AKT London in conversation: Ed & Andy on deodorants, fragrances, and big entrances

Eight shows a week, hot spotlights, heavy costumes – and no deodorant that could really keep up. That’s how the story of AKT London began. At the time, the two musical theater performers Ed Currie and Andy Coxon probably never imagined that their search for a reliable deodorant would one day become an international personal care brand.

We spoke with the two founders about the early days in London’s West End, their love of special scents, the challenges of sustainable packaging, and their plans for AKT.

Since we lived in London ourselves for a few years, we naturally wanted to know what the two love about the city today and what has changed over the past twenty years.

And then there’s the story from Ed’s stage career that might mean AKT would never have existed ...

Blanda: AKT London grew out of a very specific problem in everyday theater life. When did you realize your idea appealed to people outside the theater world too?

Ed & Andy: When we started AKT, we weren’t planning to build a beauty empire. We just didn’t want to stink backstage anymore!

We were on stage in London’s West End eight times a week, under blazing hot spotlights and in heavy costumes. But we simply couldn’t find a deodorant that really worked. So we thought: We’ll just make one ourselves. How hard can it be? Very hard, as it turned out!

For three years, we experimented in our tiny kitchen in Camden until we finally had a formula we loved. We handed out samples to performers across the West End – and the response was incredible.

The real aha moment came, though, when we suddenly started hearing from people who had nothing to do with theater. Healthcare workers, teachers, office workers, athletes, parents – people who simply wanted a deodorant that could keep up with their everyday lives.

That’s when we realized: Every one of us has our own daily performance. You don’t have to be in the spotlight to deserve a standing ovation. And that’s when AKT became something much bigger than just a deodorant for stage professionals.

The whole world is a stage, after all!

Blanda: Your products have a character all their own, and their fragrances create a special atmosphere. How do you strike a balance between effectiveness, fragrance, and everyday practicality?

Ed & Andy: At AKT, effectiveness always takes center stage. Everything else is in the supporting cast.

We learned that in the theater. You can have the most beautiful costumes, the most spectacular set, and breathtaking lighting. But if the show is bad, nobody comes back for a second visit. And the reviews will be mediocre at best.

So first and foremost, our products have to work brilliantly. That’s the 'must-have'. But the fragrance, the design, and the whole experience of using them? That’s the 'icing on the cake'!

We’re obsessed with creating fragrances that transport you somewhere else. Maybe you’re strolling through an Italian orange grove, retreating to the Japanese mountains, walking through the forest after a thunderstorm, or getting lost among the flower stalls at a London market. Every fragrance tells its own story.

That’s why we don’t simply call our fragrances Scents, but Scenes – in other words, scenes. Fragrances have an extraordinary ability to transport people to other worlds, much like a good play transports its audience.

We’d love to turn something as everyday as applying deodorant or taking a shower into a little moment of theatrical magic. A few seconds to escape the everyday before the curtain rises on the day.

Blanda: Lots of deodorants make big promises. But AKT actually works. How did you approach developing your formula, and how did you find the most effective combination of ingredients?

Ed & Andy: Three years, a tiny kitchen in London, hundreds of experiments, and two increasingly frustrated actors. That was our glamorous introduction to the world of cosmetic chemistry!

We approached development like a West End production: rehearse, improve, rehearse again. And if something didn’t work, we went back to the beginning. Practice makes perfect!

We knew exactly what we wanted: a natural deodorant that could last through eight shows a week, so we wouldn’t start smelling halfway through a performance, and that felt really comfortable on the skin.

We experimented with different combinations of natural powders, minerals, oils, and plant butters. Eventually, we developed our own Deo-Barrier Complex™. Ingredients like baking soda, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, and arrowroot powder work together to neutralize odors and absorb moisture. Nourishing oils and plant butters also care for the skin—wherever you apply the balm: under the arms, on the breasts, forearms, inner thighs, or feet.

But the real trick wasn’t any single ingredient; it was finding the right balance between all the components. And of course, we had the most demanding testers imaginable: professional dancers. If your deodorant can get through a West End musical, it should be able to survive a Monday morning meeting too. Although after a few such meetings, we’re no longer quite sure which is more stressful.

More on this topic: How do natural deodorants actually work, and what matters when it comes to their formulation? We explore these questions in more detail in our article “Natural deodorants without aluminum: How good are they, really?”.

Blanda: From the very beginning, you made a very conscious choice to use certain packaging solutions. Which sustainable choice was the most difficult for you—and also the most important?

Ed & Andy: The aluminum tube. Oh, goodness, that aluminum tube!

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. However, we quickly realized that the beauty industry is practically addicted to plastic.

We tried glass jars, metal tins, and all sorts of other alternatives. But nothing offered the combination of functionality, everyday practicality, and aesthetics we had in mind. Eventually, we chose aluminum tubes. Beautiful, lightweight, infinitely recyclable, and wonderfully nostalgic. There was just one tiny problem: the caps were almost always made of plastic. And we thought: That’s ridiculous, isn’t it?

