Here at Pit Liquor, we’re passionate about putting purposeful ingredients to work…. specifically, to make our pits a better place!

This was one of the major reasons we created Pit Liquor after all – we were sick of suffering from the lack of truly natural deodorant options on the market.

When I set out to work for Pit Liquor, I was on a mission. 

This mission, however, wasn’t just to get any old job. I was looking for something that challenged my creativity, enhanced my life, and brought out my passion for health and wellness.

Little did I know Pit Liquor would be that something for me. 

You’ve made the switch to Pit Liquor, and you’re feeling good about doing better for your pits after ditching the aluminum and baking soda filled antiperspirants. 

So now you might be wondering, what other products do we use on a daily basis that do more harm than good? What brands are legit? How do you see through greenwashing? 

Pit Liquor doesn’t just look luxurious on your dresser, it’s sophisticated because of what’s inside, too. Every ingredient in your bottle of Pit Liquor plays an important role. They all work seamlessly together to keep you smelling good while keeping your skin nourished. We don’t use any filler ingredients—everything in Pit Liquor is there because it serves a purpose and is incredibly effective at what it does.

One ingredient that makes Pit Liquor especially luxurious is sea buckthorn–something that you usually find in high end skincare serums + moisturizers. It’s the ultimate hydrating oil and it’s jam packed with antioxidants. Not everyone knows about its wonders so we’re here to unpack all there is to know about one of our hero ingredients. 

WHERE IS IT DERIVED?

Despite the name, sea buckthorn doesn’t come from the sea. Rather, it’s a kind of berry that grows on thorny shrubs in Europe and Asia. It has been found that sea buckthorn plant berries carry ten times more Vitamin C than an orange and they’re the third highest source of Vitamin E among plants. So basically sea buckthorn oil is the glow-maker of your wildest dreams.

THE ULTIMATE MOISTURIZER

The skin under your pits is sensitive so it must be nurtured. Sea buckthorn has the ability to moisturize skin while also regulating oil, keeping skin uber hydrated. It mimics your body’s natural chemistry because it contains linoleic acid, which is found naturally in sebum. The body produces a sticky oily substance called sebum in order to keep the skin moisturized. Linoleic acid also prevents moisture loss by helping to maintain skin’s lipid barrier.

Thanks to essential fatty acids like Omega 3, sea buckthorn helps your skin in building a defense against environmental stress while also fueling the skin with nutrient-rich moisture that boosts cell generation for healthy skin. 

AN ANTIBACTERIAL + ANTIOXIDANT POWERHOUSE

Sea Buckthorn carries on the work of the overproof spirits in Pit Liquor by working to get rid of unwanted bacteria. It has anti-bacterial, anti-actinic, and anti-psoriatic properties making it an absolute nightmare for BO. 

Antioxidants reign supreme in Sea Buckthorn. It contains more Vitamin E than any other oil and it reduces your skin’s inflammatory response so say goodbye to any irritation or redness in your pits!

Sea buckthorn contains Beta-Carotene and essential fatty acids like Omega 3 that guard against dry, red or itchy skin. These key antioxidants provide skin hydration and smooth skin. 

We think this luxurious oil is a deodorant essential. Your pits deserve Sea Buckthorn! The good news is that you’ll find it in every bottle of Pit Liquor. 

Hello Friend,

Thank you for loving Pit Liquor as much as I do! My goal is to introduce everyone on the planet to a better way of doing deodorant and I’m so glad to have you on board. I couldn’t be more excited that you found a non-toxic and natural deodorant that works for you! Isn’t it a complete game changer? It has been for me.

How We Came to Be

As the cofounder of Pit Liquor, I wanted to tell you a little about why this weird wild deodorant company is everything to me. While I was pregnant with my first baby, I almost gave up on deodorant! It was important to both me and my husband, Jason, that I use something natural, but all the options were terrible. Jason happens to be a materials scientist, so he got to work! We got our start as a company through social sharing on Facebook. I gave away bottles of free Pit Liquor during my baby's naps and we found a fanatical following. The company quickly grew to be larger than I could manage on my own and I hired a team.

My dear aunt was, at that time, battling breast cancer. Her doctors told her to stop using deodorant altogether since it's unregulated and even safe options aren't that safe. She endured her chemo journey with Pit Liquor by her side. It’s incredible stories like this that have always kept me going. 

