Guide

Vegan deodorant

A vegan deodorant has nothing from animals in it. No beeswax, no lanolin, no animal fats. Cruelty free is a different promise: that the product isn’t tested on animals. nuud is both, and it still stops the smell for up to 72 hours.

First, the basics

Vegan and cruelty free aren’t the same thing

Vegan is about what’s in it. No ingredient comes from an animal.

Cruelty free is about how it was made. Nobody tested it on animals.

A product can be one without the other. And in the US neither word has a legal definition. For cruelty free, the FDA says so itself. So the label alone doesn’t prove much. The ingredient list and the brand’s own testing policy do.

Reading the label

Animal ingredients that hide in deodorant

  1. Beeswax

    Common in natural creams and balms to make them firm.

    How to tellCera alba or beeswax on the list.

    What to doLook for a plant wax instead, like candelilla wax.

  2. Lanolin

    A fat from sheep’s wool, used to soften skin.

    How to tellLanolin or adeps lanae.

    What to doPick a formula that softens with plant oils.

  3. Stearic acid and glycerin

    Both can come from plants or from animal fat, and the label doesn’t say which.

    How to tellStearic acid or glycerin with no “vegetable” note.

    What to doAsk the brand, or choose one that says it’s vegan.

  4. Honey and milk extracts

    Sometimes added for a natural feel.

    How to tellMel, honey, lac or milk protein.

    What to doSkip them if you want fully vegan.

The worry

Does a vegan deodorant actually work?

Being vegan says nothing about whether it works. That depends on how it stops the smell.

Sweat barely smells on its own. Bacteria break it down and that’s where the smell comes from. A deodorant that stops those bacteria works, whether it’s vegan or not. One that only adds perfume stops working when the perfume fades.

How nuud works

Vegan, not tested on animals, and it works

Every one of nuud’s nine ingredients comes from plants or minerals. The cream gets its firmness from candelilla wax, a plant wax, instead of beeswax. nuud is 100% vegan and we don’t take part in animal testing.

It 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. It’s certified natural by Ecocert, an independent French certifier: 100% natural, 71% organic. One pea-size dab per armpit works for up to 72 hours.

See the natural deodorant

  1. Start clean and dry

    Apply after a shower, on dry skin.

  2. Take a pea-size dab

    That’s enough for one armpit. More doesn’t work better.

  3. Rub it in

    Rub it in until you can’t see it.

Questions

Vegan deodorant questions

Is nuud vegan?

Yes. All nine ingredients come from plants or minerals. The wax is candelilla, a plant wax, not beeswax.

Is nuud cruelty free?

Yes. nuud is not tested on animals, and we don’t take part in animal testing.

What’s the difference between vegan and cruelty free?

Vegan means no animal ingredients. Cruelty free means no animal testing. A product can be one without the other, so check for both.

Is natural deodorant always vegan?

No. Many natural deodorants use beeswax, and some use lanolin or honey. Read the ingredient list.

Does vegan deodorant work as well as regular deodorant?

It can. What matters is whether it stops the bacteria that cause the smell, not whether the ingredients come from plants.

Is there a vegan deodorant without aluminum?

Yes. nuud is vegan, has no aluminum, and also leaves out baking soda, fragrance and alcohol.