Bicarb, Magnesium and the Quest for the Perfect Pit Formula

If you read our last blog, you’ll know we’ve been busy behind the scenes giving our whole natural deodorant range (both the sticks and pastes) a huuuuge makeover.

What started as a bit of an ingredient shortage crisis turned into the biggest formula refresh in Woohoo history (and yes, we’re still feeling pretty smug about it 😉).

But there’s one update we only touched on briefly and it’s kind of a big deal.

We’re talking about our clever new combo of bicarb + ultra-fine, 100% natural magnesium in our Regular Strength formulas.

The old Regular Strength was basically Extra Strength’s laid-back little sibling (same formula, just with less bicarb). It worked, but we knew we could do better.

We wanted to make it even *gentler* without sacrificing any of the *effectiveness*. And that’s where magnesium stepped up to the plate.

So Aaron went back to the lab and whipped up something very special.

A total ripper of a formula, if we do say so ourselves.

Let’s get into how two smart ingredient tweaks helped us create our best-ever Regular Strength deodorants (yep, sticks AND pastes!).

First: What even causes body odour?

Quick refresher: BO doesn’t come from sweat itself (sweat is odourless).

The stink happens when bacteria on your skin break down the compounds in your sweat into fatty acids and sulphur-y molecules. That’s when things start to get funky.

So when we talk deodorant, we’re talking bacteria management, not just masking smells.

The Bicarb Breakdown

Sodium bicarbonate (a.k.a. bicarb) is a natural, incredibly effective BO-fighter. It works by raising the pH of your underarms, creating an environment that’s less friendly to smelly bacteria.

Less bacteria = less stink.

But here’s the thing: bicarb can be a little bossy.

In higher concentrations, it can:

• Disrupt your skin’s barrier
• Cause redness or irritation (especially post-shave)
• Feel a bit abrasive if the particle size isn’t just right

Which is why we decided to team it up with something a little more zen…

Magnesium: The Skin Whisperer

After much um-ing and ah-ing (read: endless research, testing and trialing) we upgraded our magnesium to a blend of 100% natural magnesium hydroxide and magnesium chloride sourced from the sea (fancy, we know).

While our old magnesium hydroxide worked just fine, this new form of magnesium is next-level, proven to provide long-lasting BO protection.

It’s better than bicarb soda for keeping your skin barrier happy and balanced, banishing bacteria but in a softer, gentler way. It even helps regulate moisture and reduce irritation.

If your pits could clap, they would!

So why use both bicarb and magnesium?

Because together, they’re a dream team.

We knew bicarb packs a punch when it comes to controlling odour (especially for moderate-to-heavy sweaters).

And we knew magnesium could make things gentler, smoother and more skin-loving.

So instead of making you choose, we built a hybrid Regular Strength that plays to both their strengths:

• Less bicarb to lower the chance of irritation
• Magnesium to maintain long lasting BO protection
• A creamier texture for a softer, smoother application
  

The result? A highly effective, gosh-darn-awesome Regular Strength natural deodorant

We reworked our Regular Strength Natural Deodorants - sticks and pastes - not because we had to (they still worked brilliantly), but because we knew we could do better.

Now when you reach for Urban or Surf, you’re getting a formula that’s:

• Less irritating
• Smoother to apply
• Incredibly effective
• And suitable for a whole lot more pit types

They also happen to make ahhhmazing Anti-Chafe Sticks. Swipe them under boobs, between thighs or anywhere you need a little less rub and a little more love.

As always, we’ll keep learning, testing, tinkering and nerding out on your behalf, because we think your daily deodorant routine should make you feel like a fresher-than-fresh superhero 🙂  

We hope you love your new Regular Strength natural deodorant formulas!!!

P.S. If your skin is super sensitive, you might want to check out our Bicarb-Free range here.