This unusually-named deodorant eschews sweet, fruity or flowery scents. Its fragrance is strong without being overwhelming – think fire, smoke, wood and leather – and endures all day long. However, despite the intense fragrance, the balm itself is light, soft and comprised of natural ingredients such as Shea Butter and Calendula Oil. Final thoughts: Even though I also love some other natural deodorants , if you're looking for that extra level strength (and luxury all-natural scent), I would highly recommend giving AKT a go. Inspired by their industry, the typography is based on the old theatre billboards, the spacing is like cinema and movie theatre signs, and they've even named the fragrances after scenes. My favourite detail, though, is the directions for using the product. "Let's set the scene," it begins. "You open the box and take out The Deodorant Balm . . . Akt lasts all day. But you put it in your bag. Who knows where today will take you." It's this level of consideration and, let's be honest, cheekiness, that made me so excited by Akt — but to find out the product works? Well, I'm sold for life now, aren't I.

Where many natural deodorants smell feminine, floral, or are very citrus-heavy, Akt's fragrances are created for all genders. In my opinion, they have more fresh, earthy, and spicy notes — which I love and actually think is sexy — and would compare all three to the style of perfumes that Le Labo or Malin + Goetz are known for. "We never wanted it to be gender specific," says Currie. "Because it's 2020 — it's just a good deodorant that's going to work for anyone." Key specs – Type: Replaceable push-up; Vegan friendly: Yes; Container: Reusable metal holder/Bamboo pulp refills; Quantity: 43g per refill AKT is the creation of two theatre actors, Ed Currie and Andy Coxon, who felt mainstream deodorants weren't helping them through eight intensely physical shows a week - shows that involved dancing under hot lights and running between a dressing room five flights away from the stage. Not to mention the rehearsals, classes, and training sessions during the day.The company describes the potent formula as being perfect for gym days, holidays and extra busy days – and in our testing, it worked wonders. The smell is sweet and mild and it’s wonderfully easy to apply as its consistency is more like a butter than a cream. The end result is a deodorant that works incredibly well. We detected no unpleasant odours and it also serves to keep dampness at bay effectively.

The stronger deodorants here aren’t always recommended for constant, everyday use, as certain ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate (often referred to as bicarb) can cause skin irritation. If you are someone who can sweat heavily even when standing still in the middle of a winter blizzard – don’t despair. Firstly, many people report that switching from antiperspirants to natural deodorants resulted in them sweating less after a few weeks. Secondly, even if this isn’t the case with you, you can consider the more potent natural deodorants which are designed to cope with heavy sweat from the most strenuous workouts and exercise regimes. Currie explains that it got to the point where he was throwing away t-shirts every single week, and he thought, "something's got to change." This is how he came to create Akt Deodorant Balm, which started as an experiment in the kitchen of his Camden flat. Fast forward three years — and countless iterations of the formula later — and Currie was finally ready to use his fellow West End dancers to test whether his deodorant was efficacious. Spoiler alert: they loved it. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ One side benefit of natural deodorants is that they don’t contain aluminium, so you won’t have to worry about stubborn yellow stains on the underarm fabric of your gym T-shirts.

Squeeze a little from the small tube, apply it with your fingers and it smooths on easily and is absorbed instantly. You can buy a separate applicator if you don’t like using your fingers, though. In colder seasons we’d advise warming the tube slightly before use or you’ll struggle to squeeze any out.