To begin understanding natural crystal deodorants, first it is necessary to explain why I say ‘natural crystal deodorants,’ versus just ‘crystal deodorants.’  Due to the rising demand of crystal deodorants, companies have been searching for ways to produce more with as little cost as possible.  This has led to the creation of synthetic crystal deodorant, because it is cheaper to chemically manufacture synthetic crystal deodorant than it is to extract the natural potassium alum crystal from the Earth.

For all tense and purposes this post will only focus on natural crystal deodorants.  If you would like more information regarding the difference of natural crystal deodorants and synthetic crystal deodorants, you can read the post:  What Everyone Ought to Know About Crystal Deodorant Stones.

What is it?

Lets begin by explaining the raw material of natural crystal deodorants.  Natural crystal deodorants are made from potassium alum, which is a naturally occurring sulfate mineral which typically occurs as encrustations on rocks.  It is derived from the oxidation of sulfide minerals and potassium-bearing minerals; and appears as a white to colorless translucent crystalline stone.  When it is extracted from the Earth large blocks of potassium alum crystal are shipped to crystal deodorant manufacturers, where the blocks are then cut, shaped, polished and packaged to form what we know as crystal deodorant.

As the name implies, the potassium alum stone, otherwise known as crystal deodorant, looks like a crystal, such that it is translucent, colorless and contains small fracture lines, or veins.  Below you can see a picture of a natural crystal deodorant stone made from potassium alum:

Crystal Deodorant Stone (potassium alum crystal)

What does it do?

Potassium alum has a variety of commercial applications, such as for the use of oral care products used in dental hygiene, water purification, food preservation, and as the sole ingredient of natural crystal deodorants.  Potassium alum is originally extracted from the Earth as large blocks, but it is also sold in a small crystal forms and powder to be used in a variety of commercial applications and cosmetics.  Since all forms of potassium alum are soluble in water, when the stone is wet or applied to wet skin, an invisible, fine layer of the mineral is rubbed off the stone and applied to the skins surface.  The mineral layer quickly dries, and rests on the skin as a completely topical layer.

How does it work?

When the human body sweats it is basically just releasing salt and water through sweat glands in the skin. Contrary to popular belief, sweat does not have a distinctive smell of its own. The smell associated with sweat is actually caused by bacteria on the skin that eats sweat and excretes waste; and it is the bacteria waste that produces a foul odor.  And, yes, everyone has bacteria on their skin, and it is perfectly normal.  The bacteria on our skin ordinarily does not produce a noticeable smell, but when sweat is present the bacteria begins to rapidly grow and produce an increasing amount of odor.

Potassium alum is a natural anti-microbial that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria.  As an anti-microbial potassium alum adjusts the pH of the skins surface and creates an environment where bacteria cannot grow.  Therefore, odor is prevented, and the body is able to maintain its proper course of eliminating toxins through sweat, as well as controlling body temperature, all without odor.

How it differs from traditional deodorants and antiperspirants?

Firstly, natural crystal deodorants are just that, natural.  And that is the main difference.  There are no added chemicals or fragrances.  And, as previously mentioned, natural crystal deodorants allow the body to sweat, but without odor.  Traditional deodorants use chemical rich fragrances to mask odor and cover up the bad bacteria smell.  Antiperspirants block the skin from releasing sweat, thereby inhibiting the bacteria growth process. All antiperspirants have an aluminum-based compound as their main ingredient, such as:

• Aluminum chloride
• Aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex glycine
• Aluminum chlorohydrate
• Aluminum hydroxybromide
• Aluminum hydroxide (ATH)

The aluminum ions are drawn into the cells that line the sweat gland at the top layer of skin. When the aluminum ions enter into the cells, water passes in with them. As more water flows in, the cells begin to swell, squeezing the sweat ducts closed and preventing sweat from escaping.

30 years ago it would be very difficult for even the most scrupulous natural product consumer to find crystal deodorant. The market was in its infancy, but the potential was clear. Crystal deodorant packs a mean combo of benefits. When applied to the skin it is entirely invisible and leaves no sticky or oily residue on the skin. Furthermore, it provides 24 hour protection and is fragrance free.

The impressive list of benefits matched with its 100% natural origin led to the transformation of the crystal deodorant market and created what most consumers today know as crystal deodorant. Companies were simply unwilling to endure the costly mineral extraction process, and through scientific advancements and thorough R&D, manufacturers discovered that potassium alum can be synthetically manufactured.  However, the synthetic mineral that is more commonly used in mainstream crystal deodorant is actually more closely associated to ammonium alum.

This is not to say all crystal deodorants are made with synthetic minerals, but there remain some clear visual differences in the product choices available.

Crystal Deodorant Appearance

Potassium alum is found in deposits in the Earth’s crust typically in the South American Andes and near the Mediterranean Sea. When potassium alum is extracted from the earth it is a colorless, translucent crystalline stone, also known as a mineral crystal.  Another more common mineral crystal that shares a similar appearance is quartz. Therefore, a truly natural crystal deodorant stone or stick that is made from unaltered potassium alum appears the same as the day it was extracted – colorless and translucent.

Below is a picture Natural Cosmetic News took comparing two crystal deodorants we found that were both labeled natural and listed the same ingredients. The one on the right is clearly colorless and translucent, and the one of the left is obviously opaque and white.

So, how is it that supposedly both products are natural and made of the exact same ingredient but appear different? Well, it is probably because the actual source of the ingredient is different, or at least the quality. It is quite simple to identify unaltered natural potassium alum due to its translucency. And the white opaqueness of the crystal deodorant pictured above is most likely a result of a key ingredient used during the manufacturing process of synthetic ammonium alum. Aluminum hydroxide, a white cosmetic opacifying agent, is used to make ammonium alum.

