Product Review: Lavanila Natural Deodorant

With so many natural deodorant options on the market and more introduced every day, isn't it time to ditch your conventional deodorant or antiperspirant and give natural deodorants a whirl? Even mainstream companies like Procter & Gamble (who owns Secret) and Unilever (who owns Dove) have jumped on the bandwagon by launching aluminum-free formulas. I myself am no stranger to natural deodorants, having reviewed different ones here, here, and here. However, this was my first time trying Lavanila Deodorant in Vanilla Grapefruit ($14). Lavanila is a natural deodorant much loved by its devotees for its long-lasting and effective odor protection and I was eager to see how it measured up to its competitors.

Lavanila deodorants all boast vanilla as the base fragrance note. Vanilla-only and blended vanilla-fruit scents are available, as well as a sport formula. I ended up buying vanilla grapefruit because it just happened to be available at my local Anthropologie and on sale (score!). The scent is not overpoweringly citrusy or vanilla-y—it's more of a pleasant, powdery blend of both that doesn't smell distinctly like one or the other and fades with time. The finish is thin and powder-dry no matter how much you swipe on. While other twist-up sticks apply in a thick wet layer that can often leave a rim of product around the container's edge, this one stays clean around the screw-top lid. Out of all the natural deodorants I've tried, this one feels most like a conventional antiperspirant.

Formula-wise, Lavanila is free of aluminum, parabens, phthalates and other controversial ingredients. It's also free of baking soda, which I was very pleased to see. Baking soda is great at fighting odor, but it can also cause skin irritation and is usually the leading culprit for redness, sensitivity, and rashes in natural deodorants. I've been using Lavanila for months now and it's never triggered an allergic reaction.

Aside from being sensitive skin-friendly and having a texture that's eerily close to that of a conventional antiperspirant, Lavanila is also crazy effective. With some natural deodorants, sometimes I have to re-apply at the 12-hour mark or do an extra swipe before going into a barre class. By contrast, Lavanila truly lives up to its claim of providing up to 24 hours of odor protection. I've gone on 12+ hour flights while wearing this and sweat through some humid summer days. While the initial vanilla grapefruit fragrance faded within an hour, I never noticed any sweaty/musty/less-than-fresh smell creeping in and still felt fresh. And as we head into the dog days of summer, isn't this all we want out of any deodorant, natural or not?

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