Natural Cologne for Men: It’s Time to Give Axe the Ax!

“What’s your relationship with your body odor?” My friend has asked this question to others and I believe it’s a good one. How would you answer?

Do you use soap in the shower or just water? Do you try to mask your scent or use nothing at all? Today we’re talking about colognes. Mass-produced cologne versus natural cologne: how can you choose? More importantly, why would you choose one over the other?

The differences of mass-produced and natural colognes include: transparency of the ingredients, toxicity of the product, popularity of the cologne, and the goal of masking body odor vs. accentuating pheromones. Both commercial body sprays and natural colognes aim to for a scent to make men smell fresh and desirable.

Commerical Colognes

Commercial colognes and body sprays can contain the chemical Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex glycine, which blocks pores so sweat does not reach the skin. Aluminum is neurotoxic which means that it causes damage to nerves or nerve tissues.

There are other chemicals to avoid in commercial men’s products and another troubling aspect is the ingredients not disclosed to the public. I contacted Axe Consumer Services regarding the fragrance formulation (which is listed as an ingredient) and I was informed that it is proprietary, which means the company possesses the rights to those ingredients. The consumer is now using unknown chemicals, which can cause (and unfortunately have caused) allergic reactions.

The Environmental Working Group rates products by “the scope of ingredient safety data contained in Skin Deep®, [EWG’s cosmetic database] and the number of studies available in the open scientific literature.” The EWG has rated Axe products with moderate to high hazards. {via ewg.org} This rating shows that commercial body spray can be concerning for one’s health.

Natural Colognes

Natural body sprays and colognes are transparent with their ingredients so the consumer is fully aware of what he is putting on his body. Natural colognes can be created with a combination of herbal, fruit or floral oils. Men’s cologne can also be formulated using plant extractions or essential oils from tree resin.

Natural colognes are not nearly as common as mass-produced body sprays and might not last as long as the chemical-studded versions. However, they are a much wiser option for your skin, which is your body’s largest organ!

When asked about the inspiration behind natural cologne, AJ Fountain, President and CMO of Dr. Squatch, shared some insight about the creation of their cologne.

“We have a tendency to be curious about the actual ingredients in men’s grooming products. After digging around on traditional colognes, we found a world dominated by chemicals and even bizarre ingredients such as feces. We thought we’d rather smell like the wild places untainted by man, so we started experimenting with essential oils from nature.”

Dr. Squatch’s natural Beechwood Bourbon cologne is “a sweet-and-spicy experience that reminds us of wild grasses, citrus groves, and days spent relaxing on the beach.” Crushed Pine, the other scent, is described as an “earthy composition [that] contains a woodsy trio of essential oils: cedarwood, fir needle, hemlock spruce, with a subtle citrus undertone.”

“We knew from the beginning we wanted to create a scent that worked with a guy’s natural musk, and didn’t overpower it. That’s the beauty of working with essential oils; there are high, low, and mid notes that are constantly coming and going which creates an experience with our cologne that takes you on a ride throughout your day.”

So now the choice is yours! Use mass-produced body sprays that are composed of chemicals, or be like the wild and free Sasquatch and go natural! Keep squatchin’ y’all!

{Sources: DrSquatch.com, ewg.org, controlyourimpact.com}