Does aluminum-free deodorant make you stink?

I recall songstress Alicia Keys talking about natural deodorant on “Carpool Karaoke,” while the “Ordinary People” crooner John Legend sang about stinky people who use it. I laughed and forgot all about their comical songs. Like Alicia Keys’ husband Swizz Beatz, I was used to regular deodorant too.

And even though I cringe at Fat Joe interviewing himself on every single episode of “Joe and Jada,” I was tickled when he said your deodorant should have a “little cancer” in it. What woman wants to smell like “Game 7,” as Jadakiss described? John Legend may have been making solid points in his karaoke song.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I prioritize featuring intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and Black-owned businesses. All five of my Substack publications include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a VERIFIED Black-owned business.

But was natural deodorant really that bad? The who’s who in hip-hop and R&B were coming down hard on the natural folks. Then, former NFL champion Ryan Clark complained about people testing out natural deodorant in July instead of January, making summer airport travel miserable. None of these people were on the same podcast or in the same room, but (minus Alicia Keys) they were all coming to a consensus. Natural deodorant was not the move.

As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases using my referral links.

Instead of being completely opposed to the idea, curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know: Is natural deodorant really that bad? Does natural deodorant make you stink? Instead of going for a lesser-known company that sold natural deodorant, I decided to try a popular brand that has proven itself to be especially solid: Dove.

Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “AAC-PACK,” “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the monthly post on the third Thursday. Thanks for reading!