A Chic Deodorant That Promises To Nourish Tender Pits? Say Less
Francesca is the Beauty Editor at Adore Beauty. With a background in glossy mags and bylines in publications like Marie Claire, ELLE and BODY+SOUL, Francesca has turned her love of beauty into a career. Whether she's decoding buzzy ingredients or road testing lip glosses (so. many. glosses.), her approach to beauty is equal parts glamour and highly-considered.
When it comes to deodorants, the bar has always been set pretty low. For years, this unsexy beauty category has often been relegated to functionality rather than user experience. But times are changing.
There's a new wave of elevated, considered and utterly chic formulas lining shopping aisles.
Leading the charge is oral-care brand Gem who have quickly gone viral (again) for their skin-conscious, deodorants. A quick scroll through Instagram will show you *just* how much buzz this brand has generated. And with good reason.
Their elevated approached combines effective odour protection with ingredients that nourish and soothe the skin. The aesthetic, sleek packaging? Consider it a bonus.
Intrigued, I put the new formula to the test. Read on for my - probably TMI but sharing in the name of beauty - review below.
How to Care for Underarm Skin?
Okay so have we all been ignoring our underarm care? No? Just me?
With a high concentration of sweat glands, underarms are considered to be one of our most delicate areas. Which, unfortunately, makes them prone to pesky gripes like irritation, discoloration, bacteria and odour. Not fun.
To combat, we're supposed to be exfoliating pits 1-2 times a week. This helps to removes dead skin cells, protect from bacteria and prevent ingrown hairs. An added bonus - it can lighten and minimise any discoloration too.
Did you know dermatologists also recommend moisturising your underarms daily? To prevent flakiness and irritation? I should admit now... this is not something I knew and is something I've never done.
Like, ever.
Which is probably why I've experience both flakiness and pit irritation in my day. I know... kinda gross.
Which makes Gem's skincare meets deodorant offering that much more enticing. The chance to nourish pits and shave a step off of my seemingly-never-ending beauty routine? Yes please.
The formula is enriched with nourishing, good-for-you ingredients like Hyalauronic Acid and Aloe Vera to hydrate and soothe sensitised pits. Which is a gamechanger, when dealing with post-shaving irritation (iykyk).
It's also dosed with antioxidants like vitamin E which work to strengthen and repair skin while combatting free-radical damage.
Gem Deodorant Scents.
Throw out the phrases "tropical vacation", "freshly-baked" and "Le Labo Santal 33 dupe" and I'm sold. And apparently so is the rest of the internet.
Gem launched their viral deodorant range with 4 carefully curated scents. And just in case you were curious (you're probably not), here are my immediate, barely-qualifies-as-a-sentence thoughts on each scent:
- Coconut & Macadamia: It's what I imagine a lush vacation to the Bahamas would look like, bottled.
- Cool Fresh: Just as it reads, this smells both cool and fresh. It's more of a citrus fresh than a mint-cool.
- Gem deodorant Santal: This IS Le Labo's cult Santal 33 fragrance - you can't convince me otherwise.
- Vanilla and Macadamia: Okay, gourmand! It's sweet (veers a little on the sickly side for my taste) but toasty-warm in nature.
A common denominator between the scents; they're potent without being too overpowering or "powdery." It’s just enough to give a subtle boost of confidence throughout the day, but not so strong that it competes with my perfume. I found the scent remainder strong for 3 hours than began to delicately linger throughout the remainder of the day.
Gem Deodorant Review
Ready for a Gem deodorant wear test?
Real talk: I was already on-board the moment I saw the packaging. Let’s make deodorants chic again!
Because I’m a sweaty gal deodorants have been a handbag staple of mine for years, so having a minimalist design that looks the part? A gamechanger. It’s also worth mentioning the visually-appealing packaging is also sustainable and recyclable.
That said, the formula really is that good.
It’s gentle yet effective. I have sensitive skin, so I was worried about potential irritation but thanks to the genuinely skin-loving formula, I found it to be soothing and comfortable. It actually went the extra mile of leaving my skin feeling soft and nourished, not stripped. The jury’s still out for long-term results (i’m manifesting some lighter, smoother pits), but so far things are impressive.
Five of our staff members tried the Gem Deodorant in this video below:
Perhaps my favourite thing about this deo is - it’s clear, melt-in texture. I hate feeling sticky, or worst of all moist, in
that area, so this fast-absorbing. It’s so lightweight you’ll forget you’re wearing it. And back to it being clear - you'll never find evidence of it on your clothing. (hallelujah!)
I can't attest to the 48-hour odour protection it promises (I’m a serial re-applier), I can certainly back that it minimised by odour and scent for a full day - sweaty Pilates class and all.
Fast Facts:
- 48-hour odour protection – Long-lasting freshness with skin-friendly ingredients.
- Skin-loving ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid and Shea Butter
- It's alcohol- and paraben-free (sensitive skin approved)
- Lightweight & fast-absorbing
Adore Beauty Customer Reviews:
Don't just trust us - with a 4.7 rating, here's what our Adore Beauty community have to say about it.
"Absolutely love that this deodorant works (for low-medium sweatiness) and smells clean and not "deodorant-y". These scents are gourmand and delightful, would recommend!!" - ninap (Adore Beauty Customer)
"It definitely delivered. I have been using Rexona for some time now and finding it's actually making me sweat and it's constantly sticking to my arm pits. This product does certainly not do that, it is very light and all of their scents smell amazing!" - MH (Adore Beauty Customer)
"Smells really good and feels so fresh and natural in my skin!" - N (Adore Beauty Customer)
To continue our pursuit for making unsexy beauty categories sexy, check out the below articles:
