WILD Sensitive Deodorant Review [Bicarbonate-free]
This is an honest review of Wild deodorant’s sensitive range which has been specially designed for people that have problems with the bicarb in natural deodorant
This post contains PR samples and affiliate links to Wild. All my words and views are my own.
Having trouble with that rash again?
In your armpits… obviously.
Almost all natural deodorants contain bicarbonate of soda (or baking powder) which is great for absorbing bad odour.
The problem is, it’s highly alkaline and many people find it irritates their skin and leaves them with a painful red rash.
After using Earth Conscious for a year, my partner suddenly came out in a sore, itchy rash. He ended up going back to an aerosol spray.
Luckily, Wild knew that some people have a problem with bicarbonate of soda in natural deodorant so they formulated a sensitive range for anyone having this issue.
I don’t usually like to review products that every influencer has already been ‘gifted’, but Wild’s new sensitive range launched at the same time as we were trialling different bicarb-free natural deodorants so it made sense.
We’ve both been using the Wild sensitive deodorant for 6 months now so here’s an honest review from us both.
COMING UP
Short summary
How Sustainable is Wild deodorant?
How much does it cost
How does a Wild subscription work?
Switching to natural deodorant for the first time
Is there a transition period?
Problems with Wild deodorant
Does Wild’s sensitive deodorant work?
Is it easy to use?
How gentle is it?
About Wild’s ingredients:
Does Wild sensitive contain allergens?
What does sensitive deodorant use instead of bicarbonate?
Does Wild contain aluminium?
Does Wild contain parabens?
What I like about Wild
What I don’t like about Wild
Conclusion
Short summary of Wild sensitive deodorant
You can use my discount code to get 10% off your first order AFFLAZY10
2. Is Wild deodorant a sustainable brand?
Yes, Wild deodorant is sustainable because its products are designed to be refilled and reused. Using Royal Mail keeps their carbon footprint low and their refills are made from minimal home compostable packaging. Wild is cruelty-free and uses no single-use plastic.
I will always look at a brand’s ethics when writing a review, so here’s a list of what I’ve learned about Wild’s brand sustainability.
Key sustainable features:
Wild are carbon positive which means they offset more emissions than they use by supporting reforestation projects through On A Mission.
The details on the aluminium case are made from recycled plastic.
The refills are packaged in bamboo fibre pulp.
Refills are sent in packs of 3 to reduce their carbon footprint (from packaging and transport).
Wild uses existing infrastructure to post their deodorants as opposed to couriers.
Their delivery boxes are cardboard and fit through your letterbox.
Wild deodorant is vegan and cruelty-free but not certified. Wild is a small business and is in the process of getting a leaping bunny certification.
Most ingredients are sourced from the UK but when that isn’t possible they source them from Europe.
Wild are hoping to be a certified B Corporation by the end of the year, which would mean they have high ethical standards in regards to workers and the environment.
3. How much does Wild Deodorant cost?
Wild sent me this case and 3 refills to test out for free, but I wanted to breakdown the costs as part of the review because there are a few different options.
When you first try Wild deodorant you have to buy the case for £7 but you only have to buy this once. If you choose to subscribe, a refill (which is the deodorant part) is £5.
After you’ve received your case and a refill through the post, your refills will come in packs of three (£15) which is a great price for a natural deodorant.
If you choose a one-off purchase, the case will still cost £7 but the refills will be £6.
When you start the signup process, all the options (including the total price) will be presented to you to choose from.
The payment options are:
A case and 1x refill (subscription) £12
A case and 3x refills (one off) £25
A case and 5x refills (subscription) £32
As someone who has used natural deodorants for 5-6 years, this is definitely one of the cheapest options I’ve seen. However, I appreciate the aluminium-free options are much more expensive than cheap mainstream antiperspirants.
If you are struggling with the price, you could consider making your own deodorant - it’s very simple.
