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Though they may evoke memories of crunchy hair gel and sweaty pre-teen hands, the best spray deodorants has never been more deserving of a spot on your bathroom shelf — and in your gym bag — than right now. Just like hair styling products, the number of spray deodorants out there has exploded over recent years. Not only that, but there’s a robust category of natural products (that actually work!) and countless combinations of coverage, scents, and specialty ingredients to suit any situation.
Basically, if your biggest apprehension about spray deodorant is smelling like you’ve got a term paper due, it’s worth revisiting the category, as those days are long gone. And, if you never parted ways with spray deodorant to begin with, here are a couple of our favourites that you might have overlooked — thoroughly tested and stamped with the GQ seal of approval.
The best spray deodorants for men, at a glance:
- The best extra-strength spray deodorant for men: Oars + Alps Aluminium-Free Deodorant Spray, £17
- The best moisturising spray deodorant for men: Dove Men+Care Deodorant Spray, £2.50
- The best lightweight spray deodorant for men: Aesop Déodorant, £27
- The best antiperspirant deodorant hybrid: Rock Face Impact Antiperspirant Deodorant, £2.50
- Best alcohol-free deodorant: To My Ships Of The Gods Polygonum, £35
- Best deodorant for most people: Rituals Homme 24h Anti-Perspirant Spray, £12.90
- Best post-workout deodorant: Bamford BGD Sport Deodorant, £24
The Best Extra-Strength Spray Deodorant for Men: Oars + Alps Aluminium-Free Deodorant Spray
Aluminum-Free Deodorant Spray
Inspired by high-intensity endurance sports like rowing and skiing, Oars + Alps' products are formulated to work as hard as you do. And this deodorant is no exception. From your pits to your feet and everything (and we mean everything) in between, you can count on this extra-strength spray for full and unrelenting coverage. (Also, we appreciate how the non-aerosol sprayer works upside down, too — making it easier to get to hard-to-reach areas.) While not officially a natural product, it contains only eight ingredients, including standouts like saccharomyces ferment filtrate and cladonia stellaris extract, which support the skin’s natural microbiome and protect the skin from free radicals, respectively. Meanwhile, the invigorating crush of cedarwood, lime, and fresh greens will have you feeling ready to take on the world.
The Best Moisturising Spray Deodorant for Men: Dove Men+Care 0% Aluminium Deodorant Spray
Deodorant Spray
Dove Men+Care has a pretty expansive collection of spray deodorants — many formulated with standout functional ingredients like vitamin E to help reduce skin irritation. If I had to pick one, it would be this Eucalyptus and Birch spray. While most spray deodorant products focus on things like how long they’ll last, whether or not they contain aluminium, and how good they smell (all important factors, and in this case: 48 hours, no, and delightful), very few endeavour to support the health of the very skin they’re being applied to. This natural, non-irritating deodorant is infused with a plant-based moisturiser that you can really feel. If you have sensitive skin or have dealt with underarm irritation in the past, reach for this one and you won’t turn back.
The Best Lightweight Spray Deodorant for Men: Aesop Déodorant
If you find typical spray deodorants to be too overpowering, or if you prefer something more subtle that you can reapply throughout the day, I’m recommending Déodorant by Aesop. Applied with a fine spritz rather than a continuous spray, using this deodorant is like having just one bite of a scandalously rich dessert — the perfect amount, even though you’d love more. The gentle mist unfolds a light, herbaceous blend of essential oils that reduces and masks odour. (Just give it about a minute to dry before you put a shirt on.) While the odour protection lasts all day, I noticed the nuances of the deodorant’s fragrance starting to fade by the afternoon. That said, the handy 1.7 oz bottle has been easy enough to toss into a jacket pocket or backpack.
Best Antiperspirant Deodorant Hybrid: Rock Face Impact Antiperspirant Deodorant
Specialising in no-nonsense, solution-based body and skin care for men, Rock Face has dug a niche for itself offering premium scents at supermarket prices. Designed for the active man, its new antiperspirant deodorant (a Boots exclusive) called Impact, has a warm and fresh scent that isn’t unlike a perfume you might find from a top designer brand like Tom Ford, but is less than the price of a Pret sandwich. Working with one of the world’s leading fragrance houses to develop the scent, it marries vibrant citrus notes with spicy ginger and rich amber. The other thing you'll notice is how it doesn't clog your pores or leave any sticky residue; both of which can be an issue with antiperspirant deodorants.
