If you’ve spent any time browsing eco-friendly lifestyle blogs or scrolling through social media recently, you’ll know that the sustainable personal care market is booming. Over time, I have tried my fair share of sustainable, refillable deodorants.

Lately, it has been almost impossible to avoid the wave of advertising for a UK brand called Make Waves. Their marketing campaigns and bold claims seemed to pop up on whatever social network I’m on, generating a massive amount of internet hype. Intrigued by the advertising and curious to see if it could outperform the options I already have, I decided to purchase a starter pack and put it to the test. Here is my completely honest, unfiltered review of Make Waves deodorant.

What is Make Waves Deodorant?

Make Waves is a UK-based personal care brand that aims to challenge traditional, single-use plastic packaging. The fundamental concept is built around an eco-friendly loop: you buy a premium, durable outer case (the applicator) once, and then purchase smaller refills indefinitely.

What makes them quite unique in the UK market is their product range. While most eco-conscious competitors solely offer natural deodorants (which are only designed to mask odour) Make Waves is one of the first refillable brands to offer both a completely natural deodorant and a natural-based antiperspirant that uses aluminium salts to actively control sweat. The brand prides itself on skin-conscious formulations packed with premium ingredients like shea butter and sunflower seed oil, which are rich in vitamins to protect and nourish sensitive underarm skin.

Pros of Make Waves

• Applicators – One of my biggest pet peeves with other refillable deodorants on the market is how top-heavy the cases can be. They constantly get knocked over or fall off my dressing table. The Make Waves container stands up well and doesn’t easily tip over compared to others out there as the base seems more stable.
• Aesthetics – The containers themselves are clean-looking, boasting an interesting geometric shape.
• Range of Fragrances – Make Waves offers a variety of scents to choose from, ranging from fresh and herbal to fruity and deep wood notes. There is definitely something to suit every preference.
• Sustainable – The core mission of the brand is undeniably positive. By shifting consumers away from disposable aerosol cans and single-use plastics, they are helping to promote low-waste routines.

Cons of Make Waves

Scent – For my starter pack, I chose the Coconut & Vanilla fragrance. Scent is entirely subjective, but in my personal opinion, I didn’t enjoy the smell as much as I have in other products out there (other deodorants, body sprays etc.). To me, it smelled quite artificial.

Effectiveness – The formulation didn’t perform well for me personally. Unfortunately, I did not remain dry with this deodorant.

Refills – I feel conflicted about the refill insert being housed in a plastic capsule. Make Waves explicitly claims that they use 100% recycled and recyclable plastic for these pods, ensuring that no new plastic is being introduced to the world but I’m unsure how I feel about this vs cardboard refill options from other brands.

Marketing – I felt a little bit unsure about the style of heavy marketing I saw from the brand online before purchasing. A lot of their advertisements were quite overtly critical of other established sustainable deodorant brands or made very big statements. Personally, I prefer softer marketing styles where the benefits of the product speaks for themselves.

Final Verdict

Everyone’s body chemistry, skin type, and sweat rates are entirely unique, meaning a product that completely didn’t work for me might be a winner for someone else. There are thousands of people online who have a great experience with this brand and absolutely love it so I may be on my own with my opinions.

However, looking at the performance on my own skin, the scent, and my slight hesitation regarding the plastic refill pods, I personally am unlikely to repurchase.

If you’d like to explore what Make Waves has to offer, head to their site here.