Ah, "greenwashing". This is a pretty new-ish term to describe advertising or product labeling that, in some way, misleads the public into believing that it's all "environmentally-friendly". Sometimes, products are really, truly eco-conscious, and others make no bones about being "dangerous" or hazardous. Nowadays, as the greening of America gets deeper and more mainstream, some manufacturers are making misleading claims or packaging. I recently found that my Arm & Hammer "Essentials Natural Deodorant", which the front packaging claims to be "Natural protection, aluminum-free, paraben-free". Yup, check. No problem there. But listed in the ingredients is the potentially-harmful antibacterial agent Triclosan (present in many hand (and body) washing products). Not that it's something that really matters a whole lot, but it DOES contribute to the algaefication of our natural bodies of water, and can potentially usher in new, super-viruses that are resistant to our antibodies. So, in effect, as much as I love Arm & Hammer baking soda (and many of their products), this deodorant isn't all it's cracked up to be. It does seem relatively effective in keeping my odors at bay, for what it's worth.
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I have used this deodorant for a few months, because I was only aware of aluminum and parabens as bad - I had never even heard of triclosan. I've used Tom's of Maine herbal deodorant but it kind of smells bad and really doesn't work well. I also tried Nature's Gate deodorant which is such a dry substance that you can't even apply it to your underarm - so that wasted my money. I hope to find a deodorant that works, without harmful substances. Thanks for posting this, it definitely helps.
I've still yet to find a really long-lasting, truly effective natural deodorant. Some of Tom's Of Maine, and Nature's Gate products work fine for me, for a short time, but a full day of work? Not. I'm basically balancing using mainstreams for my work days, and natural stuff when I can re-apply more often on 'off' days at home.
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