If the quality or the original source of the deodorizing ingredient is compromised the efficacy is too. Only 100% pure crystal deodorants, which have been clinically tested, provide the aforementioned benefits, but what about the impure ones?  Until the term “natural” becomes more regulated with stricter standards that eliminate synthetic replicas, the best judge for the true origin of the crystal deodorant is your own eye.

Natural crystal deodorants have become very popular in the last few years. The natural deodorant is made from potassium alum, which is a naturally occurring mineral salt found in quarries throughout the world. Potassium alum’s appearance can be described as a translucent crystalline stone that contains veins like those found in marble.

Potassium alum has many commercial applications, as well as varying natural benefits, but for the purpose of crystal deodorant, it prevents odor by stopping odor causing bacteria produced in sweat from growing. Therefore, it is quite different from traditional deodorants which use heavy fragrances to mask odor, or antiperspirants which use chemicals to clog pores and block sweat.

When potassium alum is used for deodorants it is commonly referred to as alum stone, crystal deodorant or deodorant stone, however they remain one and the same. And, it acts as a very effective odor preventing deodorant.

However, many people don’t know that synthetic deodorant stones do exist. Synthetic (non-natural) deodorant stones are chemically manufactured by synthesizing aluminum hydroxide with acid. And the final product looks very similar to the natural potassium alum stone. But, you can observe the difference between the synthetic stone and the natural stone – the synthetic stone is almost completely opaque, due to the presence of aluminum hydroxide, and the natural stone is translucent.

Natural Crystal Deodorant Test

Remember, just cause the label says it is natural, does not mean that it really is. The term natural is unregulated and over used. So, be careful what you believe. The best judge of crystal deodorants is your own eye.

Here’s a quick way to test if the deodorant stone is natural. Examine to see if the stone is translucent or opaque. Before purchasing, hold the stone in your hand, and if you can see your fingers and colors on the other side, then it is mostly likely natural. If you cannot make out objects or colors when holding the stone, it is most likely synthetically made.

Now, lets put what we now know to use. Take for example the crystal deodorant made by L’Occitane; it has a high price tag, listed at $21, and claims to be made from natural mineral salts, but when I closely looked at the product I was left unsure. The crystal deodorant stone appears very opaque (shown below), compared to the Tade crystal deodorant previously reviewed. So, in my eyes there is clearly a big difference.

L’Occitane Crystal Deodorant:

In a previous post, the Tade deodorant stone passed the natural test, and you can compare the visual difference of the two stones.

In conclusion, just cause the label claims to be natural, or made from potassium alum, it in fact does not mean it actually is 100% natural. I will continue to review crystal deodorants, and try my best to inform the reader of my investigation. In future posts, I will compare products side-by-side, examine benefits, and test their natural claims.

• Is natural deodorant truly natural, whereby not containing any synthetic ingredients or additional chemicals?
• Does it work?

For the purpose of this post, I am going to focus on one deodorant stone that I have personally tried and researched, Tade Natural Polished Alum Stone.  As for all the other crystal deodorants on the market, I am going to do my best to create a series of posts related to the above questions and attempt to review them all.

Tade Natural Polished Alum Stone

Tade Natural Polished Alum Stone claims to be 100% natural alum, and act as a body deodorant by reducing sweat causing odor, also relieving razor burn and tightening and lifting skin.

To begin, alum, which is what natural deodorant stones are made of, does occur naturally, and is mined in quarries throughout the world.  The difficulty in verifying whether it is natural or not lies in the fact that alum can be synthetically manufactured to form the identical chemical composition as its natural counterpart. However, synthetic alum is far from natural as it is made by reacting Aluminium trihydroxide (ATH) and acid.

So, I based my findings not on the chemical composition, which however is very important, but on the visual appearance of the stone, which my skill set is better suited for as I am not a chemist.

Is Tade Natural Alum Stone Actually 100% Natural?

I have discovered that natural alum appears as a white/clear, translucent, crystal stone that contains veins like those found in marble. And, the synthetic alum is visually very similar, except that it completely opaque, and does not contains veins.

The Tade alum stone clearly contains veins, and when I compared it side by side with other crystal deodorants it was significantly more translucent.  Therefore I conclude that it is in fact natural.  You can see below in the image the high level of translucency, and the clearly visible veins. Additionally, I contacted Tade directly, and they guaranteed me that it is 100% natural and made from pure, natural alum stone, not from synthetic alum.

Do Natural Deodorant Stones Work?

Well, speaking from my experience, and from the culmination of surveys, the answer is quite plainly – yes.  In fact it works very well.  However, it is not your traditional, mainstream fragrance loaded deodorant, or your chemical rich antiperspirant.  It allows your body to sweat normally and therefore control body temp, but it prevents the bacteria causing odor found in sweat from developing.

I live a very active lifestyle, always moving around in relatively hot climates.  I applied the Tade stone to my underarms in the morning after showering, and I remained odor free all day and well through the evening.  To say the least, I was very satisfied with the odor preventing effects.

I also have very sensitive skin, and have had frequent allergic reactions to mainstream deodorants.  However, the natural deodorant stone did not create any skin irritations. I even applied it to my face as an aftershave and it seemed to relieve razor burn. In addition, I was told first hand by women, and it is mentioned in AfroLatinas Blog, that if you rub the natural deodorant stone on your skin after waxing or shaving it is a great way to avoid razor bumps and/or irritation.