Pit Liquor = Liberation

I’m so excited to have you with us at the start of this armpit revolution! Pit Liquor is freeing people from their bad relationships (with deodorant). No more greasy, sticky, awful sticks. No more rashes from irritating “natural” ingredients. We created a new way to do deodorant.

Like you, we’re sick of the beauty + wellness industry’s incredibly low standards. We’re sick of recalls. We’re sick of watching personal care companies put the bottom line first. Did you know the FDA actually gave big deodorant companies permission to put benzene in their products during the pandemic because regular ingredients became hard to find? Benzene is what they use in bombs.

At Pit Liquor we clearly state our ethics and staunchly hold that line. Not only do we source top of the line natural ingredients, but we value sustainability. As a company, we see that our actions have larger ripples because of the scale of our impact. All Pit Liquor bottles, from rollers to sprays to refills, are glass bottles. We strive for sustainability from start to finish, including the packaging. We ship our bottles in fully recyclable packages so you aren't throwing a single piece in the trash to rot in a landfill forever.

For every bottle of Pit Liquor you purchase, you’re choosing a better way. It is our honor to keep empowering you throughout your journey. Working with you enables us to maintain genuine connection with customers as we grow. We don’t like to do things like everyone else.

A Giveaway to Celebrate Small Biz Saturday

Join us as we celebrate Small Business Saturday with an amazing GIVEAWAY! I’m giving away a set of our new National Parks Trio so you can try it yourself or give it as the perfect gift. It’s my absolute favorite bundle of scents to date! But HURRY this giveaway ends at 6pm MST TODAY. Head on over to our Instagram page for details on how to enter. 

Thanks for being with us on this journey. We appreciate you so much.

All the best,

Erica Feucht, Pit Liquor Cofounder

If you haven’t tried out our new Limited Edition Palo Santo + Clary Sage, you need to! The reviews are in and it’s unanimously fantastic. We chose Palo Santo because of its antibacterial, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that make this scent an extra-strength BO buster with staying power. Not to mention its power to purify living spaces, soothe frayed nerves, and delight the senses. 

We made sure to source it ethically and sustainably, thanks to our amazing Palo Santo supplier, Sacred Wood Essence. As with all things that come from other cultures, it’s important to treat Palo Santo with respect. Our Palo Santo is sourced from a community that benefits from the business of exporting, takes care of their forests, and is happy to see Palo Santo be enjoyed around the world. 

How We're Ethically Sourcing Palo Santo

Is it okay to use Palo Santo? For generations it’s been used by Indigenous Shamans and Healers as a holy way to dispel evil spirits and cleanse negative energy. Palo Santo, translated to “Holy Wood,” originates from Indigenous peoples in Central and South America. It’s known for its presence in traditions and ceremonies as a powerful way to cleanse, clear, and protect. 

While this is one of the many incredible ways Palo Santo is used, it isn’t the only one. For example, In Ecuador it’s an integral part of everyday life. Since Palo Santo is rich in limonene, it has strong antimicrobial properties so people will use it to ward off biting insects or kill viruses. Us? We added it to our Pit Liquor formula so it can kill the bacteria in your pits. 

Because it is used by Indigenous communities for both sacred work and practical applications, Palo Santo can be appreciated by many people in many contexts. We never want to disrespect the traditional ways in which a plant is used. That’s why sourcing Palo Santo ethically is perhaps one of the best ways to honor it. 

We chose our exclusive supplier Sacred Wood Essences because they have a single-source supply and they maintain a longstanding close relationship with their collectors in Sancán, a coastal town in Ecuador.

Sacred Essence employs locals to collect and process the wood right at the source. The indigenous people working are happy to share this plant medicine with the world because they rely heavily on their Palo Santo harvesting skills to make a living. The wood isn’t used in any specific religion or tradition. We love this partnership because we’re directly helping create local abundance in that community while delivering you an incredible and effective natural deodorant. 

How We’re Sustainably Harvesting Palo Santo

Ethically sourcing the Palo Santo is one piece of the puzzle but It’s equally important that we’re sustainably harvesting Palo Santo. Sacred Essence never cuts down Palo Santo trees, which is actually illegal under Ecuador’s strict conservation laws. After strong annual storms knock Palo Santo trees down, the fallen wood must remain on the forest floor for up to a decade to allow the aromatic resins to develop and cure. Great things take time and Palo Santo is worth waiting for. 

