Formulated to be water-resistant, anti-bacterial and provide breathable, long lasting protection, the No Pong Deodorant is designed to be an anti-odourant rather than chemical anti-perspirant and makes a great introduction to natural deodorant. To find out more about what makes No Pong so special, I had a chat to the company's founders, Melanie McVean and Chris Caley.
How is No Pong different to other deodorants?
No Pong is an effective all natural anti-odourant. It is different from other deodorants, firstly, because it works. It lasts all day and then some! Secondly, it is a cream based deodorant; you only need a small amount, but it needs to be rubbed in well. It can take people a little while getting used to applying this way, but honestly, I think it’s a great way to give a little love to your armpit. Thirdly, it is not water based, so it won’t simply wash off when you sweat.
This deodorant is designed to create a water-resistant environment that smelly bacteria can’t survive in. This is the key to its effectiveness. Lastly, No Pong is affordable. We believe that great natural products should be available to everyone. We have designed our business with this as one of our key values and we will always strive to keep our products as affordable as possible.
Melanie, your background is in women’s health. How did that help you in developing this product?
I was actually making a very basic version of the product for myself for about a year before we launched No Pong. I think it is important to pay attention to what we put in and on our body, so several years ago started making my own creams, lotions and yes, deodorant. This is how No Pong came about.
Do you remember the moment the idea for No Pong came to you?
I was making my own cosmetics and had a simpler version of No Pong for myself. Chris and I were on a surfing trip in the tropics and using this deodorant. Chris, being somewhat of a sceptic, literally wore the same shirt for 3 days and didn’t smell at all. Just to be clear, we don’t recommend wearing the same clothes for 3 days straight! However, we were in a remote destination with no laundry services, and ’running" water was probably an optimistic way to describe the situation, as it was more like a feeble dribble.
On the 3rd day, we realised how good this stuff actually was! It was this moment that we knew we were on to something and No Pong was born. Necessity as they say is often the mother of invention, and having extremely limited water on that trip was one of the key things that tipped No Pong from being one of my personal products to a fast growing Aussie brand today.
Why is the formula in a paste form and not a roll on? Is it more effective this way?
We designed No Pong as a cream-based paste because this was the form that our ingredients were the most effective in. It can need a bit of getting used to for some people, but as you only need to apply it once a day, most people just add it to their morning routine as they would putting on face moisturiser or brushing their teeth. As someone who works in women’s health, I think it is extremely important to be in tune and comfortable with your body and putting deodorant in this way is a great way to give your armpits a quick daily check as well.
Are there any other products you are hoping to launch under the NO PONG name?
We actually just launched a new No Pong Bicarb Free, Low Fragrance anti-odourant which [which is now available from Nourished Life]. We’re really quite excited about it and have had some really great reviews from our wonderful customers! We don’t have any other products on the pipeline right now, and as a small, but fast growing business, we’re just trying to do one thing really well, and that is, making awesome deodorant!
