Emulsions are the most common form of sun care products, but less common formats include oils, two-phase mists, and most recently sticks. The recent trend for sticks came to Europe from South Korea where they are very popular because of their convenience and clean, ‘hands-free’ application. 


A popular sub sector of sun sticks are transparent sticks, which leave no colour residue upon application and are perceived as more suitable for sensitive skin. Hydroxystearic acid is a structuring agent that can gel hydrocarbons, esters and even some silicones whilst retaining clarity, giving formulators an easy-touse tool for making this product format.3 Novel silicone elastomers such as PEG-10 dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer also allows the use of water-soluble components in a stick structure, greatly increasing the range of actives that can be included in otherwise anhydrous formulations.4


The stick format is also often used for soothing and cooling applications in after sun products. Menthol is often used for a cooling effect upon application. Menthol can be irritating to the skin so it is recommended to use it in the form of menthyl PCA in combination with octyldodecyl PCA, giving a milder cooling effect without skin irritation, while also stimulating the synthesis of epidermal lipids.5 Calamine is another material that is often incorporated into after sun sticks for its skin calming properties.


Convenience, ease of use, and multifunctionality are becoming ever more important for consumers.  For these reasons the range of available sunscreen products is constantly expanding and now also includes more controversial formats such as wet wipes, shower bars and sun care products with ‘wash on’ technology.6, 7


source from https://www.personalcaremagazine.com