Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant Review: A More Natural Life

Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant

Tom’s of Maine has been around for close to half a century, and began as an idea born from a young couple’s quest for healthier living product options. Their deodorant boasts all natural and organic ingredients to help combat body odor all day long.

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If you have been thinking of making the switch to natural deodorants and giving your old, synthetic filled brands a toss, you might want to consider the Tom’s of Maine brand label. With the many options making themselves available for a more natural approach, it can become a bit difficult to narrow down your choices. Because of this Better Mind Body Soul decided to personally product test those natural deodorants that are most popular with consumers.

Tom’s of Maine, long lasting deodorant in wild lavender scent was my pick to try out to provide you the best, unbiased review we can provide. I used this product for a month to determine potency, and to see how well it held up to its claims. My detailed findings are below.

Natural and Organic Deodorant Claims

To start, it is important to establish that the words natural and organic does not always mean what you think they do. The term natural is not defined by a third party certification, nor does it mean all ingredients are natural, so it is important to look for brands that provide transparency to their entire ingredient list and explanation as to what each ingredient does.

Similarly, organic is supposed to refer to naturally derived ingredients that are grown, harvested, and processed without exposure to any sort of herbicide, pesticide, or synthetic fertilizer. To be truly organic a third party application process exists through the USDA. Like the term natural, using a true organic ingredients also does not mean all ingredients are organic unless the actual finished product is also certified and labeled.

Tom’s of Maine does provide a very comprehensive list of their ingredients on both their label, and on their website for full transparency of each ingredient in all their products. This information includes the most amount of detail I have ever seen and covers what each is, what it does, how it is made, and if it is the right option for you.

The Tom’s of Maine Company

The company began in 1970 after a young couple moved to Maine to start a more healthy, simple life for their family. Concerned about the long list of synthetic ingredients and fragrances they kept coming up against, they decided to start making their own natural products, and thus was born Tom’s of Maine after the patriarch of the familys’ name.

Through the years the company has grown, becoming a part of the Palmolive-Colgate Company in 2006. They continue to offer popular oral, bath and body, and deodorant/antiperspirant care to a worldwide audience made with naturally derived, and fully transparent ingredients. The company also provides stewardship programs, and give back to the communities and provide environmental support through their manufacturing and packaging choices, profit sharing, and employee volunteer programs.

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Tom’s Natural Deodorant Claims

Deodorant is not antiperspirant, and is not designed to keep you dry. Rather, it is designed to help combat body odor and keep you feeling, and smelling, fresh. Tom’s deodorant has a 24 hour, long lasting odor protection claim on their long-lasting option, and up to 48 hours of protection in their natural strength option.

To me that seemed a little backwards…as I figured the long-lasting would have the longer protection. I also was a bit skeptical that ANY deodorant can provide 24 hours of protection, much less 48 hours. My findings on this are located below.

Aluminum, paraban, and artificial fragrance free, the company also pushes their product as a #1 deodorant brand. For the most part the brand is a very popular one overall due to their many years of transparency and product availability, but the natural brand market has lately been heating up and providing a lot of competition as you can check out for yourself. My question was, could this deodorant stand up against some newer choices in terms of long-lasting odor protection?

Packaging and First Impression

Tom’s is an easily found brand in just about any local pharmacy or larger supermarket shopping center. It also can be ordered online if you want a particular option or scent. The packing is a common package and provides a 2.25 clear gel stick that can be adjusted via a roller tab along the bottom. The packaging is also recyclable if you have those capabilities where you live.

The stickers that provide the logo and deodorant information are sort of thick, and not really stuck on the casing as well as maybe it should be. The thickness of the decal makes the corners raise up very easily, and after a week of daily handling a few areas on mine were peeling up. Obviously this is not a reflection on the deodorant stick itself, but to me the packaging wasn’t as ‘clean’ looking compared to similar, competitive products.

Ingredient List

The ingredients of the long-lasting deodorant consists mostly of vegetable derived oils and plant bases. The vegetable oil derivatives are used to create the solid consistency and easy application and are effective overall. The main deodorant ingredient is a Hops cone extract as it has shown to help breakdown the odor causing bacteria on the body without causing adverse reactions.

I was surprised at the lack of information pertaining to the natural fragrances. Most natural fragrances used in these types of products come from various essential oils. But on the label, and again online, the information provided simply states plant oils and other natural fragrance ingredients. These oils are easy to source and to leave that information our when there is so much attention paid to detail has me wondering about the purity of the oils. To me this is important because so many contact allergies exist surrounding fragrances and essential oils can be a trigger for many of these to people with sensitive skin.

Scent Options

The long-lasting scent options are by far some of the most varied of all the different deodorants offered. Offered in choices that appeal to both men and women, these are highly scented in my opinion, and do not smell in any way chemically based. They also offer an unscented version.

I chose the Wild Lavender scent to review because I grow lavender and it is easy to tell if it smells true to form. I found the deodorant scent to be very strong before application (almost too strong for me), but not quite as strong after being applied which I found to be a relief as I didn’t want to walk around smelling like a flower field all day. It also is not a pure lavender scent and has notes of citrus in it as well.

Because the company does not disclose their scent sources, I am unsure if this is derived from an essential oil or what. Since the common cause of skin rashes that occur with the use of natural deodorants are either baking soda or essential oils, I wish this information was available.

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Consistency

The stick is best described as a gel solid. It is a smooth, clear looking recipe that glides on very easily and without any sort of visible residue. Upon application it does feel wet, however, and if you rub your fingers over it there is a slightly sticky, almost oily feel to it. Seeing as that it is vegetable oil based this makes sense, but it never really dried and always felt a little oily.

