame is that they have more than 50,000 5-star reviews. This is indicative of just how mainstream the brand has become, and how well they seem to hit the mark of satisfying their customers’ needs.

The main demographic Native appears to be targeted to is anyone concerned with the ingredients used in conventional antiperspirants.

Their slogan of “clean, simple, effective” implies that they are seeking to offer an easy no-fuss solution to customers who care about ingredient transparency, but perhaps don’t want to suffer through purchasing several natural deodorants of varying efficacy from brands they’ve never heard of. 

This is clearly a huge relief for busy shoppers who want a fast solution to their deodorant woes, but upon further examination, not all of Native’s products would live up to the scrutiny of the most particular customer.

Though they do generally use natural ingredients, some of the newer product additions do contain gentle surfactants, glycerin, fragrance, and alcohols. For most shoppers this isn’t a huge concern, however, it may exclude some exclusively natural product users from their customer base. 

Native Deodorant Review

Without further delay, we’re going to examine the particulars of Native’s separate products to determine which ones are worth the hype, and which ones are potentially coasting on the reputation of the brand.

Regular Native Deodorant Review

This is Native’s original and most popular product. They offer an outstanding number of different scents which all seem to have overwhelmingly positive feedback. Contrary to many of the commonly used and perhaps boring scents you’re likely to find in your local drugstore deodorant aisle, Native’s scents almost seem luxurious enough to be bottled up as perfumes.

They have 18 different classic scents that are always available.

They are: coconut & vanilla, sea salt & cedar, buttercream & french vanilla, powder & cotton, eucalyptus & mint, cucumber & mint, citrus & herbal musk, lilac & white tea, lavender & rose, sweet peach & nectar, charcoal, unscented, honey & white oak, black oak & amber, blackberry & green tea, grapefruit & bergamot, vanilla & sandalwood, and finally, jasmine & cedar. 

In addition to these regular scents, they have some fun limited edition ones. As of this review being published, those include candy-themed scents such as sweet cinnamon hearts, sour berry belts, gummy bears, and strawberry & vanilla taffy. 

Aside from the impressive scent selection (which come from added fragrance), the deodorant itself boasts just 10 simple and natural ingredients.

These are: coconut oil, shea butter, baking soda, tapioca starch, probiotics, ozokerite, caprylic/capric triglyceride, magnesium hydroxide, cyclodextrin, and glucose. These are all relatively inoffensive ingredients to all but a select few shoppers. The one ingredient that does stir up a small amount of controversy is baking soda. 

Baking soda helps neutralize odors, but it can be irritating to those with sensitive skin (2). Thankfully, Native is well aware of this and formulated a baking soda-free sensitive skin version of this beloved deodorant to account for this demographic.

Aside from this small concern, the staggering 34,200+ reviews (4.3/5 rating) seem to imply that this product lives up to its claims of providing all-day long odor protection with no harmful ingredients.

Native Deodorant & Body Spray Review

Native’s spray deodorant take on their original product seems like a convenient way to smell great all day, but it doesn’t hold quite the same appeal as their stick deodorant in reality. They offer 6 of their 18 classic scents for this product, but many of the reviews claim that the same scents smell quite different in the spray version compared to this stick. 

The overall customer review rating sits at a 3.8/5 based on 214 customer reviews. In addition to dissatisfaction over the scents, some customers also noted that the odor protection only holds up for a few hours.

The ingredient list for this product is short and simple. It contains alcohol, dipropylene glycol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, fragrance, and nitrogen. This formulation is free of aluminum, parabens and hydrocarbon propellant which is a huge plus, but it isn’t quite as natural as their stick deodorants. 

For all these reasons, it may be more worthwhile to opt one of Native’s other deodorant products over their deodorant & spray.

Native Plastic Free Deodorant Review

Native’s plastic free deodorant is the exact same of their regular deodorant. It simply has an eco-friendly alternative package. It’s housed in paperboard from responsibly managed forests as opposed to their usual plastic casing. This is an excellent option for those passionate about doing their part in environmental care.

The only caveat is that the plastic free version is only available in 8 of the usual 18 scents, as well as in 2 sensitive skin formulations.

Native Sensitive Deodorant Review

The sensitive deodorant comes in 6 of the usual 18 available scents as well as in two limited edition ones. Like all of Natives products, it’s free of the usual concerns: aluminum, phthalates and talc, but it’s also free of baking soda to make it suitable for sensitive skin.

It only contains coconut oil, shea butter, tapioca starch, ozokerite, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cyclodextrin, and magnesium hydroxide.

This short and sweet ingredient list along with the thousands of 5-star reviews make it clear that this deodorant is a great option to smell great while avoiding harmful ingredients and skin irritation. 

