Compare female deodorants from Norsca, Mum, Nivea, Mitchum, Rexona and Dove on effectiveness, smell of product, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction.
Norsca was rated best in Canstar Blue’s 2020 customer satisfaction ratings for female deodorants, with a clean five-star streak for all categories, including overall satisfaction.
Deodorant probably isn’t the most glamourous item in your bathroom or handbag, but we all know it’s a necessity to help you stay fresh throughout the day. No one enjoys bad BO (body odour), especially after a workout or a stressful day at work. What’s even worse is getting that little black dress stained by deodorant – it’s a lose-lose situation sometimes. With this in mind, there’s certainly a wide range of brands available, so if your current deodorant is letting you down at the most crucial times, we’re here to help!
Canstar Blue has surveyed more than 1,100 women to find out which brands keep us gals happy and provide long-lasting effectiveness – from the office, to date night. Brands were put to the test on a range of critical factors, including effectiveness, smell, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. Brands that received at least 30 responses are compared in our ratings.
It was all ‘rosy’ for Norsca in our latest ratings, after scoring five-star reviews for overall satisfaction and in all other categories.
Here are the best brands of women’s deodorant in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Norsca got a fresh start since placing at the bottom of our ratings table last year, cleaning up with five-star reviews for effectiveness, smell, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction in 2020.
Mum and Nivea scrubbed up with four stars for overall customer satisfaction, while Mitchum joined Rexona and Dove on three stars.
It’s worth mentioning that Mum proved to be a particularly strong contender, being the only other brand to get full marks for value for money, alongside Norsca.
Available in a range of fragrances for men and women, Norsca antiperspirant deodorants are aimed to combine cool, fresh, exotic and soothing scents to ‘awaken your senses’. For a roll-on option, its women’s range offers Norsca Aluminium Free Roll-On Rosewater & Lotus Deodorant. There are also three antiperspirant deodorant sprays available, plus an aluminium-free aerosol spray alternative (150g). Norsca’s aluminium-free deodorants are claimed to contain no aluminium, sulphates, silicones or parabens. You can find Norsca products at Coles, Woolworths and IGA.
The brand Mum was born way back in 1888 and has been rolling its way through the years on a global scale. It offers roll-on deodorants (50ml), plus 2-in-1 spray antiperspirant deodorants (100g) that are claimed to be alcohol-free. Fragrances include ‘Cool Pink’ and ‘Dry Active’, which are both described to be light and delicate enough to not clash with your perfume. While Mum does have fragrances for men as well as unisex deodorants, these aren’t currently sold in Australia.
German personal care brand Nivea features a wide range of deodorants – for males and females. Its women’s line-up includes roll-on (50ml) and spray (150ml & 250ml) options. It features a number of different formulas from ‘Pearl & Beauty’, stated to feature pearl extracts to support an even skin tone, to ‘Pure Invisible’ which is claimed to protect against white marks on clothes and underarm skin.
Nivea also offers its ‘Sensitive Protect’ roll-on deodorant, which the brand states is specifically developed with chamomile extract and avocado oil for sensitive skin.
Throughout Mitchum’s 50+ year history, its main goal has been effectiveness, the company says. Mitchum Clinical is available in a variety of fragrances for both women and men, many of which are described as a 2-in-1 antiperspirant deodorant with 48-hour protection. It’s claimed to be dermatologically tested, and contains aloe and vitamin E to help soothe and condition the skin. The range includes roll-on (50ml), stick (45g), powder (45g) and gel (57g) options.
Another brand owned by Unilever, Rexona provides deodorants for both women and men. Its options include roll-on (50ml), stick (42ml) and spray (180ml & 250ml). Rexona offers its invisible Black+White range to protect clothing from stains, while its Gentle Dry Clinical Protection Antiperspirant line is claimed to help target heavy sweating with 96-hour sweat protection. Rexona additionally provides a hypoallergenic range.
Unilever-owned brand Dove claims it’s committed to helping Aussie women feel and look confident in every situation. Dove offers roll-on (50ml), stick (45ml) and spray (169ml and 250ml) deodorants. According to Dove, there’s a product to suit every situation, such as ‘Clinical Protection’, said to deliver up to 48 hours of protection and ‘Invisible Dry’, claimed to leave no white marks on more than 100 colours. Dove’s antiperspirant deodorants are also said to be created with a quarter of moisturising cream.
Aside from revealing the best-rated deodorant brands for women, our research identified the following drivers of customer satisfaction:
Here’s what else our survey revealed:
Deodorants come in all shapes and sizes. The main types you’ll find on supermarket and pharmacy shelves include:
According to our survey, 47% of respondents purchase spray deodorant, while roll-on came in second with 45%, followed by stick deodorant on 6%. It typically comes down to preference as to which type you buy. It’s important to note that our ratings include feedback on all of these deodorant types.
A handful of respondents to our survey (14%) indicated they didn’t know there was a difference between deodorants and antiperspirants, which means some people might be buying the wrong product for their needs. While many brands boast 2-in-1 combinations, deodorants and antiperspirants target two separate problems.
It’s a common misconception to think that sweat smells. In actual fact, sweat itself is essentially odourless – it’s the natural bacteria on our skin reacting with sweat that releases the smell we call body odour. So, the primary goal of deodorant is to mask the smell of excessive bacteria, while antiperspirants aim to prevent sweating.
So, there you have it – Norsca has been rated the number one brand of women’s deodorant, so you might like to add it to your shopping basket on your next trip to the supermarket, as the only brand to earn a five-star rating for overall satisfaction.
While deodorant isn’t the most exciting purchase you’ll ever make, you still deserve to get great quality and value for money. There are plenty of brands out there, so if your current deodorant is leaving you in a sweat, it’s good to try something else. On that note, we hope our ratings provide a helping hand.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
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Picture credits: Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com, Sergey Ryzhov/Shutterstock.com.
Our female deodorant ratings saw a number of brands rated best in different areas:
Canstar Blue surveyed 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from female customers within the survey group who have purchased and used deodorant from a supermarket or pharmacy (excluding body spray and perfumes) in the last three months – in this case, 1,195 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
2019
2018
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