Essentials Fresh Shield Deodorant Stick vs Deodorant Cream 2oz Glass: which is safer?

Deodorant Cream 2oz Glass is the clear pick. Axe Essentials Fresh Shield Deodorant Stick carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.

Axe Essentials Fresh Shield Deodorant Stick

Axe

Essentials Fresh Shield Deodorant Stick

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 47/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

stearic acid, cyclopentasiloxane, talc, fragrance blend

Confidence

45%

PossibleTalc contamination (asbestos risk)

ReportedFragrance allergens and sensitizers

PossibleSkin irritation from cyclopentasiloxane

Our pick

Deodorant Cream 2oz Glass

Puracy

Deodorant Cream 2oz Glass

PFAS grade

Excellent 100/100

Overall grade

Excellent 82/100

Verdict

Buy

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Glass jar; water-based cream formula

Confidence

82%

PossibleFragrance allergens

PossibleFormaldehyde releasers

ReportedGlass container breakage

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Talc contamination (asbestos risk), Fragrance allergens and sensitizers and Skin irritation from cyclopentasiloxane on the Axe and not on the Puracy.
  • We flag Fragrance allergens, Formaldehyde releasers and Glass container breakage on the Puracy and not on the Axe.
  • The Axe is stearic acid, cyclopentasiloxane, talc, fragrance blend where the Puracy is Glass jar; water-based cream formula, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • The gap is 35 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Puracy is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Axe grade, at 45% confidence against 82%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More deodorant: see the full ranking