Tom's of Maine Natural Deodorant Vs. Herbal Clear Naturally Deodorant

I prefer to use natural or organic personal care products when I can, but the right products at the right place are not always easily available. I was thrilled when I found Tom's of Maine Natural Long-lasting Deodorant sticks in my local supermarkets, but I have been paying a higher price for them than I would for the cheaper mainstream deodorants. More recently, Herbal Clear Naturally deodorants also began appearing on store shelves, and they cost significantly less than Tom's products, so I had to give them a try. I've only used the lavender-scented version of both products, so that is what I am comparing.

Tom's of Maine deodorant is clearly labeled as both long-lasting and aluminum-free. Mainstream anti-perspirant deodorants usually contain some form of an aluminum compound as the main anti-perspirant ingredient (each brand has its own formula). Therefore, Tom's of Maine deodorant does not reduce perspiration, since it does not contain an anti-perspirant.

Their deodorant stick does contain, according to the product label, "botanical hops to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, zinc ricinoleate to absorb odor, and encapsulated natural fragrance." In addition, it contains (in no particular order), organic aloe vera leaf juice, witch hazel, chamomile extract, organic lavender oil, silica shells, fir needle oil, ascorbic acid, organic lemongrass oil, propylene glycol, sodium stearate, glyceryl laurate, and caprylic/capric triglyceride.

Now, those last four items sounds suspiciously like unnatural chemicals. According to the Tom's of Maine website, sodium stearate is soap, and it's used to jell the ingredients and hold them together. Wikipedia says it's actually "the major ingredient in soap" rather than soap itself. Either way, it's not anything strange and out of the ordinary.

Caprylic/capric triglyceride is an emollient, says naturebath.com, which means it's something that helps moisturize your skin. As for glyceryl laurate, Tom's of Maine explains that it's a surfactant, "a material which allows water to spread easily over a surface." It's derived from vegetable oils, and is actually a by-product of the soap-making process. It also inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. Wait, I thought that was what the hops were for! Hm. I guess they don't quite get the job done by themselves.

Finally, propylene glycol helps to form the base of the deodorant. It is commonly used in body-care products, although many naturally-oriented people are against its use, because it is derived from natural gas (a non-renewable resource) and because some people believe it to be carcinogenic (although it is approved by the FDA for use in cosmetics, food, toiletries, and other household products). Tom's of Maine even tried at one point to make deodorants without propylene glycol, but the product was so inferior in quality that they switched back. Tom's has an excellent article on their website explaining why they use propylene glycol.

Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant also contains propylene glycol. The label states that it does not contain aluminum, parabens, dyes, alcohol, or artificial bactericides, and claims to be hypoallergenic. Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant contains botanical lichen to inhibit the odor-causing bacteria, and says that Clary sage and Vitamin A "help inhibit perspiration and moisturize your skin." Although it does not contain an aluminum-based anti-perspirant, the label does claim that this deodorant will reduce perspiration. Other ingredients include sodium stearate, witch hazel extract, aloe leaf extract, coriander extract, tea tree extract, lavender extract, and orange oil. As for strange-sounding chemicals, they include Steareth-100 (a vegetable-derived ingredient), triethanolamine (a pH balancer), ethylhexylglycerin (synthetic preservative and antibacterial), pentylene glycol (not sure about this one, but it's in a lot of products), Bisabolol (a chemical derived from chamomile) and Tetrasodium EDTA (antioxidant and de-ionizer).

That's a few more chemicals than the Tom's of Maine deodorant, which concerns me a bit. However, I did like the inclusion of tea tree in the ingredients, since I've had good experiences with tea tree as an effective ingredient in soaps, shampoos and household cleaners. As I scanned the list of ingredients in the supermarket, I figured Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant was worth a try.

The Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant actually has a pleasant, citrus-y smell. It doesn't smell much like lavender, though. Tom's of Maine deodorant has a definite lavender scent. Herbal Clear Naturally goes on bit more smoothly than Tom's of Maine.

However, the Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant simply doesn't provide day-long odor protection for me. By midday, I could tell I'd been sweating, and that the odor-causing bacteria were at work. I hadn't brought it along to work, so I was stuck.

Tom's of Maine deodorant, on the other hand, provides enough protection for me to get through the day, and I prefer its scent as well. I was so disappointed in the Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant that I didn't even wait until I had used it up; I went out within a few days and bought some more Tom's of Maine deodorant. I'll take the Herbal Clear Naturally to work with me and use it as a backup (I hate letting anything go to waste), but I can't use it as my primary deodorant.

If you're a low-perspiration, low-body odor kind of person, or if you don't mind reapplying your deodorant during the day, Herbal Clear Naturally might work for you -- but for my money, I'm sticking with Tom's of Maine Natural Long-Lasting Deodorant.

Information about the individual ingredients in Herbal Clear Naturally deodorant comes from Terra Naturals and Whole Foods Market.