4. How does a wild deodorant subscription work?
Everyone’s body is different and some like to apply deodorant more than others, so Wild have made their subscription flexible to cater for everyone.
On average, Wild deodorant lasts 4-6 weeks per refill so the standard subscription is 3 refills every 3 months. However, using your online account you can change the frequency you’d like to receive them. You can also delay or speed up delivery if you use less or more.
Here’s how to set up a Wild deodorant subscription:
Choose a case colour
Choose your subscription
Choose your scents
Checkout
One month after your order you’ll be billed for a pack of 3 refills (£15)
From then on, you’ll be charged £15 every 8-14 weeks (depending on the schedule you’ve chosen through your online account)
You can use your online account to choose different scents each time, to delay or cancel your delivery.
5. Switching to a natural deodorant for the first time
When switching to a natural deodorant, it is important you know the difference between an antiperspirant and a deodorant.
Antiperspirant contains aluminium salts that block your sweat ducts to prevent sweat from leaving your body. We tend to use the word “deodorant” to describe any product we’re rubbing on our armpits, but if it contains aluminium, it’s actually an antiperspirant.
Aluminium-free deodorant contains naturally antibacterial ingredients that should stop you from smelling bad. It uses ingredients like bicarbonate of soda to absorb body odour but it will not stop you from sweating.
Wild deodorant is not an antiperspirant.
Will there be a transition period?
Neither I nor my partner noticed our armpits “detoxing” when we made the swap to natural deodorant. However, I’ve heard from a fair few people that their bodies went through a short transition period when they stopped using aluminium.
From what I’ve been told, the second week seems to be particularly bad as the body removes toxins and rebalances sweat production. You may find you sweat more than usual and get body odour after a few hours giving the impression the natural deodorant isn’t working.
If your body begins to “detox,” it should be over within 2 - 3 weeks, 4 at most.
Nevertheless, nobody wants to go to work stinky so if you’re having this problem, check out my other blog post on switching to natural deodorant for a list of things you can do to help detox your armpits and minimise body odour.
Problems Switching with Wild Deodorant
If you’ve tried Wild deodorant before and are having problems with it, the answer lies in the problem you are having.
If your problem is a rash, then switching to the sensitive option should solve this.
If your problem is that you are sweating a lot, then it may be that your body is still adjusting to an aluminium-free product. As I mentioned above, I have tips for this in my post about switching to natural deodorant.
If your problem involves applying it, the best option is to contact Wild directly because it may be a faulty product. Wild sensitive is creamy and easy to apply in my experience.
Another problem that bothers some people (including my partner who wears black every day) is that it can leave deodorant stains on your clothes.
My tip would be to wait for it to dry before putting on your clothes, but you still might get white marks on your clothes if you wear dark colours.
If the risk of white marks is a big no for you, you might want to check out Fussy Deodorant instead.
6. Does Wild’s sensitive deodorant work?
Yes, Wild deodorant worked for both me and my partner (who is a big sweaty man). BUT natural deodorant isn’t for everyone, and all bodies are different so it doesn’t mean your experience will be the same.
My partner and I found Wild’s sensitive deodorant more effective than the other bicarb-free deodorants we have tried recently. It is his favourite so far because it doesn’t stick to his armpit hair like another popular brand did.
7. How easy is it to use?
It should be simple for most people to use Wild deodorant. My partner and I both prefer deodorant balms but I really like that I don’t have to stick my finger in a pot and get my hand all messy (I imagine this would be unpleasant if you had long nails).
The applicator is easy to hold and use. You simply twist the bottom when you need more - like you would on a lip balm.
There are instructions on the packaging explaining how to insert a refill and it was simple enough - you squeeze the two buttons on the side and it pops out. When inserting a new refill, you only have to take the lid off - the bamboo packaging stays on.
The only problem I have is that it is quite hard to get the refill in and out. I haven’t got the best fine motor skills anyway, but my partner has to do it for me.
