FAQ

First of all, we would like to tell you what is not in nuud. nuud has no aluminium, no parabens and no irritating salts. Neither does it have any animal-derived ingredients, so nuud is 100% Vegan! Anything from the petrochemical industry? Not welcome. Neither do we have room for propellants, alcohol, colourings and fragrances.

We only allow for 100% innocent ingredients. But those ingredients do have to ensure that nuud is the most effective deodorant in the world...

So, what is in nuud?

nuud only has 10 ingredients. The most important one is micro silver, which naturally prevents the smell of perspiration, without blocking the pores or irritating the skin. In addition, we use certified, natural ingredients such as coconut oil, carnauba palm wax and almond oil, to keep the micro silver in place. This is what makes nuud so extremely nuud. Simple.

We care about silver so you don’t have to. This is the top line low down: Silver in consumer products can be categorized by form and size. The form can be pure elementary silver (metallic) or silver dissolved in fluid (colloidal silver). The size can be teeny tiny particles (nano) or particles that are a thousand times larger (micro). 

We know about the effects of metallic silver because we’ve used it for years in things like cutlery or jewelry. People have been wearing silver close or next to their skin for decades at a time during a lifetime. So, we’re all good there in terms of understanding the effects.We know it to be harmless.

The problem is when these particles are so teeny (the nano silver we were telling you about) they can get into the skin - the effects of this are unknown. The same goes for colloidal silver; when silver is dissolved in fluid its characteristics change and its safety is no longer something we know enough about. 

Aside from safety with respect to our bodies, there’s the environmental elephant in the room. Nano silver particles and dissolved silver particles slip through the filters at water purification plants because they’re so teeny weeny - they end up in the irrigation waters. Also far from cool!

So, why on earth would we use nano or colloidal silver? The answer is purely cost. By making the particles smaller or dissolving them in fluid, the effectiveness increases, hence less silver is needed for the same effect and the price drops. In nuud there is neither nano silver nor colloidal silver, in nuud there is only 100% metallic micro silver. Like we said, we care – so you don’t have to.

Most of the world’s plastic is derived from petroleum. All of this plastic adds to the large footprint the petroleum industry burdens the climate and environment with. There is another way though. Plastic can be made from soy, grass or corn. Bettering any of these sources – plastic can be made from sugarcane. Thanks to sugarcane’s high density, only a small area of farmland is required to grow it. In addition, the water and fertilizer needed for growing are natural; just the rainwater and waste material of the sugarcane production itself. The resulting impact on the ecosystem is minimal. {Feel free to cheer or do a little dance here – we did!]

On top of this, petroleum based plastic emits CO2. We know - yuck! Whereas the production of plant-based plastic reduces CO2, because plants absorb CO2 while growing. The numbers are brag-worthy! For each kg of sugarcane produced, 4kg of CO2 is absorbed. The annual production of 200.000 tons of sugarcane absorbs the annual emissions of almost one million cars. We know – the new normal! Bragging over!

Certain forms of silver can lead to bacterial resistance. That’s why we’ve opted for pure metallic silver which works in a different way. nuud’s silver ions bind to negatively charged parts in proteins. These parts are essential to the life-supporting functions of the cells. By inactivation of these life-supporting functions the bacterial cells break down and die. In order to become resistant to silver, bacteria would need to remove all negative charges, which would lead to self-destruction of the cell.

So, we made nuud’s lid out of regular plastic. We tried (non-stop research, sleepless nights, tears and tantrums)  to design a sugarcane lid. But no matter how hard we tried, the lid would crumble with the tiniest fraction of force. We’ll keep on it though – we’re on top of all the latest development in the bioplastics field, and as soon as there's a promising invention, we'll be the first in line to give a go!

nuud is not a deodorant, but apreodorant – a regular deodorant disguises the odour of perspiration, whereas nuud preventsthis smell altogether. With nuud, smell does not stand a chance, because the bacteria, responsible for the smell, are inhibited naturally. In an antiperspirant the active component (aluminium) closes off the pores, and in combination with fragrances, the smell is masked, instead of prevented.

nuud works for days, after just one application - Because nuud is different, and therefore works for longer than a regular deodorant, you need a lot less of it. Micro silver structurally reduces the bacteria population, which means the smell of perspiration cannot occur. nuud works for a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 7 days. In addition to the ease of not having to put on deodorant as often, it also has the important benefit in that it is better for your skin because it is left more at ease.

nuud is applied directly on your skin - Rubbed on instead of rolled or sprayed. The cream, the micro silver carrier, transports the effective components to the right spot and keeps them in place. The cream does not only guarantee its effectiveness, but it is also very gentle on your skin and does not cause any irritations. This is why we chose this particular carrier of the effective components, instead of a roll-on or spray. And, because it does not dissolve in water, you can shower, work-out or do whatever you want, without reducing its effectiveness.

