Doing a quick search, I see lots of companies selling reusable deodorant containers (having, I think, kind of missed the point) so they must sell some kind of replacement liquid or gel, but most of the ones I see don't sound very 'anti-persperant' - lots of aluminum-free vegan stuff, but no generic yet.
The one i've found was 10x the price of regular stuff, and not anti perspirant.
I've been meaning to try an alum block. It's not an antiperspirant, just antimicrobial, but it's literally just a mineral block so there is no plastic container to begin with and it should last a few years if you don't drop it and break it. It costs in the $5-10 range.
The alum still contain aluminum, but not in a form that is absorbed by the skin as in typical antiperspirant, hence why this doesn't prevent sweat; it doesn't block pores. Some people have allergies to the aluminum in AP and some think it is an endocrine disrupter. Other people can get clogged or infected pores from it.
Have you considered making your own?
I just tried that using a recipe with baking soda, coconut oil, arrow root powder and tea tree oil. Though it works great as a deodorant it does not work with the roll on bottle. If you keep it warm so that the coconut oil is liquid it works lol. I had to take the roll thingy out. Do you have a way/recipe for making a liquid deodorant?
I guess using another oil with a lower melting temperature might be worth a try?
It honestly was just a random idea from me, I've never tried it. However in your case I'd try adding more oil. Perhaps search online to see if there's a suitable oil.
Is there any recipe which stops perspiration and not just smells nice? I know it's not healthy etc, but there are situations when I just need to not smell.
Well you'll need an aluminium compound to do that afaik. Also the health concern seems to not be backed up by studies. You'd have to figure out where to buy it and how to handle it.
Discussing ways to reduce waste and build community!
Celebrate thrift as a virtue, talk about creative ways to make do, or show off how you reused something!