Best Alcohol-Free Deodorant: To My Ships Of The Gods Polygonum
Inspired by The Iliad, the personal care brand To My Ships is on a mission to crush the olfactory overload that so many products deliver. Made using the very finest ingredients, it promotes personal care that takes a lighter, more restrained approach, opting for subtlety over artificial and overpowering fragrances. We loved its uplifting green/citrus scent which, as claimed, is clean and refreshing rather than overwhelming. Free from aluminium salts and alcohol, it doesn’t stain, so can also be used as an all over body spray or to liven up your clothes or laundry.
Best Deodorant for Most People: Rituals Homme 24h Anti-Perspirant Spray
Aerosol deodorants have always been given a bad wrap when it comes to leaving white patches on clothing. This innovative formulation from Rituals’ high-performance Homme collection, though, blocks perspiration and body odour effectively without leaving any trace. Dedicated to men, it also has an invigoratingly masculine, woody scent. Made with hardworking, natural-origin ingredients, it offers 24h anti-perspirant protection, leaving you feeling dry, confident and B.O.-free. Powered by nature, it’s infused with a special Cedar Wood and Vitamin E Complex. Together, they nourish and repair while boosting the spirit and clearing the mind. A safe bet from a safe pair of hands, it also helps soothe and protect from irritation and improves skin texture and feel over time.
Best Post-Workout Deodorant: Bamford BGD Sport Deodorant
Keeping your pits fresh after a gym session requires special attention. Not only does it have to work that bit harder at keeping sweat and odour at bay, it also needs to offer a revitalising boost with an energising aroma. Step forth Bamford’s BGD Sport deodorant, which was essentially designed for this specific job; a light, refreshing and invigorating mist for the underarm area. Our favourite thing about it is how its blend of bracing peppermint, stimulating eucalyptus and anti-bacterial tea tree all work together to give an awakening, slightly tingling (but not annoying) effect that is great when you are in need of a pick-me-up. Made with 97 per cent natural origin ingredients, including antiseptic sweet orange essential oil and anti-inflammatory patchouli oils.
What to Look for in a Spray Deodorant
Spray deodorant isn’t the most complicated product out there, but there are still a couple of factors to consider when looking for the best one to suit your needs. Ultimately, the most surefire way to find your perfect match will be to try a few and observe how each interacts with your unique body chemistry, but here are a couple of considerations to help you narrow your search.
Deodorant vs Antiperspirant
It was recently brought to my attention that some guys think deodorant and antiperspirant are the same thing. Wrong. It’s right there in the name: deodorant is designed to stop odour; antiperspirant is to stop you sweating. Not all deodorant is antiperspirant, but antiperspirants are usually also deodorants. If sweating is an issue for you, an antiperspirant can be a game-changer. These block the pores to physically prevent sweat from forming on the skin. On the other hand, if you’re just looking to freshen up your scent, opt for a deodorant instead and let those pores do their thing.
Natural vs Synthetic
As with most self-care products today, you have a choice between synthetic and natural options. It used to be that you had to choose between a natural deodorant or a deodorant that works. No longer: Natural deodorants have come a long way and there are some top-notch options, like the Native spray I tested that contains just six ingredients. Things get a little tricky when we get to antiperspirants, though, as the only ingredient that genuinely works as an antiperspirant is aluminum, which has a bad reputation despite not having a lot of science going against it.
Staying Power
Consider what you’ll be using the deodorant for — or, more specifically, how long you need it to last. If you’re just looking for a daily deodorant to get you to and from the office without raising any eyebrows, or for a date, you probably don’t need 72-hour protection. On the other hand, if you work extra-long hours or unpredictable shifts (or both, if you work in a hospital, for example), a product with extended coverage will serve you well — unlike something lighter, like the Aesop deodorant on this list — which you may need to reapply a few times.
Fragrance
What do you want to smell like? From the woodiness of Ritual Homme's 24h Spray to Rock Face Impact's warm and fresh bouquet, there’s a whole world of options to choose from — assuming you want to smell like anything at all. If you like to use cologne, for example, you should probably avoid a deodorant that competes with what you’re spritzing on your neck. In that case, we’d recommend an unscented deodorant spray that lets your eau de toilette take centre stage. That said, you may even find a certain scented deodorant, like Dove's sandalwood and amber, that you prefer over your cologne and end up using instead.
Delivery System
While every deodorant on this list is a spray, there are some subtle differences that may impact how you’re able to use them. For example, if you’re a frequent flier, you probably already know that only aerosol cans up to 100ml are permitted in your carry-on baggage. That won’t be an issue for Aesop or Oars + Alps, but several products on this list exceed that volume. It’s also worth considering whether you prefer the continuous blast of an aerosol or the light-touch spritz of a product like Aesop’s Déodorant.