nuud is odourless – Instead of smelling of your deodorant’s fragrance, nuud allows you to smell like yourself. nuud contains no perfume, this way you can decide whether you want to smell of nothing, or of your favourite perfume or aftershave! Some people need some time getting used to this, especially if you’re so used to always smelling of your regular deodorant spray...

nuud really does not leave any stains on your clothes – nuud contains no ingredients that discolour your clothes and make them unusable. No more shirts with yellow armpits stains! (An added advantage: nuud is actually saving you money! ;-))

nuud is many times more concentrated than a regular deodorant; you need about fifteen times less. Which means that fifteen times less of it needs to be produced, fifteen times less of it needs to be transported and fifteen times less packaging material will be thrown away. Therefore, nuud has a less of an impact on the environment. Did you know, for instance, that about 8 billion bottles of deodorant end up in the bin per year, in Europe and USA alone?

We believe that products you apply to your body daily, should never harm your health or the world around us, and therefore nuud only contains ingredients and packaging materials that are as harmless and innocent as possible.

The active component used in nuud is micro silver. This is a natural (certified) ingredient that inhibits the growth of bacteria responsible for the sweaty smell. And without naming them one by one, all other nuud ingredients are just as indispensable as the micro silver. Do you want to know exactly what can be found in nuud, click here.

Because nuud is so much more concentrated, you need a lot less of it, less needs to be shipped and we need less packaging materials. In addition, our packaging is also as harmless as possible. We have chosen for a tube made out of sugarcane and a little box made out of unbleached FSC cardboard, and we ship nuud climate neutral.

And, where possible, we will always happily work towards any solutions making nuud even more harmless and innocent!

To understand how nuud works, you first have to understand what causes the smell of perspiration. You have sweat glands all over your body (eccrine glands). During puberty you get an extra set of glands; apocrine glands. These apocrine glands are formed specifically in your armpits and groin area. When you perspire, both the eccrine and the apocrine glands secrete odourless fluids. However, bacteria change the fluids which are secreted from the apocrine glands into butyric acid. And these butyric acids are the cause for the characteristically ‘smelly sweat’.

The active components of an antiperspirant block the skin pores as much as possible, however, it can never stop your sweat glands from secreting 100% of the fluids, meaning that you will still be producing a sweaty smell. To disguise this smell, many fragrances are added. Which often results in a body odour that is a mix of sweat and cheap perfume. In addition, because the active component disappears very quickly, you often have to reapply your deodorant multiple times a day.

nuud thinks this approach is illogical and obsolete. nuud chooses to use micro silver, which attacks the bacteria responsible for the smelly sweat in a natural and long-term way. No bacteria, no smell. Simple. Not everyone is the same and one person might start developing bacteria again quicker than others, but based on the experiences of thousands of customers, we can safely say that most people only have to apply nuud twice a week, and for some, only once a week suffices!

Yes, nuud works for everybody. Men, women, young and old. Everyone perspires and develops some sort of perspiration smell from puberty.

You have to understand that you don’t just have one type of bacteria on your body; the diversity of bacteria can be compared to the diversity of plants and animals in a tropical rainforest. This tropical rainforest of bacteria is called ‘a microbiome’. And just like in the rainforest, sometimes there is more of one type of plant, and other times more of another. There are a couple of types of bacteria that specifically cause the smell of sweat, while others do not cause a smell at all. In some people the ‘non-smell’ bacteria even overpower the ‘smelly’ bacteria. These lucky people do not need any deodorant at all.

In addition to the microbiome, the number of apocrine glands is of importance as well. Eccrine sweat glands can be found all over your body, but during puberty you develop apocrine sweat glands, in particular in your armpits. The fluids secreted from these glands causes, together with the ‘smelly’ bacteria, your perspiration smell. If, despite using nuud, the ‘smelly bacteria’ still keep the upper hand for you, then nuud will most likely not work as well for you. If nuud does attack these bacteria for you, then applying nuud once a week should be sufficient.

Your personal microbiome is just as hard to predict as the rainforest, but luckily, for most of us, nuud stays effective for several days. The feedback from thousands of customers teaches us that for most people it is enough to apply nuud twice a week, and for some people even once a week suffices. Only rarely does nuud not work: in this case, the micro silver has not been able to lower the amount of ‘smelly bacteria’ in relation to all other bacteria.

Because nuud contains no salts, there is no accumulation of these salts in your clothes causing discolouration and ruining your shirts.

nuud is a cream with an oil base, comparable to waterproof suntan lotion. Because it does not dissolve in water, you can shower, exercise or do whatever you want, without nuud’s effectiveness diminishing.

