Concern over ingredients used in our beauty products is nothing new. The seemingly benign deodorant we mindlessly apply each morning is one example, with scientists showing concern over aluminum, which can cause kidney problems during processing. With a spotlight on this and other ingredients of concern in popular hygiene and beauty products we use daily, there’s been a movement towards natural ingredients instead that do the job just as well.
PAPR is one company that’s embracing all natural ingredients as well as biodegradable packaging with a “Deodorant that works, but doesn’t last forever.”
I’ve been using the deodorant for over six months now and am thrilled with the product. This, mind you, is following a three-year journey in search of a deodorant that is both natural and works for me.
PAPR recently releases a new scent in the lineup, called The Deep, which they describe as a unisex scent where the ocean meets plumeria and a hint of lemon. This is in addition to a well-established line that includes So Hot Right Now, Bright Shiny Morning, From Dusk Till Dawn, Coastal Forests, and a fragrance-free option. Each of the 100% natural deodorants is produced without aluminum, parabens, silicone, or sulfates.
Natural Ingredients
In addition, all products are completely vegan and are never tested on animals or contain any animal materials. As a substitute for aluminum, PAPR (pronounced “Paper”) uses baking soda to eliminate odors. For scents, the company combines cold-pressed essential oils. There are no artificial fragrances or other products. In addition to the baking soda and essential oils, the ingredient list includes tapioca starch, silica, castor oil, jojoba ester, coconut oil, and shea butter.
Sustainable Packaging
PAPR is not only thinking about the health of the customer, but also the environment. The deodorant tube widely distances itself from the standard plastic tube. By design, it’s more like a Push Pop you used to eat as a kid (and maybe still do. We won’t judge). The paper packaging is made to be recycled, but even in the garbage, it will biodegrade naturally, with no chemical leaching since even the inks are plant-based soy.
Currently, the tube is made from 99.98% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper. Not only has the company taken steps to use a design that meets its planet-first packaging goals in terms of waste, but the FSC certification means the wood the paper comes from was sourced in an environmentally and worker-friendly way. The simple shift to paper (PAPR) from plastic tubes, eliminates countless conventional deodorant tubes from landfills, where they will sit for hundreds of years.
The other 0.02% of the tube composition comes from a cornstarch membrane. Although it’s also 100% biodegradable, the PAPR team has plans to phase it out by the end of the year to make room for faster biodegradability.
The packaging is more than just eco-friendly, it’s artwork. Each of the different scents has completely different packaging. Colorful and interesting, each tube is adorned with sketches of origami animals that represent the scent. The newest release, The Deep, features shades of blue and turquoise with images of whales, sea turtles and crabs.
More Than Deodorant
The company recently released another new product called The Everything Stick. It’s a waterless balm with multiple uses. You can use it on dry skin, chapped lips, to tighten beneath the eye, on cuts or scrapes, and so much more. Since it’s waterless, it’s condensed and lasts a very long time. Best of all, the biodegradable paper tube is made from post-consumer recycled paper.
PAPR products are available at Papercosmetics.com and on Amazon.com.
Personal Review
Natural deodorants offer protection without the potentially harmful chemicals and components in mainstream antiperspirants and deodorants. The journey into finding an adequate natural deodorant can take time, sifting through different brands to evaluate effectiveness.
I’ve been on this journey for several years. It typically involves discovering a brand, finding a scent I can tolerate, then using the product for a few weeks while your body detoxes and gets acclimated to it for long-term use. Mostly, either my skin has broken out, the deodorant stained my clothing, or I had to deal with unmanaged body odor. A few times I thought I had it figured out, only to discover it wasn’t effective in the summer or I had to reapply several times a day.
So when PAPR offered to send me a sample, I was happily willing to try it out. In short, I was very pleasantly surprised. The smell is subtle, and I’m extremely scent sensitive so I’d call them out if it was too strong. I sampled The Deep and would describe the scent as mildly floral and fresh. Although honestly I didn’t notice a scent at all until I evaluated it when starting this review.
The application is gentle and soft, with no grating or wet feeling (yes, some do). I’ve been using it for over six months and I haven’t broken out, none of my shirts have acquired pit stains and I’ve never had to reapply during the same day.
I received the sample in the fall and haven’t tried it out in really hot weather. I am also curious to see if it travels well without melting. Of course that can be an issue with any deodorant so I don’t expect a bigger problem here.
The packaging speaks to a dedication to the environment with a push-up mechanism in a cardboard tube. The tube states an oil residue might build up along the edges, but I haven’t seen that happen yet. One tube lasted me close to six months with regular use and I’m now signed up to auto-ship a new deodorant once every four months.
I can’t tell you how much better this is than the one I’ve been using for the past year, thinking it was the best I could get with a natural deodorant. Every body’s chemistry is different so I wouldn’t expect everyone to have the same results, but for me I’ve found a winner, and so has the planet considering the considerate plastic-free product design.
An edited version of this article by the same author was published by Inhabitat.com
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