Guide
Deodorant for sensitive skin
Armpit skin is thin, it gets shaved, and it’s warm and damp most of the day. So it reacts to things the rest of your skin shrugs off. A deodorant for sensitive skin leaves out the usual troublemakers and still stops the smell. Here’s what to skip, what to look for, and how to switch without a flare-up.
First, the basics
Why armpits react so easily
The skin in your armpit is thinner than on most of your body. It folds, it rubs, and sweat keeps it damp. Shaving leaves tiny nicks on top of that.
Healthy skin is also slightly acidic. Researchers who measured it found the surface sits below pH 5 on average. Put something strongly alkaline or perfumed on thin, freshly shaved skin every day and some skin pushes back with redness, itching or a burning feeling.
What to skip
The ingredients sensitive armpits react to most
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Fragrance
“Fragrance” or “parfum” on a label can stand for a whole mix of scent ingredients. The FDA notes some of them cause reactions in some people.
How to tellItching or redness where the scent is strongest.
What to doPick a product with no fragrance and no essential oils.
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Baking soda
It fights smell, but it’s alkaline, and your skin is slightly acidic.
How to tellStinging, a red patch, often a few weeks after switching to a natural deodorant.
What to doLook for sodium bicarbonate on the label and skip it.
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Alcohol
It makes sprays and gels dry fast, and it can sting on freshly shaved skin.
How to tellA sharp sting the moment it goes on.
What to doChoose a cream or balm without alcohol.
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Essential oils
Natural, but still scent. Tea tree, lavender and citrus oils are common in natural deodorants.
How to tellYou switched to “natural” and your skin got worse, not better.
What to doRead the full list, not just the front of the pack.
What to look for
A good deodorant for sensitive skin
A short ingredient list. Fewer ingredients means fewer chances for something to bother you, and it’s easier to check.
No added scent. If the deodorant stops the bacteria that cause the smell, there’s nothing to cover up, so it doesn’t need perfume.
Skin testing on people with sensitive skin. Not just “dermatologically tested”, but tested on the skin type you actually have.
A cream or balm. You rub in a small amount with your finger, so there’s no dragging over the skin and no alcohol needed to make it dry.
Making the switch
How to try a new deodorant without a flare-up
1. If your armpits are red or sore right now, stop using your current deodorant and let them calm down first. Don’t put any deodorant on broken skin, ours included.
2. Test the new one on the inside of your arm for two days.
3. Shave in the evening and apply in the morning, so the skin has a night to settle.
4. Use less than you think. A pea-size dab per armpit is enough for nuud.
If a rash doesn’t get better within a few days, or it spreads or blisters, see a doctor. There’s more in our guide to underarm rash from deodorant.
How nuud works
Made for armpits that react
nuud stops the bacteria that make the smell, with tiny bits of silver, and zinc oxide works on the sweat so it doesn’t turn smelly. There’s no aluminum, no fragrance, no baking soda and no alcohol in it. Nine ingredients in total, and we name all of them.
It was tested by Derma Consult, an independent German institute, on fifty people with sensitive skin. None of them had a reaction. One pea-size dab per armpit works for up to 72 hours.
Start clean and dry
Apply after a shower, on dry skin.
Take a pea-size dab
That’s enough for one armpit. More doesn’t work better.
Rub it in
Rub it in until you can’t see it.
Questions
Sensitive skin questions
What is the best deodorant for sensitive skin?
One without fragrance, baking soda and alcohol, with a short ingredient list you can check. It still has to stop the smell, so look for one that stops the bacteria instead of covering them with perfume.
Why does my deodorant make my armpits itch?
The most common reasons are fragrance, baking soda and alcohol. Shaving right before you apply makes any of them worse.
Is natural deodorant better for sensitive skin?
Not automatically. Many natural deodorants use baking soda or essential oils, and both bother some skin. Check the ingredient list rather than the word natural.
Can I use nuud right after shaving?
You can, but if your skin is sensitive it’s kinder to shave in the evening and apply in the morning.
Was nuud tested on sensitive skin?
Yes. Derma Consult, an independent German institute, tested it on fifty people with sensitive skin. None of them had a reaction.
Is fragrance free deodorant better for sensitive skin?
It removes one of the most common reasons skin reacts. The FDA suggests fragrance free products if you’re worried about sensitivities.