Hey Humans is a personal care products company that’s branded with a luxury feel but priced very affordably. Their deodorant is “naturally derived” using “safe, effective formulas” and “99% plastic free packaging.”
But is Hey Humans deodorant actually healthier than drugstore deodorant or are these just marketing claims? Does the deodorant have research-backed ingredients? Does it have any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Hey Humans deodorant?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in this deodorant based on medical studies to give our take on whether it’s actually cleaner and more effective than your typical drugstore deodorant.
We’ll highlight a questionable additive ingredient and share real, unsponsored user reviews of the product.
Ingredient Analysis – Safer Than Drugstore Deodorant?
The ingredient list shown above is from the Rosewater Ginger version of the brand’s deodorant. It contains several natural, research-backed ingredients for odor control.
Sodium bicarbonate, better known as baking soda, is a well-studied ingredient for neutralizing odor which is why it’s often included in dish detergent. A 2015 clinical trial found that this ingredient reduced odor by up to 70% in industrial settings.
Coconut oil is one of the most effective natural antibacterial and antifungal agents. A clinical trial published in the Scientific Reports journal found that coconut oil reduced levels of harmful bacteria and increased levels of healthy bacteria when applied topically to the skin.
Arrow root powder is a natural deodorizer and is used as a non-toxic, botanical alternative to talc, as we documented in our review of Lume Deodorant, which is another natural brand that includes this ingredient.
Zinc ricinoleate is a zinc salt that was shown in a clinical trial to reduce underarm odor for up to 24 hours.
Clearly this formulation contains a number of effective, natural, odor-blocking ingredients, but it also includes one ingredient we recommend avoiding.
Fragrance is included in all Hey Humans deodorants, and the chemical compound used to create cosmetic fragrances may be harmful to human health. An extensive medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal analyzed consumer health data and concluded that “Results of this study provide compelling evidence that everyday fragranced products can impose serious risks to human health.”
It’s unfortunate that Hey Humans does not currently have an unscented version of their deodorant, because we would recommend their unscented version if they did. It’s a very well-formulated and fairly priced product otherwise.
We still consider Hey Humans deodorant to be a much healthier alternative to commercial deodorant as we’ll explain in the next section.
Why Hey Humans is a Better Option Than Drugstore Deodorant
The typical drugstore deodorant contains a number of questionable additive ingredients that we recommend avoiding for health reasons.
As an example, above is a list of some of the ingredients in Degree Advanced women's deodorant.
Fragrance is included and we already documented its health risks in the previous section.
BHT is a synthetic preservative with a metabolite shown to cause tumors in animal studies, as we documented in our Monday Shampoo reviews article (on another cosmetic product containing this ingredient).
Talc is a cosmetic ingredient used to absorb moisture, and a 2020 clinical trial found that 3 of 21 cosmetic products containing talc had asbestos (a carcinogen).
Given that Hey Humans is talc-free and preservative-free, we consider it to be significantly healthier than Dove’s deodorant and than the majority of commercial deodorants.
Real, Unsponsored Hey Humans User Reviews
A YouTube channel called “Brightly” published a review of Hey Humans deodorant that discussed the scent and whether it actually reduced sweating:
A YouTube user named “CurlsWithLove” compared the effects of Hey Humans deodorant with Dove deodorant for a week:
Where to Buy Hey Humans Deodorant for the Best Price
Hey Humans Deodorant is available for sale online at Amazon, Target and Walgreens. Here’s the price breakdown for the Banana Aloe scent:
Amazon: $12 (third-party seller, don’t recommend)
Target: $6.99
Walgreens: $4.79 (link to listing)
Walgreens is currently the only online retailer where two different scents are being sold for less than $6.99 (the Lavender Vanilla scent is currently available for $5.49)
Our Non-Toxic Deodorant Recommendation
The natural, non-toxic deodorant product we recommend is Native Deodorant Unscented.
This deodorant contains the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus which was shown in clinical research to reduce odor and normalize bacteria levels when applied topically.
It also contains coconut oil which is another natural antibacterial and antifungal ingredient.
Most importantly, this deodorant is entirely free of questionable additive ingredients like fragrance.
Interested consumers can check out Native Deodorant Unscented at this link to the product's official Amazon listing.
Real Customer Reviews of Hey Humans Deodorant
Hey Humans is sold on Amazon which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The Rosewater Ginger scent has the most reviews with over 200, and with an impressive average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
The product has a “B” grade on Fakespot, which is a software tool that detects potentially fake Amazon reviews. This is a good sign that the reviews are legitimate.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “bcriminger” who appreciates the environmentally-friendly packaging and the scent:
“I’ve been searching for a clean deodorant that is also in planet friendly packaging and I finally found it! I’ve tried other cardboard packaging ones and they weren’t great. This one works excellently! Both my husband and I use it, as the scent is pretty neutral.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Yuri” who dislikes the smell:
“The smell is overpowering.”
