Our Ingredients
At Degree we’re here to keep you moving with confidence. With superior sweat protection at the heart of everything we do, we’re proud to make antiperspirant and deodorant products that keep millions of people staying fresh while on the move. But have you ever stopped to wonder what’s inside them?
It’s only natural to care deeply about what you put on your body. Rest assured, at Degree, safety and improving the sustainability of everything that goes into the products you use is our absolute priority. Each and every ingredient is rigorously assessed by our experts before we use it. We never compromise, and nor should you.
You never stand still, and neither do we. We’re obsessed with continually improving our products, and we constantly check out the latest science to make our products work better, be more sustainable by reducing plastic and aluminum in our packaging, and keep you happy by staying fresh and smelling amazing. Just like our products, we won’t let you down.
So let’s take a closer look at some of those ingredients that keep you moving with confidence, and make all of our products work as hard as you do.
Our approach
It’s a fast-moving and ever-changing world out there. But one thing always remains the same; our commitment to bringing you the safest and most effective products. When we’re choosing which ingredients to put inside them, we’re always led by the science. As well as doing our own safety assessments and setting our own rigorous standards, we always follow the relevant local and international safety regulations, and respond to the changing needs of customers like you.
In our quest to keep you safe and smelling fresh, we often go even further, setting standards that are higher than industry standard. We’re a demanding bunch, always insisting that our suppliers and partners meet our own rigorous standards.
For us everything starts with the values of our parent company Unilever. Since 2017, Unilever has led the industry in voluntarily disclosing all ingredients, including fragrance ingredients (down to 0.01% of the product formulation) across all our home, beauty and personal care products throughout Europe and the US. We’re proud to be part of such a forward-thinking company.
We keep a close eye on the latest scientific developments and new legislation, and constantly review and update the ingredients we use. We also know that you don’t get to be the best by simply standing still. So we’re always evolving our products to bring you the latest innovations. We do whatever it takes to provide you with the best possible protection from sweat and nasty odors – and all so you can keep on moving with confidence.
Ingredients we use
What goes into our products? It’s a fascinating question, and one we’re always happy to answer. Let’s take a closer look at some of those ingredients, understand why we use them, and find out how we know they’re safe to use.
Aluminum
Now for a quick history lesson. Aluminium salts have been used for over half a century as the active ingredient in antiperspirants to control sweat and body odour, while aluminium itself has been used for much longer – hundreds of years, in fact. We know that some of our customers prefer not to use products containing aluminium. If that’s you, no problem – simply look out for our deodorants that are clearly labelled with "0% aluminium salts".
Absolutely. Various health authorities around the world and our safety scientists agree that antiperspirant products containing aluminium salts are effective, extensively evaluated and safe for regular use. In 2020 the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) concluded that aluminium is safe for use in antiperspirants at the concentrations currently used. So it’s good news for you, and bad news for sweaty armpits. To find out more about Unilever’s use of aluminium salts in antiperspirants, please click here.Opens in a new window
Fragrances
The quick answer is ‘to smell great!’ Fragrance plays a big part in the sensory experience our products provide, giving you the confidence to keep moving without worrying about smelling sweaty. Amazingly, nearly 3,000 fragrance ingredients are used across the consumer goods industry, which are carefully regulated by authorities and the International Fragrance Association (IFRA).
The fragrance ingredients we use are completely safe and meet all the requirements of the IFRA Standards, the globally accepted risk management system for the safe use of fragrance ingredients. They’re basically the ‘Fragrance Safety Guardians’, and at Degree we always carefully follow their recommendations.
Where it’s required, we list our fragrance ingredients in the ingredients list on our product packs. In Europe and the US you can find a full break down of our fragrance ingredients on the ‘What’s in Our Products’ Opens in a new windowwebpage (Unilever’s ingredient disclosure platform).
Preservatives
Although many of our products don’t need preservatives, some do need protection from nasty stuff like bacteria, yeasts and moulds.
At Degree we only use preservatives to maintain our products’ safety and quality, and keep them doing their job for you for longer.
Yes they are. We use preservatives safely and responsibly, only in carefully controlled amounts, and just when absolutely necessary. And as with all our ingredients, we make our own safety assessments, keep a close eye on the latest scientific research, and always follow the relevant laws and regulations.
Talc
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that comes in many different grades, categorised according to its level of purity. Rexona only use cosmetic grade talc which meets the highest levels of quality and safety. We use this talc in some of our deodorants, because it’s good at absorbing moisture and keeping you feeling fresh and ready to move. Find out more about Unilever’s use of talc here.Opens in a new window
Yes, products that contain cosmetic grade talc are completely safe to use. That’s not just our opinion; it’s backed by decades of scientific evidence from authorities around the world, including the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety. Rest assured, as well as complying with relevant laws and regulations, at Rexona we also conduct our own safety assessments and keep a close eye on the latest scientific research.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one ingredient that probably needs no introduction. But why is it used in antiperspirants? Well, it’s for two reasons. Firstly it helps our products evaporate quickly from the surface of your skin, creating a nice cooling sensation. And secondly, it acts as a deodorant, preventing microbes in your armpits from producing those nasty odours we all want to avoid.
Yes it is. Our Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre carefully assesses our products and keeps up-to-date with all the latest science on the ingredients we use, to make sure we’re always keeping you safe.
Palm oil
You may have heard about palm oil. It’s highly versatile and efficient, producing more oil per land area than any other equivalent vegetable oil. We use palm oil and its derivatives as a feedstock to help produce a number of ingredients in our products.
These ingredients are important raw materials which help to give the product stability and improve its texture so that it feels pleasant on your skin. Given it’s an essential ingredient, we are working hard to secure a supply of only 100% physically certificate sustainable palm oil.
Experts have said that the problem isn’t palm oil itself, but the irresponsible sourcing of palm oil which leads to deforestation. Sustainably sourced palm oil is the answer to the problem, and we’ve been driving change in the industry for many years.
Our parent company, Unilever, takes environmental responsibilities very seriously. Our ambition is to make sustainable palm oil commonplace, and we’re working with partners to drive lasting change, both within our own supply chain and across the wider palm oil industry. To find out more about how our parent company, Unilever, is doing good things to transform the palm oil industry, please click here.Opens in a new window