bodi and Wild are both refillable, aluminium-free stick deodorants with 40g compostable refills. Wild is cheaper per refill in New Zealand ($9.49 to $9.99 against $11.70 on subscription) and you can pick it up at the chemist today. bodi is made in New Zealand, bicarb-free in every scent, with a $15 case and a two-button swap. If baking soda has ever given you a rash, bodi. If you want the cheapest refill on a shelf, Wild.
We make bodi, so read this knowing that. A comparison that only lists the ways we win isn't worth your time, and it isn't the kind anyone trusts, so this one includes the bits where Wild is simply the better buy.
Prices are what we found at Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths and happybodi.com on 16 October 2026. Where to buy Wild in NZ and what it costs has the retail detail if that's all you need.
Side by side
| Wild | bodi | |
|---|---|---|
| Made in | UK. Owned by Unilever since 2025. | New Zealand, by the two of us who started it. |
| Case | Aluminium, lots of colours, twist mechanism. $25.99 to $27.99 with the first refill. | Soft-touch recycled plastic, three colours, two release buttons. $15. |
| Refill | 40g bamboo pulp pod. $9.49 at Chemist Warehouse, $9.99 at Woolworths. | 40g paper pod. $18 one-off, $11.70 on Subscribe & Save. |
| Baking soda | Yes, in the formula sold in NZ. A bicarb-free Sensitive range exists in the UK. | None, in any scent. |
| Odour actives | Sodium bicarbonate, triethyl citrate, magnesium hydroxide, zinc ricinoleate. | Magnesium hydroxide, triethyl citrate, zinc ricinoleate. |
| Moisture | Tapioca starch. | Tapioca starch. |
| Scents in NZ | Four on the shelf. More online. | Six, plus Unscented. |
| Where to buy | Chemist Warehouse, Woolworths. The Australian store ships here for A$7.99. | happybodi.com. $5.50 shipping anywhere in NZ, free over $100. |
| Subscription | Through the Australian store, in Australian dollars. Not through NZ retail. | 35% off, three refills a quarter, skip, swap or cancel from your account. |
| Track record | Since 2020. More than 100,000 Trustpilot reviews averaging 4.5. | Launched September 2026. |
The formula
This surprised us when we read the ingredient list on the Chemist Warehouse product page. Three of Wild's odour actives are the same three we use: triethyl citrate, magnesium hydroxide and zinc ricinoleate. Both of us use tapioca starch for moisture. On paper, the two formulas have more in common than either brand's marketing would suggest.
Wild adds baking soda. We leave it out.
Sodium bicarbonate is fourth on Wild's ingredient list. It's a capable odour active and it's also the usual reason natural deodorant gives people a red, itchy underarm: it sits at about pH 8 to 9 against skin that sits at about pH 5. Wild fixed this in the UK with a separate Sensitive range. We couldn't find that range on NZ shelves when we looked.
bodi has no bicarb in any scent, so the gentle version is the only version. Magnesium hydroxide does a similar odour job without the pH spike. The full explanation is here.
Wild says its formula is 98% natural origin and protects for 24 hours. Our active base is 100% natural, and some of our scents use safe, tested synthetic fragrance, which we say out loud because it's why they smell like perfume rather than eucalyptus. We don't make duration claims in our own voice. Our actives are included at clinically tested levels, and the rest is for your afternoon to judge.
The case
Wild's case is the better looking object. Aluminium, cool to the touch, in more colours and patterns than we make. It's the deodorant people photograph and the one they give as a gift. If that matters to you, it matters, and we won't pretend otherwise.
Ours is soft-touch recycled plastic in blue, green or purple, built to outlast the rest of your bathroom. Where it wins is the swap. Wild's refill goes in by twisting the case all the way down, pulling off the base and pushing the body back over a new pod. The complaint that turns up most in Wild reviews is that twist jamming or a pod sticking part way, and Wild's help centre has a page on it. bodi's case has two release buttons on the side. Cap off, press, the empty pod comes out, the new one clicks in. Nothing to jam on the swap. The refill, step by step.
The price
Both refills are 40g. Wild says one lasts four to six weeks, ours lasts about a month with everyday use, so call it a refill a month for both.
| Wild, Chemist Warehouse | bodi, Subscribe & Save | bodi, one at a time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case | $25.99, first refill included | $15 | $15 |
| Refill | $9.49 | $11.70 | $18 |
| First year, twelve refills | about $130 | about $155 | about $230 |
| Shipping | Free Click & Collect, or free delivery over $99 | $5.50 a quarter, so about $22 a year | $5.50 an order |
Wild wins on price. About $25 a year on our subscription rate, closer to $100 if you buy bodi one refill at a time. The $15 case gets you started cheaper, but over a year the refills decide it. What the extra buys is a formula with no bicarb, a swap with no twist, scents that were designed rather than inherited from the actives, and a deodorant made and posted from New Zealand.
