American Provenance is a personal care company that makes clean, all natural products. Theoretically everyone would want bath and body products that don’t have dangerous chemicals. However, if they don’t work, you won’t use them.
I’ve recently tested American Provenance’s deodorants and I can wholeheartedly say that they work!
By Ellen Rubin
Effectiveness
First, I want to say that I actually put them through a pretty tough test. We are in the midst of a heat wave where the temperature has been 90-100°F every day, for far too long. I don’t have air conditioning at home or work (it’s not the norm in my area) so I have been hot! My daughter tried one of the deodorants and she works outside in a job that requires a fair amount of physical labor.
At first, I was a bit leery because the container says deodorant and doesn’t include the word anti-perspirant also. I’ve been using their products for a week, so any residual effect my traditional anti-perspirant/deodorant might have had has worn off. I can honestly say that while I have sweated, very little of it has been my underarms. Other parts, including my face, have been dewy or worse, but I haven’t had sweaty pits, so I think that the deodorant works just as well as my old one as an anti-perspirant. They have articles for those of you who have questions about the anti-perspirant/deodorant issue.
Fragrance
One of the things you’ll notice from the American Provence site is the unique and interesting fragrance combinations of their products. We received a trio that included sensitive skin unscented, lemongrass & marjoram, and the peppermint & eucalyptus choices. I tried the unscented because I have a strong sensitivity to fragrance, mostly synthetic fragrance. I smelled all three versions, and none of them bothered me.
If you are like me and have to be extra careful of perfumed products, you may have noticed that even products that are billed and “unscented” actually have fragrance as one of the ingredients? Well, this doesn’t. All you will find in the ingredient list is Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Arrowroot Powder, and Magnesium Hydroxide. You actually know what almost all of these ingredients are. After checking, I found out that Magnesium hydroxide is an inorganic compound found in the mineral brucite. The fragranced items have Aluminum-Free Baking Soda. Regardless of your opinion on whether any of the ingredients of traditional deodorants, like aluminum, are dangerous, you won’t find anything questionable here. If you want more information, they have a nice buyers guide to all their ingredients here.
I think it’s important to also mention what else you won’t find in the deodorants: aluminum, harsh chemicals, preservatives, or artificial fragrances; there are also no parabens, sulfates, and they are cruelty free. All of their scents come from essential oils.
Speaking of fragrance, the two other deodorants we received smelled really nice. We especially like the lemongrass & marjoram scent. I think we would like the plain lemongrass even more. The marjoram gives it an herbal tone rather than just a pure, bright, and light citrus scent. When looking through their site, I’m intrigued by many of the products and can imagine trying numerous different scents.
While the scented deodorants have a fragrance, my daughter reported that she only noticed the scent for the first 30 minutes or so. After that, the fragrance faded and she just had the effective deodorant with no discernable fragrance. I don’t know if this is good or bad, or if it is the same for everyone, but this was her experience. She did say that she didn’t have bad smelling armpits at the end of her workday.
While American Provenance seems to be geared more towards men, that do have floral scents available: rose & jasmine, lavender, geranium & lavender, as well as lime, so there is something for everyone. Scents such as wintergreen and peppermint seem neutral, while their cedar, clove, and coriander notes may appeal to those who want a more woodsy scent. Each product page has reviews to help you decide what you might like.
I always buy unscented products after an exhaustive search and sniff hunt because of my sensitivities, but I would actually try some of their unique and interesting scent combinations. I don’t think they would bother me because they are natural rather than chemical, but I’m also really glad that they offer such a clean, unscented product for those that absolutely need no fragrance.
Packaging
Luckily, American Provenance offers a deodorant 3 pack so you can choose 3 different options at a time at a discounted price. I’ve got to say, the packaging was really nice. Our 3-pack quickly arrived in the box in great shape. The deodorant sticks arrived solid, but because of the heat they were a bit soft. This has to be expected when it’s 100°. We put the box in the fridge for about 20 minutes and they firmed up and were ready to go with no adverse after-effects. Even when the house is about 80° they are still nice and solid.
As I mentioned, the packaging has a definite masculine vibe with the black tube, navy box, fragrance names (such as Fastballs & Fisticuffs), and bison mascot, but everything is well designed and made. They also sell additional masculine products like their Shave & Beard items: aftershave, beard balm, and beard oil. Gender neutral items include body wash, lip balm, hand sanitizer, hand soap, and a skin care line (day and night serum, body oil, and face mask). Everything would make a great gift for any gender because they are all natural, smell great, the sensitive products have absolutely no fragrance, and they work well, at least the deodorant did.
Company Policies
Many people think that supporting a worthwhile company is just as important as getting a good product. American Provenance offers subscription and rewards programs. If you subscribe, you save 10% on your purchase and you don’t have to worry about perpetually placing orders. For the rewards program you earn points toward future purchases when you sign up, place an order, have a birthday, or participate on social media. Points earned can be redeemed for discounts on purchases.
The company also gives back. 1% of every purchase is donated to a nonprofit organization/cause of your choosing (Home of Our Own/housing relief, Trust for Public Land/sustainability, National Black Farmers Association/racial equity, or Feeding America/food relief). The company also contributes to a number of other community projects, either as part of their stewardship, or with financial or product donations.
Sustainability is also a primary focus for American Provenance. They are a member of 1% for the Planet, contribute monthly to Cleanhub which recovers plastics and recycles them, and supports the National Parks Foundation. They have also set up a recycling program with TerraCycle to recycle and repurpose deodorant tubes (theirs or other brands of deodorant). See details of the program here. Every tube sent back will earn you a $2 credit toward your next purchase of any of their products. Some of their deodorant tubes are biodegradable.
Kyle LaFond started the company to make safe, effective, and affordable personal care items after experiencing the “chemical clouds of product” that infiltrated the high school where he taught science. After years of experimentation he started production near his southern Wisconsin family farm. All products are still hand made and packaged in Wisconsin. The company is transparent, sustainable, treats their employees fairly, and makes a good, effective, product that is good for you and the earth.
Overall, finding American Provenance was a great discovery. It is a company I can feel good about supporting (transparent, ethical, and sustainable) and products that I want to use. Not only is this a great choice for your personal care, but I think they would make a great gift.