Grab your popcorn, because I am about to completely and utterly embarrass myself in the name of journalism. I’m going to tell you a tale about how downright stinky I naturally am, and how I have ended up religiously using AKT London Natural Deodorant Balm as a result.
There’s simply no way of sugarcoating it: without the help of a darn good deodorant, I smell pretty awful. While researching and testing for this article, I’ve spoken to a few people and said exactly this, but I’m always met with exclamations of resistance. “I’m sure it’s not that bad!” or “I don’t believe you!” is what I’ve come to expect. So, in a bid to get you to believe me, I’m telling you something I’ve never told anyone before.
I often sleep on my back with my arms up above my head, like a baby. My poor husband sleeps next to me. I opt for morning showers over evening ones because I sweat so much in the night that a PM scrub would be rendered useless. This means that by the time I crawl into the sheets, I’m not my freshest. All would be fine, though, if I wore a deodorant that worked. Alas, prior to writing this article, the best I’d found (save for doctor-prescribed roll-ons) was Mitchum’s Powder Fresh Deodorant Stick. I thought it was pretty good. I thought it was working. Honestly, I’d tried everything else and trust me when I say that this was the best of the bunch. Or so I thought, until my husband confided in me one morning: “Last night you were sleeping with your arms up and your armpits out, and the smell woke me up.”
The smell woke him up.
Thus began my hunt for a better deodorant, which is how I came across AKT London Deodorant Balm.
What is AKT London Deodorant Balm?
At this point, I’d tried everything else; I’d tried aluminium-packed formulas that felt and smelled harsh enough to melt plastic, and my underarms were sore and irritated as a result. I was feeling all of the cons of industrial-strength formulas and none of the pros. So, when I saw Isamaya Ffrench’s Instagram Story gushing about AKT London, I had nothing to lose by giving natural a go. It said: “I was looking at these AKT London deodorant balms in a shop once and this big bloke comes up behind me and whispers, ‘That’s the only shit that cuts through it man’. I bought two immediately and it’s true. It’s the only thing that cuts through it. They smell divine too.”
Upon first inspection, AKT London’s branding, ethos and story reeled me right in. Their website reads: Tested on dancers, not animals, which is music to my animal-loving ears. Founders Ed Currie and Andy Coxon began formulating AKT (pronounced ‘act’), after working in London’s West End and struggling to find a deodorant that “suited their lifestyles” of long, physically demanding days under hot lights. In their own words: “Mainstream deodorants just weren’t cutting it. Antiperspirants stained our clothes, didn’t stop the sweat and made us smell like teenage boys. Natural deodorants left us smelling like B.O after only a few hours. So we decided to create one ourselves.”
AKT balms feature a blend of botanicals and minerals designed to absorb your sweat and keep you smelling fresh. The plastic-free packaging is made entirely from recyclable aluminium – even the cap – while the formula itself is completely aluminium-free. Everything is vegan, and the packaging looks oh-so chic sink-side. AKT London claims their balms don’t cause irritation or leave stains (they definitely haven’t for me), and they even offer a handy subscription service to save shoppers 15%.
The packaging
I’m genuinely obsessed with the packaging. The bright and inviting hues remind me of flowers, and seeing a fresh batch of AKT coloured cardboard boxes pop through the door gives me what I can only guess is the same amount of serotonin as a fresh pack of highlighters would when I was a kid. The fully recyclable packaging is made with the planet in mind (“Aerosols now contribute to air pollution more than cars!”, say the founders in a promo video), but comes with one UX drawback: you have to pop the seal with a pen, rather than with the cap provided. This is because AKT London opted for a custom recyclable aluminium cap over the usual plastic ones we’re used to. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but I thought you should know.
The fragrances
The scents are simply divine. My first thought was that it's like Aesop for my armpits – high praise indeed from a beauty editor. Each scent is inspired by a scene in nature. I think my favourites are SC.01 Orange Grove (petitgrain, mandarin, neroli), SC.03 The Onsen (vetiver, lavandin, yuzu) and SC.05 Columbia Road (amber, violet, tonka). My least favourite is SC.02 After Thunder, with its quite masc notes of cedar, eucalyptus and bitter orange.
How to apply AKT Deodorant Balm
This is where things get real bougie. AKT London has created two tools to help with the application process: The Assistant and The Applicator. The Assistant is a key-shaped tool that you slide onto the end of your deodorant and twist to squeeze product out without leaving any wasted in the tube. The Assistant looks a bit like a gua sha tool, and you’re supposed to apply a blob of deodorant to it before massaging it into your skin in long sweeps that encourage lymphatic drainage and micro-circulation. It’s made of brass and will last a lifetime, but I found myself leaving it at the bottom of my bathroom cabinet and simply using my fingers instead. It’s not that I didn’t like The Applicator, it’s just that I found it to be a lot of faff in the morning when I’m inevitably running late and in a rush. Plus, I’m notoriously bad at washing my tools – something that my facialist never fails to tell me whenever she asks about the state of my make-up brushes – and you’re supposed to clean it each day.
I just apply a pea-sized dollop to my fingertips and massage into my skin until I can no longer see any residue. The formula itself is a little thick and paste-like, but I don’t mind it once it’s sunk in. I sometimes pop the balm under my bra too – wherever I usually sweat the most.
I would prefer if these deodorants came in stick form; it’s a bit annoying to have to get your hands dirty, but this isn’t enough of a drawback to stop me from buying them.
My final thoughts
I am honestly, completely and utterly obsessed. I even – and this is really shocking – can now wear a T-shirt for two days in a row. I could never do that before. I recently sat my husband down and solemnly asked him to recall the last time he picked up my natural scent, dreading the answer. “Probably… July?” he said. Score – this is just before I began testing AKT. I’d say it takes me a solid 36 hours to start smelling bad after application, which is such a win for me. I genuinely feel like I’ve discovered something magical. I will be sure to buy for the rest of my days.
