From '80s Body Sprays to an Award-Winning Natural Deodorant: My Journey

In 1986 at the tender age of 11 I noticed for the first time that I was developing a body odour. It was the end of a long hot ‘80s summers school day, as I collected my belongings from my locker, I distinctly remember noticing sweat patches under my arms and sniffing them to realise that I had for the first time to my knowledge developed BO. All of my friends at this time used Impulse. It wasn’t a deodorant but a heavily fragranced body spray. Everyone carried one in their bag and periodically sniffed their armpits, spraying with wild abandon at any sign of odour, which was often as it wasn’t fit for purpose. 

By 1987 I transitioned from Impulse to my first antiperspirant. There was a new brand on the block misleadingly called Natrel. It was marketed as a hypoallergenic deodorant, designed for people with sensitive skin or for those looking for a product free from harsh chemicals but in reality it was anything but. Initially I used to sneak into my Mum’s room and use hers which resulted in many arguments, until I had my own personal supply. As teenagers we all had our favourite scent of Natrel which was one of many scent themes to our ‘80s teens. 

During the ‘90s I discovered all-night clubbing and also discovered that I needed a more powerful deodorant to withstand a night of dancing and sweating. This was when I started using Mitchum anti-perspirant. At the time it was marketed as the most effective antiperspirant on the market. The night would start out promising and if I was lucky I wouldn’t develop little sweat patches, but by the morning there was always distinct undertone of BO which was poorly masked by an unpleasant synthetic fragrance. You would always apply much more than you needed, in the hope it would work better but sadly it never did. After a decade of use I started to develop big patches of eczema in my armpit area. I was later to discover through hair tissue mineral analysis that I was excreting high levels of aluminium o my armpits were in revolt at the unnecessary overload of aluminium. 

I saw my GP who much to my dismay told me to stop shaving and stop using deodorant. As I was a secondary school teacher this simply wasn’t an option. I started to look for alternatives and decided to try Lush’s Aromaco. This was my first experience of a bicarb formula and it came wrapped in paper with a very short  use by date. At the time it contained the grittiest bicarb known to man along with synthetic perfume which is the number one cause of contact allergy as well as being an endocrine disruptor for many. The bicarb was very effective at keeping the BO in check but I also developed very sore armpits from the other ingredients it contained. This wasn’t the same as the eczema I had experienced previously but it was still very uncomfortable. Eventually I admitted defeat and went on the hunt for another natural alternative. 

Next up I decided on Tom’s. This was a roll on that had a very delicate but pleasing scent. It came in plastic container and after applying you’d have to wait a considerable length of time for it to dry before putting on your clothes. I would walk around with my arms stretched out, occasionally flapping one hand which gave me a false sense of speeding up the drying process. I would often get to lunch time and there would be a background smell of BO which was badly masked by the delicate scent of the deodorant. I would have to wash my armpits and reapply in school toilets which was a mortifying task if another member of staff walked in. It was a shame as it really suited my skin and smelt lovely until the BO broke through. 

By 2010 I’d decided that enough was enough and I started to research natural deodorant formulas. I experimented with an array of formulas with each one presenting different challenges. Eventually after much trial and error I hit upon the perfect formula. For the first time in my life I was able to experience healthy, odourless armpits. It wasn’t long before I realised I wasn’t the only person who had similar challenges and I started making my proto cacao bar for friends and family who would repeatedly come back asking for more. When they started asking if they could take one for their friends I had to take stock and plunge myself head first into the complex world of regulations which aptly, teaching had prepared me for. Once I had this mammoth task under my belt I went on to finalise the name, look and feel of the product and build my first website. 

In 2018 I rolled out the very first 100g Cacao Pow Deo Bar. I was soon to realise that the bar needed to be fractionally smaller at 95g to take into consideration the slight variations that occur from different glass jar manufacturers. I was also to discover that I had priced way too low in a bid to be competitive which very early on, lead to an uncomfortable price increase. We have since introduced a 55g bar and three other variations along a chocolate theme, earning several awards along the way. I am finally safe in the knowledge that myself and my customers are using a product that is not only pesticide free but also only contains the highest quality food grade ingredients in the perfect ratio, which is rare in this saturated market.