About bodi
bodi is a refillable natural deodorant made in Aotearoa New Zealand by two people, Fiona Stanton and Ross Jones. It started in early 2024 with a newborn and a kitchen table, took 39 batches to get right, and launched on 23 September 2026. Aluminium-free and bicarb-free in every scent, in a case you buy once and paper refills you compost at home.
How bodi began
Early 2024. Fiona was breastfeeding our newborn daughter and noticed how much aluminium and mystery fragrance was being swiped right next to her face every morning. The natural deodorants we tried either smelt like a health food shop, felt like sandpaper, or gave up by three in the afternoon. So we decided to make our own.
May 2024, the kitchen table. We sourced the ingredients the best deodorants in the world were using and started mixing batches, chasing one that smelt incredible, felt lovely on skin and actually held. We went looking for everything wrong with natural deodorant, white marks, stains, weak protection, the bicarb burn, and fixed them one flaw at a time. Batch 39 was the one.
2025 was the case. Being refillable with no single-use plastic was non-negotiable, so we designed a soft-touch recycled plastic case you keep for good, with two side buttons so a refill clicks in without anything to jam, and a 40g paper refill that composts at home.
Early 2026 we handed it to friends, family and testers across Aotearoa. They told us it was the best natural deodorant they had tried, and started scraping their samples dry. We launched the full refillable system on 23 September 2026.
Who makes it
Fiona Stanton, co-founder and formulator. Fiona built the formula, all 39 versions of it, and runs the batch testing. She writes the guides on skin, scent and the switch.
Ross Jones, co-founder. Ross runs the business and the testing, and writes the comparisons and buying guides, including the parts where bodi isn't the answer.
There are two of us. If you email hello@happybodi.com, one of us replies.
bodi in facts
| Founded | 2024, Aotearoa New Zealand |
| Launched | 23 September 2026 |
| What it is | A refillable natural deodorant: a case you keep, 40g paper refills, plus a plastic-free paper tube and 10g minis |
| Odour actives | Magnesium hydroxide, triethyl citrate and zinc ricinoleate, included at clinically tested levels |
| Moisture | Tapioca starch, so you feel drier. It is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, and it does not stop sweat |
| Never in it | Aluminium, baking soda, parabens |
| Natural | 100% natural active formula. Some scents use safe, tested synthetic fragrance so they smell like perfume rather than a remedy |
| Scents | Bloom, Coast, Merino, Amber, Spritz, Sandbar, and Unscented |
| Refill | 40g paper, home compostable (confirmed by our supplier), clicks into the case in about ten seconds |
| Case | Soft-touch recycled plastic, two release buttons, three colours, built to keep |
| Prices (NZD) | Case $15, refill $18 or $11.70 on subscription, paper tube $20, minis $5 each. Subscribe and Save is 35% off, three refills a quarter, skip or cancel from your account |
| Shipping | $5.50 anywhere in New Zealand, free over $100. Australia $20, free over $120 |
| Where to buy | happybodi.com only, for now |
| Contact | hello@happybodi.com, and Instagram @happybodi_ |
In the press
NZ Herald Viva included bodi in its October 2026 spring beauty feature, "NZ's beauty scene is getting a shake up and these homegrown brands are leading the charge". Fiona's line from it: "Everyone in this category is promising that you won't smell bad, and that's a very low bar. You put this on your skin every single morning. It should smell like something you chose, not something you settled for."
What we won't claim
- That bodi stops you sweating. It is a deodorant. Only an antiperspirant reduces sweat, and it uses aluminium to do it.
- That it lasts a set number of hours. We would rather you judged that at 3pm than took our word for it.
- That the whole product is 100% natural. The active base is. Some scents use safe synthetic fragrance, and we say so.
- That conventional deodorant is dangerous. We can't back that up, so we don't say it.
The full ingredient list is on every product page. If you want the long version of any of this, start with the honest guide to natural deodorant in NZ, or see the range.