Is it weird that I used to sneak into my mom’s bathroom to steal swipes of her deodorant when I was little? Maybe, but it made me feel marginally grown-up. She always wore Secret deodorant, so I did, too. Even as I’ve cycled through different brands and different formulas, I always come back to the classic Secret Fresh Collection.
It could be all in my head, but I feel like invisible solids are the most effective. During my aerosol-deodorant phase, I never felt quite deodorized enough. Regular solids are the OG chalky offenders. And skipping deodorant entirely as a way to "retrain" my underarms was a complete (and slightly stinky) fail. But the invisible solid goes on clear, doesn’t dry my skin out or crumble onto clothes, all while still blocking odor and sweat. (The collection also includes clear gels, but those never feel quite dry enough for my preference.)
There are 11 scents in the Fresh Collection, including Boho Berry and Paris Rose, but I tried Cool Waterlily since I tend to like aquatic deodorant fragrances the best. I don’t know exactly what cool waterlilies smell like for comparison, but this was refreshing and not at all overwhelming. I know half of the point of deodorant is to make your underarms smell nice, but I think it's weird when the scent is as strong as your perfume. That was not an issue here.
Since this is also an antiperspirant, I waited until I was totally dry after showering to apply it before bed. “A significant percentage of antiperspirant never makes it to sweat glands because people use it on damp skin after a shower and the water carries it away,” says David Bank, a dermatologist in Mount Kisco, New York. The next day, meetings, deadlines, and a humid basement-level gym sesh after work seriously tested the formula. It prevented normal perspiration and even kept the gym sweat in check, but a little bit of the stress variety crept in midday. The scent, however, held strong until 8 p.m.
