This Entrepreneur Is Restoring Common Sense to Personal Care, Two Armpits at a Time

After successfully selling his liquor e-commerce business for millions, entrepreneur Moiz Ali is finding business opportunity within an unlikely emergent passion.

“I love deodorant,” Ali says. “I’ll go to Target on the weekends and watch how people sniff deodorant and make buying decisions. I’ll ask them right there why they chose the bar they have.”

Call it market research. Ali’s deodorant company Native distinguishes itself from big-boy competitors like Axe, Gillette, and Speed Stick by incorporating all-natural ingredients into its products. Most of the time, the stuff we use to keep our pits under control is made out of a laundry list of hard-to-pronounce, freakishly named chemicals. Some even contain aluminum — literally a neurotoxin.

To hear Ali tell it, the entire personal care category is broken. “How is toothpaste so confusing?” he exclaims. “Should I focus on fresh breath, whitening, or anti-plaque? When I buy body wash, do I want to smell like an Irish garden or a cool wave? Or maybe I want my skin to glow?”

His palpable frustration spelled business opportunity. “I can’t figure out how to make basic purchasing decisions because brands have confused me. We’re going to undo all of that.”

The ingredients list for Native’s men’s and women’s deodorants is plainly listed on the product pages; their components are mostly familiar substances like shea butter or beeswax. It’s a far cry from names like “methylparaben” or “aluminum zirconium,” the impersonal, scary-sounding chemicals that can be found in other deodorants.

By making do without such industrial ingredients, Native’s deodorants won’t leave yellow stains in your t-shirts, and they reduce your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

Why we love it

1. It’s deodorant that works without being a science experiment. It uses natural ingredients like probiotics, baking soda, and arrowroot powder to fight odors and absorb moisture.
2. The company offers free shipping and returns, so there’s no downside to trying it out. If you don’t like your new deodorant, just send it back. They’ll either throw it away for you or make samples out of it.
3. Native is offering The Hustle’s readers 10 percent off of any purchase of $15 or more. Just use the coupon code HUSTLE10.

Ali wants Native’s products to speak for themselves. He roundly identifies Native as “product-driven, not marketing-driven. “Our goal is to make the best deodorant in the world, and our marketing strategy to tell people our goal,” he says.

Is your deodorant passing the smell taste lately?

Buy Native here →