In development
Sunscreen Stick
A water-free delivery format that sidesteps preservative burden entirely — and brings its own set of formulation constraints.
Sticks are attractive for the face, for children, and for on-the-go reapplication because they are clean to use and easy to target. Removing water removes the preservative question, which simplifies one part of the formulation and complicates another.
Without a water phase, the filter has to be dispersed in waxes and oils at high loading. The structural integrity of the stick depends on the balance between the wax matrix and the particulate load — too much filter and the stick crumbles, too little and it smears.
This is the format where the material science upstream matters most, because dispersion quality in an anhydrous system cannot be rescued later by an emulsifier.
What governs this format
- Wax matrix
- Balanced against particulate load to hold shape at use temperature
- Payoff
- How much product transfers per stroke — drives real-world protection
- Thermal stability
- Must survive a hot car without slumping
- Uniformity
- Filter distribution across the stick, not just at the surface
Specific values — viscosity, filter loading, protection level — are set per project against the brief. We do not publish figures we have not measured on your formulation.
Typically developed for
- Facial touch-up
- Children and family use
- Outdoor and sports
- Travel formats
Working on a stick brief?
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