So we spent years developing our own custom-made aluminum closure. A lot of effort for something most people probably never give much thought to. But that’s exactly the point. We believe good decisions should be made during product development, rather than waiting for customers to make them.

What did we learn from that? Sometimes the right thing is also the hardest thing. But if you’re going to do it, do it right! You know what I’m saying?

Blanda: AKT London has evolved from a deodorant brand into a more comprehensive body care line. How do you decide whether a new product is really right for AKT?

Ed & Andy: We ask ourselves one very simple question: Has this product earned a place on our stage?

We’re not interested in launching products just because everyone else is doing it. The world doesn’t need another body care product that looks pretty on the bathroom shelf but doesn’t do much else.

Every new AKT product has to earn its 'starring role'. It has to work exceptionally well, elevate an everyday care ritual, and bring something truly exciting to its product category. And of course, it has to smell absolutely fantastic!

That’s exactly the idea behind our Body Wash Concentrate, Body Conditioning Balm, Body Oil, and Foaming Body Scrub. We wanted to turn everyday care products into something that feels anything but ordinary.

We also believe that the skin on your body deserves just as much attention, care, and innovation as the skin on your face, which the cosmetics industry has traditionally focused on so heavily.

We no longer see AKT as just a deodorant brand. We’re creating a bodycare performance company. And believe us: the second act has only just begun. To be continued!

Blanda: If someone were to discover AKT for the first time in ten years, without knowing your story, what should they immediately understand about the brand?

Ed & Andy: That this is a brand that truly cares about how well its products work, how they make people feel, and the mark we leave with them.

We'd love for people to immediately see that AKT is a little different. That everything we do is infused with joy, imagination and a certain theatricality. Above all, though, we want to show that effectiveness and enjoyment don't have to be mutually exclusive.

You can develop incredibly effective products that are beautiful and sustainable at the same time, and are simply a joy to use. We're not interested in convincing people they need to fix anything about themselves, improve themselves, or become someone else.

We want to give people the confidence to go out into the world and be completely themselves. Without compromising who they are. And without having to apologise for it.

Whether you're on stage, working as a doctor, running a business, or simply trying to get through the day, everyone deserves to be the leading character in their own life. Take the stage! The spotlight is yours.

Blanda: When someone visits London, which place would you absolutely recommend? A place that captures the city's special character for you?

Ed & Andy: The Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday morning. Without a doubt!

It's chaotic, colourful, loud, gloriously eccentric and simply irresistible. Flower sellers loudly hawking their bouquets, buckets nearly overflowing with flowers, little shops, beautiful cafés - and every now and then, someone trying to make their way through the crowd with an almost two-metre-tall olive tree.

This is London at its very best. And there's something wonderfully theatrical about it all. The colourful birds, the noise, the whole spectacle. You couldn't dream up a better scene. You feel like you're right in the middle of a British rom-com.

We love this place so much that we even dedicated one of our fragrances to it: SC.05 Columbia Road.

Our tip? Get there early, grab a coffee, buy yourself a ridiculously huge bouquet, then spend the afternoon exploring the East End.

And take an umbrella. We are in England, after all. But you're not made of sugar, are you?

Blanda: We lived in London ourselves from 2003 to 2006 and loved the city. What has changed over the past twenty years - and what has thankfully stayed just the same?

Ed & Andy: Well, a pint of beer today costs about as much as a small apartment did in 2003!

But actually, not much has changed: the Underground is still just as loud and grubby, pubs are still packed on Fridays around lunchtime, and people are still just as grumpy on their way to work during rush hour.

What has changed, though, is that many neighborhoods that used to be off the radar are now fantastic places for food, art, fashion and culture. The East End in particular is almost unrecognizable. And the food!

Twenty years ago, British cuisine didn’t exactly have the most glamorous reputation internationally. Today, you can sample cuisines from all over the world without even having to leave London.

What I particularly love, and what fortunately hasn’t changed at all, is the theater scene. I still think it’s one of the best things the world has to offer. But these days, unfortunately, you practically have to sell a kidney to afford a ticket.

Blanda: You both come from London’s West End. What was one of the funniest or most unforgettable moments you’ve ever experienced on stage?

Ed: Hmm, good question!

My most unforgettable experience was probably performing in the musical A Chorus Line at the London Palladium. The show is extremely demanding in terms of dancing. However, my character, Bobby, had to wear a custom-made wool sweater while the rest of the cast stood on stage in tight-fitting dance leotards.

In the middle of the performance, someone in the cast turned to me and said:

“Ed, you stink like hell!”

Ouch!

But ... that’s exactly what gave me the idea to develop the best deodorant in the world. So today, in a way, I’m even grateful to him for it!

Many thanks to Ed and Andy for this wonderful conversation, their honest insights and wonderfully British humor.

Curious? Discover deodorants, distinctive fragrances and body care products by AKT London at Blanda Beauty.