Lasting Power

Curious to know how well the scent would last, and if it truly would block body odor, I ran it through some pretty strenuous testing (results below). But I also was curious to see how well it help up if just simply rinsed with water and blotted with a dry cloth. The results were not favorable- at least in reference to the scent of the stick.

I swiped it across my forearm (you can also see it goes on nice and clear) and allowed it to set for 5 minutes after which I simply wet my hand with cool tap water and wiped it across the application. I then blotted my forearm with a dry towel.

I expected to still be able to smell the deodorant as I didn’t rinse my arm under the tap or even scrub the area with my hand, plus I only blotted dry with a towel- but there was NO scent left. I couldn’t smell it at all anymore and it was so surprising that I had to do the test over again. Of course this doesn’t speak to the odor fighting properties, but as for the scent itself, my early hypothesis was that it wouldn’t last long in any sort of sweaty situation and that is basically what I discovered alter on. .

Trials and Results

I did use this deodorant and nothing else for two weeks with an early morning application and again before a heavy workout. I consider myself to have sensitive skin, and although I never had any tingling, itchiness, or soreness with use, I did notice my skin to be a bit ‘pinked’ up at the end of the day. I’m assuming I had a very mild skin sensitivity to some ingredient in it despite no discomfort occurring.

Living where I do in a hot, Southwestern region, simply going about daily morning chores will give you the opportunity to break a sweat. This is a climate that will give any deodorant a run for its money, and I was also a little nervous about having no antiperspirant protection when out in public despite not usually having heavy underarm perspiration.

Everyday Use

My mornings start with outdoor chores on a hobby farm and watering the garden. The day heats up quickly and just these basic tasks usually have me breaking a sweat, making it the perfect opportunity to see how well the product held up with basic movement that doesn’t cause a raise in heart rate.

Although I could still faintly smell the scent after about 40 minutes of being outdoors in the heat, within a few hours I couldn’t notice it anymore. I did not, however, have any body odor either so it might just be that the scent doesn’t linger too long and the other odor fighting ingredients are doing the job they are supposed to do.

I also (thank goodness) did not notice any underarm wetness despite breaking a sweat in the sun. My clothes were not marked with sweat and other than a little normal dampness, my worries about not having an antiperspirant were put to rest. Although there is no aluminum present to fight wetness, I did not have any issues with going about regular daily chores or work.

Heavy Workout

I run regularly and if am not pounding the pavement and covering miles, I’m climbing a treadmill for a few hours. This generates a lot of body heat and sweat. I always applied another swipe of the deodorant prior to getting started, but I did notice that the scent was usually completely gone within 20 to 30 minutes of application.

After working out I never noticed any body odor, and since I usually jump into evening chores or putzing around getting things together for dinner or evening wind down before a shower- there was plenty of time to get stinky. I even had my kids and friends who were available give me a wiff to see if the BO was kicking in and everyone always said there wasn’t a scent at all.

Effective for body odor? Seems like it. As for 24 hour protection? Who knows since I wasn’t going to be that gross and sweaty for that long. Even though the scent didn’t last, the body odor protection seems to work fine.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

I’ll be honest, of all the natural deodorants I tried this was my least favorite, and let me explain why. First, let’s review what is good about this product. To start, it goes on very smooth with no white residue and did not cause any uncomfortable skin sensitivities. The odor protection seems to work well and last long as my trials through some pretty intense heat provided. Plus, the company provides decent transparency to their ingredients, and they have been around for quite some time with repeat consumers.

What did I take issue with? I don’t like the fact that there is no good source for the fragrances being used. This can be an issue for some people who have sensitive skin, and may have been what caused my pink skin observation despite having no discomfort. And despite it being a strong smell, it doesn’t last and washes off with minimal effort, making me think getting a fragrance free version is probably more worthwhile.

The gel solid always felt a little sticky and oily when rubbed between my fingers, and it never dried completely. Of course, this is my own personal preference, but I like a dry application feel. And, this might be petty, but I kind of took issue with the overall presentation. I didn’t feel like the packaging stickers were well thought out and they seemed a bit ‘slapped’ on.

The fact that the company offers their largest range of selection as a long-lasting formula, but yet has another formula that is supposed to last a full 24 hours longer bothers me to no end. It’s like something was missing in how that was thought out, and sometimes it is those little details that point to how serious a company takes their own product.

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What Consumers are Saying

As with most personal hygiene products, the reviews are a mixed bag of details concerning pros and cons. Not surprising, in reading other’s reviews AFTER I wrote my own, I found them to say much of the same things I did and rated it on average how I did.

The scents are well varied and fresh, but don’t last through any sort of physical exertion. Others complained it was way too strong a smell, and mentioned being able to smell themselves while sitting in an office. Odor protection is either decent or minimal depending on the person, and over and over again users commented on it feeling sticky or wet without ever drying.

As an effective product for body odor protection? More people agreed with this than those who didn’t, so it seems effective in this aspect, which was what I felt as well. As for the scent and overall feel? A lot of two thumbs down. Skin sensitivities were not overly common, but did occur as itchy rashes, burning sensations, or a pinking up of the skin. This is fairly normal when switching from one product to another, and is very personal from one person to another, so I don’t feel this reflects on the product itself.

Conclusion

Would I recommend Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant? Yes, overall I don’t feel this is a bad product and has more overall positive consumer experiences than negative. My experience wasn’t a bad one, and body odor seemed to be well controlled despite my own dislike of certain aspects of the formula. If you would like to try out Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant for yourself we’d love to hear about your experiences below. These types of products are very personal and naturally generate many different reviews based on personal preferences and body chemistry.

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