8. How gentle is wild sensitive deodorant?
My partner got a painful rash from using the Earth Conscious deodorant tin over the winter. I didn’t use it myself because I found the Earth Conscious stick made me a itchy.
Neither me or my partner had any unpleasant reactions to Wild’s sensitive deodorant - including the scented options.
9. About Wild’s ingredients
For this part of my review, I’m going to cover the ingredients in Wild’s deodorants. If you are allergic or sensitive to certain ingredients you should check the ingredients lists here.
Does Wild sensitive deodorant contain allergens?
Coconut dreams is fragrance-free and gets its scent from the deodorant base ingredients, like coconut oil.
The bergamot scent and the jasmine mandarin blossom contains fragrance allergens from essential oils: Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, Eugenol, Hydroxycitronellal.
What does sensitive deodorant contain instead of bicarbonate of soda?
In Wild’s sensitive range they have replaced bicarbonate of soda with tapioca starch which is a powder extracted from the roots of the cassava plant that absorbs moisture.
They also use cocoa butter to form a barrier on the skin’s surface which slows the loss of moisture without blocking it.
Does Wild deodorant contain aluminium?
No, none of Wild’s deodorants contain aluminium.
Does Wild deodorant contain parabens?
No, none of Wild’s deodorants contain parabens. The antioxidant Vitamin E (tocopherol) is used as a natural preservative.
Is Wild a deodorant or antiperspirant?
Wild is not an antiperspirant, it is a deodorant that uses ingredients like tapioca starch to help absorb sweat.
Does Wild Deodorant stop you from sweating?
For an antiperspirant to stop you from sweating, it must contain aluminium salts. Like all other natural deodorants, Wild does not contain aluminium, therefore it is not an antiperspirant and will not stop you sweating, but it should stop body odour. Most people are okay with this because sweating is a natural bodily function. Once your body adjusts to being free from aluminium, people often find they sweat a lot less.
How long does Wild deodorant last?
My partner and I find our Wild deodorant lasts longer than a month, maybe 6-8 weeks. It will obviously depend on how much you apply. Officially, Wild say their product lasts 4-6 weeks if you use two swipes on each armpit. You can adjust your subscription so your refills are delivered when you’re close to running out.
10. What I like about Wild deodorant
I have been using natural deodorant for about 5-6 years now and I can get on with pretty much all of them. The thing that appeals most to be about Wild is the convenience of refills coming through your door. It means I save on postage and don’t run out (which has happened a lot because I’m unorganised).
I also like the price. Once you’ve purchased the case, it is cheaper than most deodorants on the market.
My partner wears black t-shirts to work every day and has not found the deodorant stains his top (like others have done in the past). I am not sure if this is the case for the non-sensitive range.
If you decide it isn’t for you, there is no need to recycle it because you could easily sell the case on eBay or Facebook.
11. What I don’t like about Wild deodorant
I’m going to finish up my review with the things I don’t like about Wild’s deodorant.
The main thing that bothers me is the use of palm oil, even though it is certified by the RSPO.
Brands that use palm oil say it is because it would be unsustainable to mass-produce the alternative vegetable oils, yet their products usually contain the alternatives anyway.
So I personally try to avoid palm oil which is obviously hard because it’s in everything - including many eco-friendly products, like shampoo bars.
Often brands choose palm oil because it’s cheaper, but most palm-oil-free natural deodorants are a similar price to Wild.
One more thing I’d prefer is if Wild made their cardboard postage packaging from recycled materials.
12. Conclusion
Overall, I’m really happy with Wild deodorant. I feel relieved to have found a product my partner likes so he no longer uses an aerosol deodorant.
I would personally pay more if Wild created a palm oil free option, however, I appreciate that not everyone can afford to buy that.
If you’d like to give Wild a go, you can use my affiliate discount code AFFLAZY10 for 10% off your first order. Click here to sign up:
Have you tried natural deodorant before? What has your experience been so far? Let me know in the comments below.
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