The Heart Behind - Smood
THE HEART BEHIND is a series of interviews where we get to know the founders and the heart behind what they do.
Smood is a deodorant brand offering natural handmade deodorant that is rid of harmful chemicals. We talk to JT, co-founder of Smood.
How did Smood came about?
It all started with us thinking about what goes into our daily cosmetics products - the amount of harmful chemicals that we have never taken more time to notice and consider the impact it has on our body. After which, we started to research about natural handmade products and decided to kickstart our flagship product – Deodorant! A product that is used on a daily basis and might have the most impact on our body.
Tell us more about your deodorant! How do you make them?
These are the 6 curcial ingredients that go into our deodorant:
- Beeswax
- Shea Butter
- Cassave Starch
- Coconut Oil
- Baking Soda
- Essential Oil
We originally made our deodorants in our kitchen back in 2019 when we first started the business! Right now, we make them in a small cosy studio.
How has the feedback been from your customers who switched to natural deodorant?
First of all, we need to share that natural deodorants are formulated with a variety of ingredients and at different ratios. No two brand holds the same formula and each batch actually differs from one another. Also, as everyone’s body is different, a deodorant might work well for you by not for your friend.
We are grateful that so far at least 90% of our customers who tried the deodorant bar have shared that it has been effective for them! We do acknowledge that there might be a 10% that are not able to use our deodorant or might even be allergic to the ingredients used.
You can read all of our customers feedback here!
How does deodorant impact our body?
One must know the difference between anti perspirant and deodorant first, as there is quite a bit of confusion in the market! Antiperspirant is a product that helps you control your sweat so as to reduce your underarm wetness. It contains this ingredient – Aluminium salt, which plays a crucial role in blocking your sweat glands on your skin.
Deodorant, on the other hand, is a product that kills and reduces the number of bacteria that leads to odour. Deodorants increase your skin acidity, which odour-causing bacteria don’t like! So when you sweat, there is an absence of bacteria to cause you to have body odour. It does not block your sweat gland, so be prepared to sweat as normal. You should also keep in mind that sweating is a way for your body to regulate its temperature and cannot be avoided totally :)
What do you think consumers need to know about sustainability and cosmetics?
Because we believe that there is not much time left for us. Climate change is a pressing issue and if we do not take any action now, we are bound to regret in the future.
Here is why we wanted to go low waste and why we wouldn't have it otherwise. Most products are wrapped in plastic then placed in a box and given to you in a plastic bag. Each product goes through about 2 to 3 rounds of packaging. Plastic, bubble wrap, Styrofoam – all these are being used to protect the product.
On one hand, I do understand that brands do want to ensure that their product does not get damaged and some brands placed a very high value of the aesthetics of their items. On the other hand, that piece of packaging is only used for a few hours before being thrown away.
Unnecessary packaging is not only a drain on resources, it also adds to the production of waste. Of the 1.6 million tonnes of domestic waste disposed of in 2018, one-third is made up of packaging.
Deodorant is one product that I felt produce a lot of waste. The conventional ones come in aerosol cans which cannot be recycled. If not, they come in plastic tubes and plastic pollution is an issue that we don’t want to contribute to even further. This is why our deodorants are minimally wrapped and packaged.
Are there other products in the pipeline? What's next for Smood?
For us, we want to be known as the natural deodorant brand and build on this one product before moving on to anything new product. But for now, we are focused on conducting workshops occasionally to teach people how to make their own deodorant at home!
Check out Smood's deodorants here.
Enjoy 10% off when you make the switch to natural deodorants now! Use promocode: GETSMOOD