“We’re making sustainability sexy! Once you see and hold fussy, it will be love at first swipe.”

London-based start-up ‘fussy’ is taking pre-orders for its brand new refillable deodorant, which is “the first to be made entirely from plants, inside and out.”

The company has already garnered more than £56,000 worth of donations and pre-orders via their Kickstarter page, which had an original goal of £4,850. 

With over a thousand people already signed up to financially back their first product and 37 days to go until the kickstarter ends, fussy is set to take the sustainable personal care market by storm. The company is currently in the top 2% of all Kickstarters globally.

What is fussy deodorant?

Everything from the design to the ingredients has been meticulously planned to ensure the fussy brand is “making sustainability sexy”, a term dubbed by fussy co-founder, Eddie Fisher.

“It’s single-use plastic free, and is designed to sit beautifully on any surface, in your hand, in any bag or pocket for that matter. The outer container is made from a corn-based bioplastic which is fully biodegradable at end of life, and the refills are packaged in a pulp made from waste sugarcane, which will just decompose in your garden or the bin,” the fussy team explained. 

“We were also really conscious that it needed to be desirable…it needed to be cool. There’s a real category norm of putting flowers or patterns on environmental products. We were keen to avoid that,” said fussy co-founder, Bethany Fisher.

The new product comes in five colour variations, with more on the way. The colours available for preorder are slate, burnt orange, blush, ocean blue, and mint. The deodorant refills will be delivered monthly and can be inserted into the top of the container while the bottom is used to twist it up. 

The fussy team shared what’s on the inside of their product, as well as how it’s tested: “With clean and vegan ingredients, it’s free from aluminium, parabens, synthetic fragrances and has been tested rigorously on smelly people…never animals. In 97% of cases it was more effective than other leading deodorants.” 

There are four different scents to choose from, all of which are unisex. The brand even included a fragrance-free option in their range “for those that are fresh enough already”. The base ingredients include sunflower wax, shea butter, and coconut oil, among other natural components. fussy’s unique plant-based formula was created “with one of Europe’s leading cosmetics chemists” over an 18-month period.

Matt Kennedy, co-founder of fussy, explained that the use of vegan ingredients wasn’t even a discussion, it was just a given, and they are now awaiting official certification: “We are currently going through accreditation by The Vegan Society, Leaping Bunny and have started the B-Corp process. But good old Covid has delayed all of these as there is a backlog but we hope to announce them all soon!”

Where did the idea for fussy come from?

Bethany explained exactly where the idea for the deodorant range came from: “The idea was born, literally, after having baby Orla. Being pregnant I became more aware of the deodorant I was using on my skin and the negative press around breast feeding with aluminium based deodorants.

“I’ve also always been environmentally minded but again having Orla and being hit by a global pandemic kind of makes you think… What on earth are we doing! I want Orla to see and experience the things I have been able to, the future generations shouldn’t have to pay the price for our mistakes.”

With no options on the market that ticked all the boxes she was looking for, which included being easy to use and actually working like the deodorants she was used to, Bethany and her husband Eddie, along with their friend and now business-partner Matt, decided to take matters into their own hands.

She shared why they decided on utilising the refill method for their product: “A refill just made sense, if we want people to make the more sustainable choice, it needs to be super easy. We see the refill revolution like veganism was a few years back. It just makes so much sense! If refilling was the norm the carbon savings would be in the region of 85%, because you’re not just throwing away less but shipping less and making less.”

What is the fussy mission?

The fussy brand aims to eradicate single-use plastic from personal care products. Deodorants are one of the worst offenders in this area, with 3.2 billion being thrown away each year, making their way to landfills and the ocean. The team quickly realised that in order to make a real difference, they would need as many people as possible to get involved. 

“This meant making a sustainable product that first worked, secondly was easy to use and thirdly was cool. Something people would want to show off and shout about,” Matt explained. 

“Sure there are other sustainable deodorants out there but we are doing it in a way that we believe is more desirable. This we hope will ultimately attract a larger audience, beyond those that are already really committed to making the planet a better place. Less hippy, more hip.

“It also has to be super easy. We can’t expect everyone to use an armpit cream or go to the refill store. That’s why we’ve made it just like an ordinary deodorant to use, just it does an extraordinary thing.”

The brand also hopes to encourage people to be more fussy in their everyday lives when it comes to the sustainability of the products they are purchasing: “People should be aware of the power they have as consumers. Don’t get me wrong, the onus should never be on the consumer. It’s our responsibility as a brand to make sustainable products, but consumers have the power. And so together we’re unstoppable!”

How does fussy help with sustainability?

Matt dove into the various ways that fussy positively impacts the environment: “Sustainability is what fussy is all about. And fussy isn’t just a name. It underpins everything we do. So from looking at our impact across our entire supply chain, assessing the carbon impact of our product, to ensuring our suppliers sign up to ethical working practices, and designing the product so you can use up every last armpit swipe of deodorant.”

He also explained the benefits that come from the sale of just one fussy deodorant: “Not only will every fussy stop at least 250 single-use plastic deodorants from ever being manufactured, but every fussy sold also funds the collection of 1kg of ocean-bound plastic through our partnership with Empower.”

This product is the first of its kind to be composed entirely of plants, inside and out, adding to its overall sustainability. fussy is completely carbon neutral, and supports various renewable energy projects including The GoodShipping Programme, which promotes the use of renewable fuels across the shipping industry. 

Where can fussy deodorant be purchased?

The new sustainable deodorant is available for pre-order now via the fussy Kickstarter page. Regular retail price for a refill is £5 while the container is £10, but the company is currently offering discounts of up to 25% on pre-orders.

• Read: 28 Best Vegan Cruelty Free Perfumes

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