PRODUCT REVIEW: Nuud anti-odorant
In case you lurk around here, you may have noticed that, amongst all the media and whatnot that I review, I also throw out a review for some eco-hippy products every once in a while. With that in mind, one of the substances I’ve been warned against more than most, for my whole life, has been deodorant/antiperspirant, because pretty much all of your grocery store brands include aluminum in their recipes. As such, a replacement for this has been something that I’ve looked into on and off for quite some time. Probably my favorite of the alternatives is Nuud.
It’s worth mentioning that, if you want the simplest natural/organic deodorant and don’t mind a bit of inconvenience, I will always first and foremost recommend trying a mixture of coconut oil with some baking soda mixed in. Coconut oil is inherently antibacterial and antifungal (my feet never smell if I put coconut oil on them before using my barefoot shoes, for example), while baking soda is an excellent scent-remover (people who have smelly fridges often put a little dish of baking soda in them). I found that I still sweat, but I didn’t smell and my clothes didn’t yellow. However, coconut oil changes from liquid to solid very easily, so if your house temperature isn’t very stable, you might have issues with the consistency (myself, I preferred to apply it when it wasn’t a full liquid, but the bathroom where I used it was the wrong temperature for it to stay at my desired consistency). Also, having to dip a finger into oil and smear it around with your hands just doesn’t work for some people, though at least coconut oil can be rubbed into your skin as a moisturizer afterwards.
When I looked up “is Nuud a deodorant or antiperspirant,” the answer was unclear, as they seem to get called both. Their website refers them as an anti-odorant, which makes sense, if they don’t want to be married to those words with negative connotations—the difference between these substances is that deodorant is meant to change the smell of your sweat, while antiperspirants are meant to make you sweat less. It is also the latter that are usually full of aluminum, though I would recommend you look at the ingredient list on the product if you want to be safe. Fortunately though, Nuud contains no aluminum, so you’re safe on that front if you have kidney issues, bone issues, memory disease risks, or any other problems that aluminum might aggravate (more info on that).
The product is advertised as a cream that comes in a little tube that’s made of bioplastic sugarcane. Along with aluminum, Nuud also avoids using parabens, petrochemical ingredients, fragrances, and alcohol, and includes no microplastics or nanoparticles. Only a pea-sized amount of the product is suggested for use and they also boast that their product lasts for 3 days, regardless of your bathing rituals.
So, once again, the usual question is, “does Nuud work?” and again, I’m happy to say that yes, the product does exactly what it promises. I like to apply Nuud after visiting the sauna, where most of my hygiene rituals take place, which means that my deodorant gets applied in the 3-day timeframe that they suggest. I am pleased to say that when I use Nuud, much like with the coconut oil mixture I mentioned above, I still sweat but I don’t smell bad. Regardless of whether I need to shower within that 3-day period, I don’t need to reapply the paste. The pea-sized amount is definitely accurate, using more just makes it weirder to smear around and doesn’t really benefit you.
Another thing worth mentioning about Nuud is that the product originally just came in a tube and you had to apply it manually with your fingers. Much like with the home-made recipe I mentioned above, this puts some people off because you can imagine that Nuud is hard to get off your fingers (even with soap), as a product that’s designed to survive baths, showers, saunas, trips to the pool, and so on. To combat this, they’ve also made an applicator cap that the product squeezes out of, allowing you to apply it without the need to spend several minutes scrubbing your fingers afterwards—an improvement, I’d say!
It is worth mentioning that some people with skin sensitivities have been prone to having some reactions to Nuud, as people with sensitive skin often have reactions to eco/organic alternatives, due to the ingredients. I, myself, found a couple of swollen lymph nodes in my armpit at some point in my first year of using the product. Their customer service was kind enough to talk about it with me and assured me that this is usually caused by some clogging of pores and to shower and wait until they calm down before reapplying, and to not apply right after shaving if possible. I haven’t had the same issue again since and I think I’ve been using Nuud for a few years now. Though I am a hippy, I do shave my armpits, so it’s worth mentioning that if you do not shave, Nuud is less likely to affect your pores, etc. When I had the swollen lymph nodes, I had a period of letting my armpit hair grow out for a day before applying the product, so that I wasn’t putting it into freshly-shaven pores, and this helped a lot (though, nowadays I do apply it directly after shaving again). I do have a friend who can’t use Nuud because it gives her a rash, so if you are prone to skin sensitivities, do pay attention to how you react and test it beforehand, if possible.
Now, if you remember my review of New Wash, the biggest issue that is common with eco-friendly products is, more often than not, their price. However, where Nuud really stands out to me is that the price might genuinely be as good if not slightly better than your usual store-bought deodorants and is easily better than organic deodorants. Your basic deodorant here costs maybe around 2-5€ and lasts a few weeks with daily application, with organic brands charging 5-15€. A single 15ml tube of Nuud costs 14€ and they suggest that it lasts 6-7 weeks; however, my experience (as a person who sweats a normal/reasonable amount) has been that a tube of Nuud lasts me considerably longer than that, maybe even half a year or more. Furthermore, if you buy Nuud in bulk, you get discounts: two packs generally run at 26€ (unless you, for some baffling reason, want to pay more to have a differently-colored tube… not something that makes sense to me, but to each their own), and four tubes costs 40€. They also have subscription services and a working referral program, which is always nice. The company also makes soap bars these days, though as someone who does not like the way bar soap makes my skin feel, I have not tried the soap. Frankly, the long-lasting action of their product might be downplayed because they want you to have a more regular subscription than is actually necessary.
Ultimately, per my experience, Nuud is the best eco-alternative I’ve found for deodorant (my next review will be of the other eco-friendly deodorant I’ve tried called Wild), and frankly, it’s also the best deodorant I’ve found, period. The smell is really inoffensive and neutral, so if you have perfume or scent sensitivities or allergies, Nuud should be really good for you. I personally love it as well, because of that 3-day rule. If I’m going out to, for example, Kosmos Festival and I want to dance the weekend away, I love knowing that I can put Nuud on before leaving and I should be fine for the weekend—that’s one less thing I have to pack for short trips. After all, I don’t want to be that hippy, who makes everyone around them uncomfortable with their odors. So, in short, I highly recommend trying Nuud, and if you’re so inclined to give it a try, you’re welcome to use my referral code!
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