Have you ever seen deodorant that can be used over and over again?
It’s not as disgusting as it sounds; in fact, it’s sustainable and good for the environment!
Wild deodorant surfaced as a supermarket outlier in 2022, as one of the first brands to create a ‘natural’ and refillable deodorant.
They champion themselves on becoming carbon neutral, and instead of disposable packaging, offer fun refillable cases in lots of different scents to reduce plastic waste.
With no parabens, magnesium, or sulphates, their products are also cruelty free and vegan.
What more could you ask for?
I set out to try the eco-deodorant for a week to see if it could cope with the stench of working in hospitality and journalism for five days.
Disclaimer: Days one, two and three I was using the Wild mini candy floss deodorant, and day five, committed to buying a large refillable case in the scent: sea salt and cotton.
Day 1 Stinkometer – 6/10
I had really high hopes for the first time trying this deodorant, but I really started to smell it (both the deodorant and sweat) towards the end of the day. I’m not sure if it’s that the deodorant can’t cope with the high levels of stress that come with working in a café, or I didn’t apply enough, and it’s more suited for casual wear, but will update some more tomorrow. I applied it in the morning at 8am to see if it lasted all day, but really started to stink around 2pm…
Day 2 – Stink levels: 3/10
I tried putting on the deodorant straight after showering last night before bed, which seemed to offer some improvement. After reapplying in the morning, the almost overpowering smell of candy floss stayed throughout the day but did start to smell towards 4pm. This might just be a personal bias since I’m not a fan of sweet smells and therefore noticed it more (they didn’t have any other scent options). Tomorrow I’ll try changing the variables by reapplying it again later in the day to see if that helps anymore. In terms of feel, I still felt sweaty towards the end of the day but definitely less noticeable than the day before – I’m just not sure if Wild can cope in the wilds of hospitality.
Day 3 – A turn for the worst 6/10
I don’t know what it was about today, maybe there were too many stressful customer interactions, but the candy floss didn’t perform as well as hoped. I did have to rush mid-lunch break to put spray on because the sweet smell of candy floss was turning to candy…sweat. However, one thing I am noticing with the mini, is a lack of white residue which many people have noticed online. A small win?
Day 4 – A small win 3/10
For the penultimate day of this trial, I pulled out all the stops, having learnt from the previous few days on how to smell…less. I applied it both the night before, and multiple times in the day. There was definitely a less distinct smell overall, but I still wouldn’t be happy to just wear this without multiple top ups throughout the day.
Day 5 – A Final Redemption? 2/10
For the final day of this experiment, there was a change in the running order. Maybe as a sign from the gods to give this a chance, I walked into boots and what did I see reduced on the shelf? Only the wild deodorant, priced at £7, for a multi-coloured case and refill of sea salt and cotton scent. I think my deodorant prayers were answered at this moment. However, the real challenge was spending a day in the journalism department with this deodorant on a hot day. I did notice from the normal size a slight white residue when applying, but this went away after a while: definitely not a dealbreaker. Confession: the sea salt and cotton scent performed surprisingly well compared to its predecessor, the candy floss mini. Yes, there was a slight smell, but nothing can be bulletproof on a sunny day in the UK. For me, this was the best we were going to get with a stinkometer of only 2/10.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps Wild is designed for less stressful environments and more casual daily wear, however from my experience it was put to the ultimate test. I would definitely say I saw a huge improvement from the mini to the full-size case, however at £3.99, the mini is a much more accessible option for those willing to try it out. But this might also be down to personal preference – the cotton scent was a much more neutral and subtle smell compared to the sweet candy floss. Also, everyone sweats at different levels, and I might just be an outlier – so don’t take my word as final judgement. A positive update: since writing this, Wild have launched another scent in the mini, which I would urge you to try out before committing to the full size. For only a small amount, it’s a nice alternative to other roll-ons if you’re looking for something that has less impact on the environment, however it might require multiple top ups in the day. Which for some, might be a small price to pay for a sustainable option. The choice is yours!
