Routine - Natural Deodorant

Product Notes:

This all-natural line was developed by two sisters-in-law in Calgary, who hire locally, exercise ethical practices (such as buying the beeswax from a local farm), and use part of their profits to support causes. Routine deodorant creams are scented with pure essential oils and organic flavour oils (except for one completely unscented formula).

Routine Cream or Stick Applicator

Unlike conventional deodorant sticks, these all began as De-Odor Creams: direct application ensures they actually get placed where needed.

Or for those who like their sorts of formulations but prefer not to apply it with your fingers, Routine has now developed a new type of 'swipe-on' applicator: which is a stick type, not a roll-on (it does not have a rolling plastic ball on its tip). The cylindrical base of its applicator is made of recyclable cardboard, so it uses much less plastic than conventional deodorant sticks, and all the plastic it does use to hold the actual product inside is made solely from 100% post consumer recycled plastic.

Several of these deodorants use aluminum-free baking soda as the main deodorizer in conjunction with coconut oil (a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent), in a Clay and Beeswax medium, with essential oils added for fragrance. But since Baking Soda is alkaline and some may be a bit sensitive to that, four types use food-grade magnesium instead, which can have the added benefit of relaxing the nearby muscles.

And for those looking for a vegan product, some don't include beeswax. Some may prefer that there be no clay, while others (such as pregnant or breastfeeding women) may prefer that there be no added scent at all, or that there only be a very limited amount of essential oils.

Sustainable packaging: Reusable glass jars and recyclable boxes.

Information About Each Type of Routine Deodorant

A Girl Named Sue

This is a variation on their classic clay and beeswax formula. For those who may be sensitive to baking soda, it uses just 1/5th as much of that as in their original formula, substituting magnesium for the rest. This may be more Janie than Johnny Cash; it "smells like raspberry, sage and the open road in a pink Cadillac."

Blackberry Betty (two versions)

Smelling of blackberries, it evokes fond summer memories like picnics and rollerskating with your Walkman on.

The initial version (which comes in a white box) was one of the Baking Soda Free varieties designed for those with Extra Sensitive skin featuring topical food-grade magnesium as the main odor-eater, instead, so it may need reapplication, but it can also be applied to cuts, scrapes, and wherever else you need external calming or deodorizing.

There is now also a second version which comes in a purple box, which has a similar scent profile but uses The Classic formula, which includes Baking Soda, although in a reduced amount compared to some other types.

Bonita Applebom

Formulated with Routine's standard triumvirate: Baking Soda, Kaolin Clay, and Beeswax, to effectively absorb odors, absorb sweat, and stay the same consistency even in different temperatures. It's scented with a combination of apples and fragrant spices.

Bonnie n' Clyde (Unscented)

This product's originators describe Bonnie n' Clyde as "an unscented beeswax formula for leaving the scene without a trace, in high fashion." It does not contain kaolin clay (which can give some of the others a soft, earthy scent) and doesn't use essential oils. This formula is great for those who simply prefer unscented products, as well as for pregnant and breastfeeding women looking to avoid applying essential oils topically.

Cat Lady [Cream]

This is a VEGAN formulation (which doesn't use any beeswax, like the others), with plenty of magnesium, and less baking soda. It smells like a pineapple upside-down cake.

Cat Lady [Stick]

This version is also founded on THE CLASSIC formula (featuring reduced amounts of baking soda, with additional magnesium) and has the same scent as the original (reminiscent of a pineapple upside-down cake), but is NOT a vegan formulation, since it does use some beeswax.

Dirty Hipster [Cream]

The latest entry in the CLASSIC formula (featuring reduced amounts of baking soda, with additional magnesium) line goes heavy on the Patchouli.

Like a Boss (Clay & Beeswax)

This is Routine's strongest formula - it uses clay to help absorb sweat, beeswax to keep the product very creamy, and its scent is a combination of geranium, rosemary, and mandarin.

Lucy in the Sky (Vegan formula)

This is a vegan formula (without the beeswax which features in most of the others); it smells like lavender and patchouli.

Maggie's Citrus Farm (Clay Free)

This deodorant cream has a very pleasant smell – like orange popsicles! – not only due to its citrus ingredients, but also because it doesn't contain clay (which contributes to a more earthy scent in some other formulas). Maggie's Citrus Farm incorporates beeswax, which acts as natural stabilizer to keep it at the same consistency all year round.

Moon Sisters (With Magnesium & Activated Charcoal)

Enjoy this blend of neroli and roses to evoke the nostalgia of a late summer swim in the moonlight – with added activated charcoal to detoxify; and magnesium to relax the armpits, to help reduce stress sweats.

Reuben & The Dark & Stormy

Another of the classic, reduced baking soda formulations, this one has a complex yet quite smooth and grounding scent profile with smoky and woodsy elements from a quite number of contributing aromas, including Amyris (which is sometimes called West Indian Sandalwood), Palo Santo (aka Bursera graveolens, a South American tree), Tobacco, and Vetiver.

Sexy Sadie (Extra Sensitive - Baking Soda Free; Vegan, No Beeswax)

Sexy Sadie uses clay, which naturally absorbs sweat, and smells of ylang ylang, orange, and cinnamon. This formula is vegan, it doesn't contain beeswax. Without beeswax as a stabilizer - this formula's consistency may vary with temperature changes (becoming quite soft when it's warm, harder when it's cold), although that will not impede its effectiveness.

Superstar (With Magnesium & Activated Charcoal)

As the name implies, this one has it all – and then some. Routine Superstar contains topical magnesium, both to absorb odors and to relax the muscles in the armpits, which may reduce stress-induced sweating (such as during business presentations or public speaking). But it also includes some baking soda, for added deodorizing and to increase its longevity - but just enough to do that, without causing irritation in most sensitive-skinned people. Finally, it features a very interesting blend of scents – black pepper, cardamom, tonka bean, vanilla bourbon, and vetiver – which a user describes as adding up to an amazing cologne.

Sweet Jane (Scented with Flavour Oils)

Sweet Jane starts with the same base formula featuring safe and effective aluminum-free baking soda to absorb odors and Kaolin Clay to absorb perspiration, but is scented with natural and organic flavour oils (to smell like vanilla and pears), so it's safer for pregnant and breastfeeding women to use than the ones scented with essential oils.

The Curator (Extra Sensitive - Baking Soda Free)

Ideal for those with extra sensitive skin who've found that baking soda-based deodorants can cause irritation, this magnesium-based formula works just as well. The Curator smells like a combination of cocoa and eucalyptus.

In the ordering menu above, for the first set, which are the creams, the default is the With Baking Soda, Clay & Beeswax formula with Essential Oils, if there are no details in brackets immediately after the name. Otherwise, exclusions to those default ingredients are listed; or, in the case of the Superstar and Moon Sisters formulations (which have some baking soda for added deodorizing, but not enough to irritate most sensitive skinned people), two additions are listed: Charcoal to detoxify, and Magnesium to relax the armpits to reduce stress-induced sweats.

The Sticks tend to have some additional ingredients (including beeswax), to make them for suitable for that format, and some may have a slightly different scent profile from the cream version. Please consult each one's ingredients in the pop-up or downloadable document in the Ingredients section to see the differences.