Deodorant

I don’t know about you, but deodorant is one of my absolute necessities. Whether or not I break a sweat, my poor little pits eventually start to stink and I cannot stand it. Even while hiking the Appalachian Trail, I carried a No Tox Life deodorant bar so I wouldn’t have to smell myself (or my husband).

Originally, we opted for a package free deodorant bar over the traditional stick to save weight (I know it seems minuscule, but it all adds up). Eventually, we realized that package free deodorant meant we never had a chunk of plastic to throw away. Though there were concerns that a natural deodorant would do the job, we ended up loving it. Truly, we could go a week without showering and still manage to keep our body odor at bay.

What’s the problem with deodorant?

Deodorant is an every day staple for most us, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that the deodorant industry produces over 15 million pounds of plastic waste every year. Plastics are problematic because they are made from non-renewable resources, have limited recyclability, and take hundreds if not thousands of years to break down.

On top of all that waste is another ethics issue: animal testing. Half a million animals are used to test cosmetics around the world every year. Popular deodorant brands like Degree, Old Spice, Suave, and Speed Stick all test their products on animals like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, and rats. According to the Humane Society, these animals are subjected to skin and eye irritation tests and forced to ingest substances to measure toxicity. They are tortured and ultimately, they are euthanized.

I’ve never paid much attention to animal testing, but my efforts to live a more sustainable life have naturally progressed from simply reducing waste to protecting every aspect of our environment and its biodiversity.

Are deodorant sticks recyclable?

Most Deodorant tubes are made from a mix of plastic materials, usually #2 (high-density polyethylene), #4 (low-density polyethylene), and #5 (polypropylene). The cap, the tube, the dial and the insert may all be different plastics. This mixture makes it very difficult to recycle, even if your curbside pickup allows a range of plastics, since putting them all in together could contaminate the recycling process. If you have a deodorant stick to dispose of, you can print out a free label and send it to Terracycle for recycling or you can refill it with an at-home mixture.

Are spray deodorants any better?

No, in fact, they are actually worse. Aerosols like air fresheners, hairspray and of course, deodorant are full of toxic chemicals that add to the air pollution when sprayed. Every time you spritz an aerosol, you raise your carbon footprint because they contain hydrocarbon and compressed gasses. And according to an MIT study, they may be altering rainfall. "While it is true that total precipitation change is controlled by average global temperature change, ... our research shows that aerosols have significantly impacted the distribution of precipitation change around the world since preindustrial times," said Chien Wang, a senior research scientist at the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

Are deodorant spray cans recyclable?

Actually, they are! Spray cans are usually made of steel or aluminum, which are both infinitely recyclable. Just make sure the can is completely empty and remove the plastic cap and nozzle before adding to you metals recycling bin.

What can I use instead?

When choosing a sustainable deodorant, look for cruelty-free options that come in compostable cardboard tubes, infinitely recyclable glass/aluminum containers, or no packaging at all. Need more guidance? Take a look at my post 10 Sustainable Deodorant Options.