The icing on the cake is that when a Palo Santo tree falls in the Ecuadorian coastal forest, Sacred Essence just plants more. We’re proud to partner with them to bring you one of our best Limited Editions yet. It’s fresh like a forest, with citrus and green undertones, while Clary Sage adds a subtly floral herbal note. Grab yours now while you still can!

For more information on this sustainably harvested wood, check out these videos from our partners at Sacred Wood Essence:

Can your deodorant really cause cancer? Research says the answer is yes. You may remember that we published a blog on the dangers of benzene back in 2021. Since then, the research and evidence against benzene has grown exponentially. You may want to take a seat because the statistics are quite staggering.

Benzene infiltrates more of the beauty and cosmetics industry than almost any other toxin. After confirming its presence in sunscreens and hand sanitizers, researchers noted that over half of the 108 antiperspirants and deodorants it analyzed showed signs of benzene contamination. That’s practically the entire deodorant aisle at the supermarket!

If you think a little bit of Benzene isn’t a big deal, think again. Benzene is a toxic "class 1 solvent" known to trigger life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma. Due to its carcinogenic nature, it has no place in personal care products, and the maximum safety limit for people working with benzene  is 0.1 to 1.0 parts per million (ppm). 

Out of the 59 contaminated deodorants and antiperspirants tested by independent lab Valisure:

• 24 products had benzene levels between 2.24 – 17.7 ppm 
• 14 products registered benzene between 0.20 – 18.89 ppm.
• 21 products showed detectable traces of benzene.

So it not only poses a life-threatening risk to someone using it on their body, but also to anyone handling it in the production process. You’re probably wondering why deodorant manufacturers would choose to use something so toxic in their products. The issue is that it’s not actually an ingredient, it’s likely a result of contamination. Benzene can get into products as a byproduct of the petroleum-based propellants (propane, butane, isobutane) used in aerosol sprays. 

Make sure to proceed with caution

Since petroleum-based propellants in aerosol sprays were indicated as the probable source of benzene contamination, avoiding products that include such substances makes perfect sense. Reading product labels is always encouraged so you know exactly what you’re using. 

What other toxic ingredients should you avoid in deodorants?

As staples of personal hygiene, deodorants and antiperspirants are essential products that we rely on to stay clean  and free of BO. It’s alarming that health specialists have noted several other commonly used chemicals in deodorants that can trigger adverse effects (multiple cancers, neurotoxicity, hormonal disruptions, organ damage, and reproductive issues). 

This  list consists of:

• Aluminum
• Propylene Glycol
• Triclosan 
• Parabens
• Silica 
• Phthalates
• Diethanolamine
• Triethanolamine

Benzene-free alternatives aren't hard to come by

Faced with so many health hazards only one spritz away, it's unsurprising that people have been taking heed of the risks they may be exposed to and increasingly seeking out non-toxic alternatives. If you’re feeling hopeless after all of these Benzene facts, don’t fret just yet! What you’re feeling right now is why we created Pit Liquor. Our greatest goal is that you would stay fresh without coming into contact with harmful chemicals.

Natural Deodorants like Pit Liquor are a safe, effective alternative

Given that chemicals lie at the heart of the issue, one sure way to avoid exposure is to choose deodorants that rely on natural ingredients. Instead of life-threatening Benzene, Pit Liquor deodorants are based on overproof spirits like whiskey and vodka that eliminate the bacteria responsible for bad BO. The arrowroot powder and organic tea extracts (Greek Mountain Tea, Sea Buckthorn, Umckaloabo, Elderflower, Gotu Kola) included in our deodorants keep the underarms dry and unwelcoming for bacterial growth. Meanwhile, the essential oils keep you smelling amazing.

the Benzene Deodorant Replacement Campaign

We’re proud to let you know that we’re participating in the Benzene Deodorant Replacement Initiative, launched by Environmental Litigation Group PC, a law firm specializing in toxic exposure. The program seeks to replace benzene-contaminated deodorants with safe substitutes sourced from ethically responsible manufacturers whose offerings are free of hazardous chemicals. 

Logos, scents, and formulations may change, but one thing always stays the same: our commitment to quality and safety. Our vetting process for ingredients remains as strict as always. We use 100% pure essential oils. And we test on our CEO—not animals.