MINT’s 2.5-Year Launch Journey
THE JOURNEY
“The goal was never a deodorant that worked only on an easy day.”
Every long journey has a lot of quiet moments like this one.
It took 2.5 years to launch MINT. It took nearly 10 rounds of sample formulations, too.
There was no dramatic overnight breakthrough. We tried an ingredient combination, tested it on our beloved (and patient!) friends and family, learned what was off, and tried again. Which is a less glamorous story, but a more useful one.
Nearly 10 rounds, for a reason
Some early samples were way too strong. They had too much active ingredient, which raised the risk of irritation.
Others went too far the other direction: they were not strong enough to perform. We tested different ingredient combinations along the way, looking for the balance that made sense in a baking-soda-based natural stick deodorant.
We also fiddled with other variables: Does the stick stay in its original shape when it gets really hot? Does it leave a residue when you apply it?
That is the part of product development that is hard to summarize neatly. Every change asks the same annoying question: is this actually better, or just different?
We tested it where deodorant gets tested
A formula can seem fine in comfortable, low-sweat conditions. That was not going to be the standard for MINT.
So we tested it in genuinely demanding situations around the world: surfing in Panama in 100% humidity; playing golf in Las Vegas on a 106-degree afternoon; and long days wandering the streets of Seoul, South Korea, in summer heat.
Not exactly a controlled laboratory setting. But a much more honest one.
Why it took 2.5 years
The throughline was simple: We were not satisfied with a formula that only worked when nothing much was happening.
Deodorant gets tested when the day is hot, active, humid, and long. MINT had to be developed with those situations in mind — not just the comfortable days when almost anything can look good.
Not every step of a long process is glamorous. Most of them just require showing up.
Still have questions?
We’ve covered irritation, ingredients, and everything else people ask us most often over on our FAQ page. And if you’re curious about exactly what’s in the stick and why, the Ingredients page breaks it down.