When it comes to deodorants, I do tend to chop and change according to the brands that I can find cheaply or on promotion, although I avoid any 'value' type ranges as I don't have the confidence in their ability to keep me feeling and smelling fresh. I spotted this Simple deodorant for just 99p in my local Home Bargains store and thought it was a bargain to find a well known brand for such a low price.

I've tried many different Simple products over the years as I have dry, sensitive skin and have always found them to be effective products that fulfil their functions well without any unnecessary frills or extras - in essence, living up to their name tag. This Simple roll on deodorant bears the usual predominantly white and green basic colour scheme and, aside from the green lid, it would be quite easy to miss hidden amongst other more striking designs on the shelf.

As I'd expect from Simple, the deodorant is totally unperfumed, colour free and boasts a skin soothing anti-irritant formula. Despite its gentle formulation, it is still recommended not to apply to sore or broken skin. Like most deodorants, the product information and ingredients list is hidden away beneath a sticker on the back. This is great in terms of minimising unnecessary packaging but no so great in terms of accessibility! Once I managed to prise the sticker apart, I discover a relatively short but nonetheless very chemical-sounding list of ingredients. Like all Simple products, this deodorant has not been tested on animals and all of the ingredients are suitable for vegans to use.

As a roll on, this is very straightforward to apply with a decent sized ball at the top. Unlike many designs, the ball is positioned at the top (rather than resting in an upside down position.) Despite this, I find the deodorant flows really easily, if anything a little too easily as I find this deodorant leaves me feeling incredibly wet under the arms when first applied. This is certainly the wettest deodorant that I've ever used and I find it actually takes several minutes to dry thoroughly. As a mum to three kids, mornings can be a bit hectic and I've been known to get dressed before applying deodorant and then slap some on afterwards. That's not really a practical option with this deodorant as it's just so wet and I'd end up with unsightly wet patches under my armpits even before I leave the house! This really is one deodorant that warrants waiting about with arms outstretched for several minutes before getting dressed.

The other most noticeable aspect of this deodorant is the really distinctive smell which is quite surprising for an unperfumed product. The scent is obviously no feminine perfume but the unmistakable aroma of pure alcohol. The smell of alcohol is incredibly strong when first applied but does wear off fairly quickly which is fortunate as I don't want to walk around stinking like an old wino!

Throughout the day, I do find this fairly effective as an anti-perspirant deodorant and don't normally need to reapply during a typical working day. The only drawback to this formula is that the lack of perfume means that I am wholly reliant on the anti-perspirant qualities of this deodorant as there are no nice scents to mask any unpleasant body odours should I start to get a little too hot and bothered. For that reason, I do feel slightly less fresh and less confident about the lack of body odour as the day goes on. It may seem churlish to criticise an unperfumed product for its lack of scent but I do miss the reassurance of a feminine smelling aroma, particularly if I do start to feel sweaty and uncomfortable. Personally, I would be hesitant about using this during the height of Summer or for any particularly strenuous activity.

The real benefit of the absence of any unnecessary perfumes and other irritants is that this is very kind to skin. I have experienced reactions to other brands of deodorants which resulted in rashes and sore skin under my arms. This deodorant leaves me totally free of any irritation, even when applied shortly after shaving.

I will continue to buy and use this brand of deodorant, particularly while I'm able to obtain it cheaply but will probably switch back to a perfumed brand during the Summer months, simply for the extra reassurance that a scent provides. Nonetheless, I'm happy to recommend this as a gentle but effective anti-perspirant even though the initial excessive wetness and and pungent alcoholic aroma can be a little off-putting.