CORE The everyday one. Fifteen ingredients. Apricot kernel oil, magnesium hydroxide, two forms of zinc, and the waxes that hold the whole thing together. That's most of the list. Core costs $22 because it's made of fewer things, not because we held anything back for the $32 version. How it works Fresh sweat barely smells. The odor shows up an hour or two later, once the bacteria living on your skin have broken it down into short-chain fatty acids. Magnesium hydroxide handles those acids. It turns them into salts, and salts don't evaporate, so there's nothing left to reach your nose. Because it barely dissolves it sits as a reservoir and releases only as acid arrives to consume it, then stops. That self-limiting behavior is why it's better tolerated than baking soda, which dissolves readily and delivers all of its alkalinity at once. Zinc chloride hydroxide does something else entirely. It's an adsorbent, so it holds onto odor molecules rather than covering them up. Zinc oxide backs it up. Core or Max Core leads with magnesium, on a single oil, with a dry matte finish. Fifteen ingredients. Max leads with the zinc active, drops magnesium into support, and grows the base from one oil to four with a slip agent that takes the drag out. Twenty-six ingredients. Max is more product. Whether you need more product depends on your day. If you're on your feet through a double shift, buy Max. If you're not, Core gets you there and you keep the ten dollars. One oil Apricot kernel. Light, absorbs fast, leaves nothing sitting on the skin. Core also skips the bamboo, the cellulose, and the slip agent that Max carries, so it finishes drier and more matte. If you've ever found a natural deodorant too rich, this is the texture you want. What's in it The actives Magnesium hydroxide, neutralizing the acids that are the smell Zinc chloride hydroxide and zinc oxide, trapping whatever forms anyway Methylheptylglycerin, a deodorant active that works on bacteria at the surface The base Apricot kernel oil, the only oil in here Bisabolol, from chamomile, keeping a mineral base comfortable to wear A dry, matte finish. No drag going on, nothing left on a shirt The standard Dermatologist Tested Fifteen ingredients, every one of them working No aluminum, no baking soda, no alcohol, no propylene glycol Scent Clean SlateClassic powder fresh.Soft powder and clean air, finishing close to the skin. Familiar without feeling dated. Built to fade rather than linger. Not sure this is your one? MAX, $32 · More of the zinc active, four oils, a richer glide. Buy it if you sweat hard. SENSITIVE, $32 · No alkaline active at all, built for skin that reacts. Start here if naturals have burned you before. TEA TREE, $25 · The botanical original, on a baking soda base. Compare all four side by side → The standard, every day. 8 years. 68 formulations.Formulated and manufactured in the USA A little goes a long way. One stick runs most people two months or more. See every ingredient, and why it's in here → SWEAT HARD. SMELL ZERO.® From the lab: How Zinc Deodorant Works · Why Does My Deodorant Burn?
