Saltair deodorant is a 5 percent AHA serum from Iskra Lawrence's body care brand, made to control odor and care for skin. Here it is with the acid gels, aluminum-free sticks and scented balms I would compare it with.
Saltair Deodorant and the Rise of Skincare for Underarms
Iskra Lawrence, the model and body-positivity advocate, launched Saltair in January 2022 with The Center, a Los Angeles brand incubator, starting with a serum body wash in recycled aluminum bottles and seven scents. The motto is every body is welcome here, and Lawrence has tied the brand to her own recovery from body dysmorphia and disordered eating. Saltair deodorant is a 5 percent AHA serum, because she wanted a formula that controlled odor and also cared for underarm skin, and Coral Coast is one of the scents. Kosas, which Sheena Yaitanes started at her kitchen table in Los Angeles in 2015, makes Chemistry, an AHA serum deodorant. Nécessaire, named for the question of whether something is necessary, makes a clear mandelic acid gel that dries fast. Claudia Sulewski, the YouTuber and actress, launched Cyklar in 2023, and after it joined The Center, the same accelerator behind Saltair, it relaunched at the end of 2024; Vanilla Verve is scented with vanilla, bergamot and tonka. Apply these to clean, dry skin, and never right after shaving.
Aluminum-free, four ways
Nima Jalali, a former professional snowboarder, started Salt & Stone in a Los Angeles studio apartment in 2017, named it for surfing and snowboarding, and put the deodorant through eight iterations; Santal & Vetiver is the extra-strength version. Jen Atkin, the hairstylist who moved from Utah to Los Angeles at 19, founded Ouai in 2016, and St. Barts is its aluminum-free stick scent. Sol de Janeiro, named for the peak of the Brazilian summer sun, makes Rio Deo in its Cheirosa 40 scent. Katy Cottam started Luna Daily after antibiotics in her teens upset her skin's balance, developing it with dermatologists and gynecologists, and The All Over Deodorant is made for the whole body.
Four aluminum-free formulas
Scented balms, and the skip
Ed Currie and Andy Coxon met performing in a West End musical and spent three years on AKT's balm in their Camden kitchen, because nothing lasted under stage lights; they gave a sample to every West End cast member before launch. L'Occitane's Cédrat stick is made without alcohol or aluminum salts, from the Provence brand Olivier Baussan founded in 1976. Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist debuted in 1994 as a body line, deodorant included, before the perfume followed, and this one is also an antiperspirant. Marie du Petit Thouars grew up in Belgium making candles in her mother's greenhouse, and Maison Louis Marie's Bois de Balincourt is built on sandalwood, cedarwood and vetiver. What I would skip is switching from a sweat-blocking formula the week of a big event. Give your body a couple of weeks to adjust first.
Wearing it well
Apply to dry skin and let acid formulas dry before dressing. Skip acid on freshly shaved skin, since it can sting. Reapply after workouts. Rotate scents with the season, lighter citrus in summer and warmer woods in winter. If you notice a rash that does not settle, stop and see a dermatologist. Wash the area at night so product does not build up. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Caldera Lab Skincare for Men and Prime Prometics Pro-Age Makeup and Skincare.
