Z Natural Life deodorant is set to go on the shelves of Whole Foods on Oct. 15. Photos courtesy of Z Natural Life.

Sept. 28, 2015

Back in the 1980s, Bill Ziske worked in the nutritional department of a health food store in San Antonio while in college. The job not only helped pay his way through school, it fueled a lifelong passion for natural products and food.

Now the Allen-based entrepreneur has created his own natural personal care product that will sold in stores like the one he once worked in.

His ZNatural Life deodorant is set to go on the shelves of Whole Foods across the Southwest next month.

Ziske, who holds an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio, started the company with his wife Liz, who is also health conscious. Over the years, they ate organic food and purchased eco-friendly home and baby products but couldn’t find a natural deodorant that worked.

Liz and Bill Ziske are the founders of Z Natural Life.

Having tried a variety of alternatives, Ziske knew he wasn’t alone.

“It’s very clear that people are still putting up with so-so products,” he said.

According to Ziske, his wife flip-flopped between health food store deodorants and the old standbys.

“When the natural products didn’t work she would go back to traditional products till she read another article about ingredients that scared her.”

While he continued his day job in sales in the software industry, he followed health writers and pored through articles on nutrition. He researched ingredients and begin developing his own formula. 

He wanted his product to be free of aluminum, artificial colors and preservatives and other chemicals that were being flagged as potentially harmful by consumer watchdog groups. 

For example, according to National Cancer Institute, the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research, some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds, which are used in antiperspirants to form a temporary plug within the sweat duct to stop the flow of sweat, may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like effects, a known cancer risk. 

Not ony did Ziske want to weed out potential carcinogens, he wanted the product to manage bacteria without irritating the skin.

After tinkering with ingredients, he felt he’d hit on something. But application was still an issue. 

“My challenge was it had to be an emulsified product,” he said. “To be effective with no preservatives it had to be a cream.”

Because his products don’t contain preservatives, he didn’t want to use roll-on applicators that can cause cross-contamination. This is when he decided to put it in an airless pump.

However, it wasn’t until three years ago, when he started seeing deodorants that had to be applied with fingers that he knew the market was ready for his product.

He gathered his research – “a 30-page document of ingredients that would work synergistically with each other” – and found an expert to fine tune his formula.

“I went to a gifted chemist in Dallas,” said Ziske. “He has been in the industry for 30 plus years. He helped me develop a product.”

This year, Ziske crossed the final hurdle when his deodorant passed the smell test at Whole Foods, one of the nation’s premier holistic outlets.

Beginning Oct. 15, ZNaturalLife deodorant will be on the shelves in three scents – Summer Citrus, Fresh Basil Mint and Lively Lavendar – with the market’s first pump applicator. According to Ziske, the deodorant is versatile and can be used on other areas of the body that perspire such as the feet and under the breast. And it is also cruelty free – containing no animal products and not tested on animals

Ziske said he is living his dream.

“I went to work, climbing the corporate ladder, then I thought ‘What happened?’ Starting my own business in natural care products has always been my passion.”

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