After four years of producing nuud and making armpits happy everywhere in the world, we incidentally hear that after using nuud lumps/bumps/pimples emerge. So the question is: does nuud cause those lumps, bumps and pimples and if so, how? 

Armpit lumps are very common (here you find a good article on it from Medical News Today: https://bit.ly/2U8IJuA) and as you can read most of them are harmless and are only partially caused by deodorant usage. There are many reasons for how they can develop (which can happen because of nuud, but is still quite rare after 4 years and over 1.000.000 happy armpits). Nuud has an all-natural formula and contains no nano particles, so nothing enters your body. Good thing to know of course. Nuud doesn’t interfere with your body or your lymphatic system.

We have been working together with a dermatologist very closely during all stages of developing nuud, and we've found that there could be a few reasons why skin reacts this way. Some are because of using an oil based cream or substance, like nuud, while others are of an external reason, or a combination of the two. It's worth noting that lumps or cysts are most often formed near sebaceous glands or hair follicles, and not in the sweat glands.

First off, due to nuud's all natural formula with only pure oils, there's an increased chance of people experiencing an allergic reaction to it, as full refining basically takes out any natural present impurities. An allergic reaction however usually manifests itself in red and irritated skin, not in lumps. Do you have any known allergies? Please check out our ingredients.

The oils in nuud can also lead to other skin reactions though, if applied too often or in too large quantities, but also if your skin produces more oils by itself than usual. An overly oily skin cannot breathe properly, which could increase the chances of developing lumps. To be certain the oils in nuud can’t be the cause of lumps, make sure not to apply too much and too often. An interval of three days or more would be perfect.

Secondly, the most common external reason for developing lumps under the armpits is shaving, as shaving can irritate the skin as a whole, but more importantly the hair follicles. Shaving with absolute clean and, well, razor sharp razors can help a bit, but there's always a risk of irritated hair follicles causing some lumps.

Thirdly, and lastly, and also the least satisfying reason for lumps to appear under your pits is that it happens randomly. Your body could have started to secrete a bit more oils than usual, causing lumps and due to dozens of possible reasons, or maybe even none at all.

But to know a little bit more about those lumps, we have to take a closer look at our lymphatic system. To start of, the lymphatic system is a circuit made up of lymph vessels, lymph fluid and lymph nodes. Lymph vessels capture lymph fluid from tissues and organs and leads that to the lymph nodes. The function of lymph nodes is to transpose anything that does not belong in your body. They are made up of white blood cells, also known as immune cells. They filter out damaged cells, germs and foreign substances present in the lymph fluid.
Our body possesses many lymph nodes. As mentioned, they filter fluids routed by the vessels connected to them. Each one has a name depending on the location. The ones in the armpit are called axillary lymph nodes and there are about 40 in this region. They transpose fluid from the breast, thorax, arms and the upper abdominal region. 

As said before: nuud does not contain nanoparticles. It simply clings on to the surface of the outer layers of your skin and fights body odour causing bacteria. As it does not enter your skin, it will not interfere with the inner workings of your body. If you are allergic to any ingredient in nuud (or use way too much nuud and have a over-oily skin), you may experience irritation. You can rule out allergic reactions by doing a patch test before putting the deodorant to full use. Apply a pea-sized portion to the inner fold of your elbow and observe for 24-hours. If irritation occurs, do not start using it and inform us accordingly so we can assist you further. 

Cysts and abscesses under the skin in your armpit can cause lumps. The following are some of the most common armpit conditions armpit lumps can be caused by: 

- Staphylococcus infection (it’s caused by close skin contact and the transfer of bacteria) resulting in pus collecting in the armpit.

- When hair follicles get infected they could result in boils/pimples (caused for example by shaving)

- Benign lipoma (a fatty lump that's most often situated between your skin and the underlying muscle layer)

- Allergic or contact dermatitis.

- Autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis.

- Allergic reactions to deodorant, antiperspirant, or soap

- Yeast infection.

(Source: Medical News Today, 2020)

Let's assume right now though it's either shaving or an excess of oils, due to applying nuud. Either way you'd want to give your armpits some rest to completely heal (so no applying nuud or any fatty substance or shaving). If this takes longer than two weeks, or there's no relieve at all, please contact your general practitioner. If the lumps disappear and you're still willing to give nuud a go, you can start applying it again, with an interval of at least three days. If the lumps practically immediately return it's safe to say that it's in one way or another due to nuud. In that case I'm afraid it's just bad luck, and you're one of the few for whom an oil based deodorant won't work. In that case we really hope that you'll find a good alternative quickly!