Pit stop: The science behind smelling better with less plastic

Refillable deodorants have elbowed their way into bathroom cabinets and promise fresher pits while resulting in less single-use plastic. They are a small gesture we can all make to help tackle the bigger packaging problem around bathroom products

Refillable deodorants are not world-saving on their own, but they are a useful example of moving from use-and-bin to use, refill and reuse. Sustainability is not always about grand gestures. Sometimes it is about policy, renewable energy, and biodiversity. Picture: iStock

There are few relationships in life as intimate as the one we have with our deodorant. It is there for job interviews, first dates, fieldwork, heatwaves, and those unexpected moments when a quick walk becomes a full-body humidity experiment. So, switching deodorant is not a small decision. It is an act of hope, bravery and mild armpit-based risk. Over the past few years, refillable deodorants have elbowed their way into bathroom cabinets. Brands like Wild, Fussy and others promise fresher pits, less plastic, and the pleasing illusion that your life is far more organised than it really is. The idea is simple: keep the outer case and replace only the refill. Less waste, less guilt, and ideally, less smell.

That refill model matters because bathroom products are part of a much bigger packaging problem. Deodorant tubes may be small, but they belong to the vast family of single-use plastics. Many are made from mixed materials, caps, twist mechanisms or coloured plastics that are difficult to recycle in practice. Refillable deodorants are not perfect, but they follow a basic principle of the circular economy: keep the durable part in use for longer and reduce the disposable part. Instead of buying a new plastic container every time, you reuse the case and replace only the deodorant insert, often packaged in cardboard or compostable material. The environmental win comes from repetition. One case, many refills, less single-use packaging over time.