Native Body Care Products Review

Native Body Wash Review

Native’s bodywash comes in 16 of their classic scents and all 4 of their limited edition ones. It only contains 8 ingredients: salt, citric acid, sodium cocoyl isethionate, water, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium benzoate, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, and sodium salicylate.

Though these aren’t exactly recognizable to the average person, the overwhelming majority of these ingredients are simply different cleansers derived from coconut oil or types of salts.

The lather and scents of this bodywash are wonderful and function exactly as you’d expect their mainstream counterparts to. This product also has thousands of ratings with an overall standing of 4.5/5, indicating that this is a great choice if you’re in the market for a fairly natural and very effective bodywash. 

Native Lotion Review

The lotion from Native doesn’t have quite the same rave reviews as some of their more well received products. It only has 3.6/5 stars based on a few hundred reviews. Though it claims to be a lightweight moisturizer that can provide all-day hydration, a number of reviews claim the formulation is too watery and fails to deliver significant moisture.

Another concern was that the scents in the lotions aren’t of the same quality as their other products. Despite these concerns, the simple 6 ingredient list and other positive reviews do still make it a tempting choice for anyone looking for a plant-powered body moisturizer made with safe ingredients. 

Native Hair Products Review

Native Shampoo Review

There is a selection of 7 different shampoos from Native categorized by function with corresponding conditioners to match. The functions are: moisturizing, strengthening, curl care, daily clean, scalp refreshing, as well as full & thick. 

These are too many products to review separately, but the overall ratings of the shampoos range from 4.2/5 to 4.6/5 with the curl care being the most highly rated version.

All of the formulations appear to have 10 or fewer ingredients, and they’re free from silicone, sulfated surfactants, parabens and dyes which are all otherwise common (and harmful) in conventional shampoos (3).

These products seem to be effective provided you select the right one for your hair type and hair goals.

Native Conditioner Review

Native’s conditioners also seem to be well received, ranging from 4.2/5 to 4.3/5 ratings with the curl care again being the most highly rated product. These products are again transparent with their ingredient lists of 10 or less items, though they do contain fragrance.

Native uses both synthetic and natural fragrances, though they are all free of phthalates. 

These conditioners will clearly leave your hair smelling lovely thanks to the fragrance, and they’re far more effective at moisturizing and providing shine to hair than most other natural alternatives.

Native Hair Mask Review

There is currently only one hair mask available from Native, and it’s under their strengthening hair product line. It has an impressive 4.5/5 star rating and claims to nourish, hydrate, reduce breakage, and replenish damaged hair all with just 10 ingredients.

It’s incredibly easy to use (just leave on wet hair for 3-5 minutes before rinsing out), and provides great results.

If you’re wishing for softer, frizz-free hair without using any harmful ingredients, this might just be the product for you.

Other Notable Native Products

In addition to deodorants, body care and hair care, Native has also expanded into sunscreens, toothpaste, and skin care. These products don’t quite have the same widespread appeal of the brand’s bread and butter deodorant products yet, but they show potential to grow.

In line with Native’s brand, their sunscreens have simple ingredients, delicious scents and no harmful ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate or avobenzone (4).

Their skincare formulations include cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. They seem to be slightly more complex but still free of major concerns like parabens, silicones and dyes. 

Last up are the toothpaste which are free of triclosan, SLS, and artificial preservatives. They come in mint or charcoal, as well as in fluoride containing and fluoride-free formulations.

Is Native Worth It?

One of the most interesting aspects of the Native brand is how varied the consensus is on different products. They seem to have perfectly nailed down the formula for certain products, while others could perhaps benefit from some revisions so their customers can truly rely on them. 

For the deodorant sticks, hair care, and bodywash, Native is most definitely worth it. There are few rivals who have a product as “clean” and effective. Some products to think twice about before purchasing would be the deodorant spray and the lotion, though many customers do still love them.

Where To Buy Native Products

Native products are available online from their website and they ship worldwide. Shipping on orders over $10 USD is free within the United States on orders over $30 USD are free internationally. 

Native is also sold in person in most drug stores in several countries including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. 

Subscriptions & Promotions

You can subscribe to ordering your favorite Native products online and receive anywhere from 17-25% off in the process. They also have a give 20% get 20% discount code where both you and a friend get 20% off your next order available from their website. 

Alternatives

MegaBabe: An aluminum free “clean” ingredients deodorant for a similar price point as Native.

Lume: A whole-body aluminum, paraben and baking soda free deodorant. Slightly more affordable than Native but less natural ingredients.

Salt & Stone: Very natural, beautifully packaged, but slightly expensive deodorant options.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Final Takeaway

Native’s products are a great option for anyone concerned with some of the ingredients used in mainstream products. They offer an easy entryway point to natural products without requiring much research or experimentation thanks to their easy accessibility and popularity. 

Native deodorants in particular are absolutely worth purchasing for their safety and effectiveness, and the many delicious scents are a nice perk.