Review: Alva Crystal Deo Intensive Spray

Recently I have been trying the Crystal Deo Intensive Spray from Alva. They are a German company established in 1998 and distributed in the UK from 2007. They have their own UK website and are also for sale at Only Naturals, a leading seller of natural and organic skincare brands, who provided me with this sample for review.

This deodorant is vegan and 100% natural with 26% of the ingredients coming from organic farming. Alva are certified by Ecocert and cruelty-free.
I kind of feel deflated about my recent experiences with natural deodorant as ditching the devil that is aluminium seems to be about compromise and expecting to smell. I have had positive experiences with other deos but I have smelled less than fresh after a hard day at work which bothers me immensely.

Anyway, I'm still open to trying new deodorants and finding that perfect one so I chose this one as I have yet to try Alva as a brand. It's a spray when I would usually opt for a roll-on, but at least it's not the horrid choking powder of traditional supermarket brands.

The first thing that hit me was the smell - really, really potently of Aloe Vera (contains no artificial perfume). Now although it's one of the greatest plants on earth, I'm not keen on the smell of it and I was surprised on first spray of this deo that I found the scent unpleasant.
However, I've mentioned my love of scent before and it should be pointed out that I have a very strong sense of smell and am very rigid about what I like and dislike in that area. Other people I know smelled this deo and didn't find it unpleasant. It was easily fixed; I added 3 drops of pure lavender essential oil to the bottle and now it smells mega!

So, moving on, as the spray isn't aerosol propelled, it's just like squirting water under your pits. I found the maximum squirts per pit you can use before it starts to run down your sides is around four.

My initial trial of this deo coincided with particularly bad UK weather. For a while it was really untested as I didn't break a sweat. It performed admirably on gentle days.
Then came the ultimate test. A swift walk to my local festival in 25C+ heat. I arrived wet through and unattractive, but not yet smelling. By the end of the day, there was a hint of sweat, but nothing to get upset about.

The following day was even hotter and I spent much of it outside. By bedtime, I only smelled, miraculously, of the deo itself.

In summary, a very impressive deodorant (if you can get past the smell). I would definitely try another Alva deo in the future, but one that's scented. Or or course add my own!


Ingredients:

Aqua, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water*, Aloe Barbadensis*, Potassium Alum, Hamamelis Virginiana1, Glycerin1, Symphytum Officinale Extract1, Cinnamic Acid1, Rosa Damascena Oil1, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate1, Xanthan Gum

 * Ingredients From Organic Farming 1 From Natural Origin

You can buy the Alva deo here
You can view Only Naturals entire range of products here

*This sample was sent to me for PR purposes. I wasn't paid for my review.