Mando is a deodorant brand that advertises 72 hour odor control. It's primarily marketed to men, and the brand describes their product line as "Skin Safe and Science Based."

But does Mando deodorant contain research-backed ingredients for odor control? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's honest experience trying it for a month? And is Mando better or worse than other "natural" deodorant brands like Native?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Mando deodorant to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for odor-blocking, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also feature our Product Tester's experience purchasing and testing this product for a month, share our concerns about the brand's efficacy claims, and compare Mando to other popular deodorant brands to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Questionable clinical claims
• Contains one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Mando Deodorant

We Tested Mando for a Month

One of our Product Testers named Joshua Martinez tested the Clover Woods scent of Mando deodorant for a month straight. 

Here's his experience:

The product experience is nothing out of the norm for a deodorant product. I liked the bright orange aesthetic of the bottle.

The product has a nice, earthy scent to it, but the odor-blocking effects did not last long. I found myself applying it multiple times a day even though it is advertised as lasting 72 hours. 

I noticed that application left a thick layer on my skin, which felt uncomfortable when setting my arm down.

I personally don’t like using aluminum-free deodorants even though some say there is an ‘adjustment’ phase. This type of deodorant never seems to last more than a few hours for me, depending on the day. 

I didn't notice any side effects, other than the minor "layering" issue described above.

Overall, I would not purchase Mando Deodorant again, and I rate it 3/10.

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in the Clover Woods scent of Mando are shown below:

image source: https://shopmando.com/

Corn starch was shown in a medical review to be an effective cleansing ingredient, but we can't find any evidence that it provides odor-blocking effects.

Ozokerite was shown to be carcinogenic in an animal study, but the study involved ingestion (at low levels) rather than topical use.

We can't find any clinical evidence that this ingredient is odor-blocking.

Maranta Arundinacea root powder is a natural deodorizer that we consider to be safe and effective, as we discussed in our Curie deodorant review article.

Mandelic acid was shown to have anti-bacterial effects in a medical review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, which suggests that it may be effective against armpit odor.

Fragrance was studied in a medical review published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal, and the study authors concluded that fragranced consumer products can "impose serious risks to human health."

For this reason, we recommend the Unscented version for any consumers considering Mando Deodorant.

Overall, we consider Mando Deodorant to be potentially effective for odor-blocking, and we consider the Unscented version to be significantly healthier than the average drug store deodorant.

However, we have no idea where the brand gets its "72 Hour Odor Control" claim from, because this product doesn't appear to have been clinically tested and proven to have that effect.

Mando vs. Popular Deodorant Brands

Here's how Mando Deodorant compares to other popular "natural" deodorant brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Native Deodorant

Fragrance-free, and contains a probiotic that's clinically shown to block odor.

No unhealthy additives at all.

Winner: Native Deodorant

Humble Deodorant

Very similar product to Mando deodorant: contains fragrance and website has questionable claims, as we documented in our Humble Deodorant review article.

Mando has one more active ingredient we consider effective, so it gets the edge from a potential efficacy perspective.

Winner: Mando Deodorant

Wild Deodorant

Contains fragrance, and fewer active ingredients with research backing than Mando.

Winner: Mando Deodorant

Our Clean Deodorant Pick

Native Unscented Deodorant is our top clean deodorant pick.

This deodorant contains the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus which was shown in clinical research to reduce odor and normalize bacteria levels when applied topically.

It also contains coconut oil which is another natural antibacterial and antifungal ingredient.

Most importantly, this deodorant is entirely free of questionable additive ingredients like fragrance.

Mando Deodorant Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Contains some research-backed active ingredients
• Offers fragrance-free version
• Our Product Tester didn't notice any serious side effects
  
• Our Product Tester experienced some odor-blocking

Cons:

• Questionable "72 hour" odor-blocking claims
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
• Scented versions contain fragrance
  
• Our Product Tester only experienced odor-blocking for a few hours post-application
• Brand's website charges for shipping

Conclusion

The unscented version of Mando deodorant is healthier than the average drugstore deodorant in our opinion.

This deodorant contains some research-backed active ingredients, and may be effective for odor-blocking.

Our Product Tester claimed that Mando deodorant had odor-blocking effects, but that those effects were limited in duration, and that the product was slightly "heavy" and uncomfortable on his skin.

However, we don't understand how the brand is making specific claims about "72 hour odor-blocking" if the product hasn't been clinically tested.

For consumers planning to purchase Mando deodorant, we recommend the Unscented version, because the scented versions contain fragrance, which may be harmful to human health.

We consider Mando Deodorant to be better-formulated than Humble Deodorant and Wild Deodorant, but to be an inferior option to Native Deodorant.