Let’s begin with a disclaimer: this is less of a Beauty Test Drive and more of a Beauty Necessity for me, but I want to share it. This Kiehl’s deodorant and I have never been separated, not once, since I first started using it, like, six years ago. It’s my must-have, my holy grail, and if you convert, it’ll be yours, too. It’s that good. My skin is completely incompatible with drugstore deodorants. Something in them — the fragrance, maybe? — makes my underarms red, itchy, and inflamed, and to add insult to injury, the sickening, synthetic scents are what I really can’t stand. I’ve used every brand on shelves, plus their sensitive skin versions, and they’ve all left me scaly, smelling of plastic fruits, and wholly dissatisfied. And forget “unscented” offerings; you might as well forgo deodorant altogether.
Price/Availability: Available in two sizes, the 1.7 oz tube is $15 while the 2.5 oz is $19.50. Only a pea-sized amount is necessary for each arm — the smaller size generally lasts me 4-6 months.
Packaging: A squeeze tube with a twist-off cap emblazoned with Kiehl’s usual simple typography. I’ve had a small problem with squeezing the smaller size and it shooting a tiny bit of the product into the air, but it hasn’t happened to me with the larger one.
Formula: It’s a thin cream, like the texture of a moisturizer, that spreads easily and dries quickly. Once applied, the cream just blends in, so there’s no getting white residue on your clothing. It doesn’t burn if I use it immediately after shaving, even on my extremely sensitive skin. It also has no fragrance. It does contain Aluminum Chlorohydrate, so it’s not like a Toms of Maine natural type thing if that’s what you’re looking for.
Results: Kind of awkward, but it’s actually made my underarm hair grow in slower and softer, making it much easier to shave.
Overall: This is like no other deodorant on the market. It has absolutely no scent, which I so much prefer, and makes me pretty much impervious to sweat and odor. If I forget to put it on one morning, as long as I used it the previous day, I have no problem. I’ve used formulas like CertainDri and prescription-grade Secret and they don’t work half as well as this product.
Grade: 5/5. Desert island material.
Original by Rachel Krause