The scents
Wild's Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt is the scent people rave about, and it earns it. Four scents are on NZ shelves at the moment: that one, Coconut & Vanilla, Pink Grapefruit & Lime and a honey and cactus flower scent.
bodi has six plus Unscented, and each one was built like a fragrance, as a place and a time of day. Coast is orange and sea salt over wild mint, the East Coast at sunrise. Amber is wet earth, oakmoss and warm timber, the bush after rain. Sandbar is coconut milk and sandalwood, drying off on the sand. Merino is honey, white flowers and soft wood, sheets off the line. Bloom is a whole garden at once. Spritz is lemon, fig and sun-baked stone. How to choose one.
The waste
Both brands send you a pod you compost and a case you keep, so on the big question the two are on the same side. Wild's pods are bamboo pulp. Ours are paper, home compostable, confirmed by our supplier, which means a heap in the garden rather than a commercial facility. Wild's are made in the UK and shipped here. Ours are made and posted here. We'd rather state that flatly than build a lecture on it.
Where Wild wins
- Price per refill, by a few dollars every month.
- Convenience. It's in the chemist and the supermarket, and Click & Collect is free.
- The case itself. Aluminium, more colours, nicer to hold.
- Six years of reviews behind the formula. We are new.
- Fresh Cotton & Sea Salt, if that's the smell you want.
Where bodi wins
- No baking soda, in any scent. The main reason natural deodorant gives people a rash is gone by default.
- The swap. Two buttons, nothing to twist, nothing to jam.
- Cost to start. $15 for the case against $25.99 and up.
- Made here, by two people whose names are on the box, with an NZ checkout, NZ dollars and $5.50 shipping.
- Seven options instead of four, including Unscented, and a subscription you can actually manage from New Zealand.
Which one, for you
| If this is you | Pick |
|---|---|
| Natural deodorant has given you a rash before, or your skin reacts to things. | bodi. No bicarb anywhere in the range. |
| You want the cheapest refill and you're already in Chemist Warehouse. | Wild. |
| Your last refillable jammed and you went back to a supermarket stick. | bodi. The buttons were designed for exactly that person. |
| You want the case to look good on the shelf and come in a colour you love. | Wild has more options. Ours comes in three. |
| You'd rather buy from people in New Zealand and have refills turn up every quarter without thinking. | bodi. |
| You want to sweat less, not just smell better. | Neither. Both are deodorants. You want an antiperspirant. The difference is here. |
If you're still torn, the minis are the cheap way to settle it. $5 each, three scents, enough product to run a fair trial. Wear one through an ordinary working week, check at 3pm, and see whether your skin notices the missing bicarb. Most people notice nothing, which is the point.
And if you try bodi and prefer Wild, that's a fine outcome. It means you've got a refillable deodorant you like, and the plastic stick is out of your bathroom either way.
Common questions
Is bodi better than Wild?
Depends what you need. Wild is cheaper per refill and easier to buy today. bodi has no baking soda, a case that doesn't jam on the swap, and is made in New Zealand. If your skin has ever reacted to natural deodorant, bodi is the safer bet. If price is the whole question, Wild.
Is Wild or bodi cheaper?
Wild, on refills. $9.49 to $9.99 against $11.70 on our subscription or $18 one-off. bodi's case is cheaper at $15, but over a year the refills decide it, and Wild comes out about $25 ahead on our subscription price.
Does Wild deodorant have baking soda?
The formula sold in NZ does. Wild makes a bicarb-free Sensitive range, but we couldn't find it at Chemist Warehouse or Woolworths when we checked. bodi has no bicarb in any scent.
Do bodi refills fit a Wild case, or the other way round?
No. They're different systems. Wild's pod sits on a twist base; bodi's clicks into a two-button case. Pick one and stay with it.
Which lasts longer?
Both refills are 40g. Wild says four to six weeks. Ours lasts about a month with everyday use. Two or three swipes is plenty with either; more just ends up on your shirt.
Is bodi made in New Zealand?
Yes, by the two of us, and it took 39 batches at the kitchen table before we were happy. Wild is made in the UK and has been owned by Unilever since 2025.
Three minis, three scents, no bicarb.
Enough to wear one through a working week and see if your skin notices anything. Then keep the case for good.
Read next
Start with the honest guide to natural deodorant in NZ. Then: Wild deodorant in NZ: where to buy it and what it costs, and why natural deodorant gives you a rash. Or go straight to the bodi natural deodorant range.
