Cosmetic Sticks

What Are Sticks?

A stick is a solid cosmetic delivery system cast into an elongated form. The product is applied by rubbing the stick directly onto the skin, allowing cosmetic ingredients such as fragrances, colouring agents, emollients, and pigments to be delivered.

Sticks are particularly suitable for incorporating insoluble substances, including pigments. The most common cosmetic stick products are lipsticks and antiperspirant or deodorant sticks.

Basic Types of Cosmetic Sticks

There are three main types of stick vehicles:

Wax and Oil Sticks

These are mixtures of waxes, such as beeswax or carnauba wax, and oils, such as mineral oil or castor oil. The mixture is cast into a solid form and may contain dissolved or undissolved ingredients.

Hydrophilic or Aqueous Sticks

These systems are based on water, propylene glycol, alcohol, or combinations of these solvents. They are commonly solidified using sodium stearate and can contain ingredients such as aluminium chlorohydrate for antiperspirant applications.

Silicone-Based Sticks

These sticks use a high-boiling volatile silicone, such as cyclomethicone, which is structured into a solid or gelled matrix using a fatty alcohol such as stearyl alcohol.

Clear Sticks

Clear sticks have become increasingly popular in cosmetic applications. One approach uses dibenzylidene sorbitol as a gelling agent in propylene glycol or other related polyols, producing a transparent solid stick.

References

Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology – André O. Barel, Marc Paye, Howard I. Maibach.