Deodorant in pregnancy and breastfeeding: No Pong’s guide

This is general information, not medical advice: your GP or midwife knows your situation best.

The question comes up all the time: can I use deodorant while pregnant? And if so, what is the best pregnancy safe deodorant?

The short answer is yes. There’s nothing in No Pong that’s unsafe to use while you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. There’s a summary of each formula below, and the full list for every tin is on our Ingredients page.

Why do I sweat and smell more when pregnant?

You’re not imagining it. Pregnancy hormones and extra blood flow to the skin make you feel warmer and sweat more (NHS), and your metabolism and body temperature rise while you’re pregnant and breastfeeding (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby). The sweat glands that cool you get busier all over the body except the palms (DermNet).

Many people notice smells more, too. About two-thirds of pregnant women say their sense of smell is stronger, even though lab tests mostly don’t find a sharper nose (Frontiers in Psychology, 2014). Either way, a scent you loved can suddenly feel like too much.

When scents and skin change in pregnancy

During pregnancy, hormonal changes can impact scent sensitivities and preferences. It’s not uncommon for scents that were once beloved to suddenly become overwhelming or unappealing. Just like your favourite candle might lose its charm, your go-to deodorant may no longer feel right either.

We understand the importance of offering options that cater to these changing needs. That’s why we make a range of scents to suit different preferences.

Additionally, we offer a Fragrance-Free option in our Vegan formula for those who want to go without scent.

Along with scent sensitivities, your body odour can change, which may lead you to need a little bit more or a little bit less. This is completely normal. And that’s just half of it, your skin may react differently to entire formulas or just specific ingredients. We’ve also kept this in mind, so we offer 3 different formulas.

What’s in No Pong?

No Pong still has to do what it says on the tin, and we list every ingredient. We believe knowledge is power, and this still stands for knowing what’s in your deodorant, and knowing what’s going on your body.

Our scents are blends of essential oils, and we don’t, and will never, use synthetic materials to craft new formulas or scents. The full list for every tin is on our Ingredients page.

Can I use No Pong while breastfeeding?

Yes. Just like in pregnancy, there’s nothing in No Pong that’s unsafe to use while you’re breastfeeding. A few things are worth knowing, though, because newborns find the breast partly by smell:

• The Australian Breastfeeding Association suggests skipping perfume and strong-smelling products for the first few days after birth.
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes a baby may refuse to feed if your smell changes, for example with a new deodorant, perfume, soap or detergent.
• e-lactancia, a breastfeeding database run by health professionals, suggests using deodorant moderately, without fragrance or heavy perfume, and not on or near the breast.

So if you’re planning to switch, settle on your deodorant before baby arrives rather than in the first weeks, and think about Fragrance Free Vegan, the one with no added fragrance.

Deodorant or antiperspirant in pregnancy?

No Pong is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant. It doesn’t contain ingredients designed to block sweat pores, so you’ll still sweat, and that’s normal. If you’re worried about aluminium in antiperspirants, Cancer Council Australia says there’s no evidence that deodorants or antiperspirants cause cancer. Our guide to natural deodorant covers the difference in more detail.

Should I patch test a new deodorant when pregnant?

Skin can behave differently in pregnancy, so it’s a good idea. Try a little on a small patch of skin first and stop if it irritates. If bicarb has ever bothered your skin, start with Bicarb Free, which we created for people who are sensitive to bicarb based deodorants.

Hear it from some of our customers: