Product

Cetaphil Mineral Stick

A fragrance-free mineral sunscreen stick. Genuinely useful for ears, noses, and reapplying over makeup — much less useful as your only sun protection.
At a Glance
Mixed

The biggest failure in sun protection is that people do not reapply. A stick lives in a bag, goes on over makeup, and does not run into the eyes, so it makes reapplying realistic. It is also the right tool for fiddly areas like the ears and nose, where skin cancers often form.

The catch is dose. Sticks are applied thin, so the SPF you get is usually lower than the label. Use a lotion for your main morning layer, then use the stick to top up.

This is a fully mineral, fragrance-free formula, which suits sensitive skin and areas where a chemical sunscreen might sting.

Key facts

Key activeTitanium dioxide 6% + zinc oxide 4.7% (SPF 50)
TextureMineral sunscreen stick
Best forReapplication, and small areas like ears, nose, and around the eyes
Approximate price$11–13
FragranceFragrance free

How it works

Sticks solve a real problem: nobody reapplies sunscreen. A stick lives in a bag, goes on over makeup, and does not run into your eyes.

Fully mineral and fragrance-free, so it suits sensitive skin and the areas where a chemical sunscreen would sting — right under the eyes, on the eyelids.

It is genuinely the right tool for the fiddly places. Ears, nose bridge, hairline, lips. These are exactly the spots people miss with a lotion, and exactly the spots that develop skin cancers.

Water-resistant for 80 minutes, which is more than most daily facial sunscreens offer.

Everyday habits

How to use it
  • When: Every morning as the last skincare step, and to reapply during the day.How much: Sticks are easy to under-apply. Make four back-and-forth passes over each area, then rub in. Where: Great for ears, nose, hairline, lips, and around the eyes — the spots people miss. Reapply: Every 2 hours outdoors, and after sweating or swimming. It is water-resistant for 80 minutes. White cast: This is an untinted mineral formula and can leave a slight cast on deep skin tones.
Who should be careful+

Sticks are under-applied, badly. The SPF on the label is measured at a thickness almost nobody achieves with a stick. The American Academy of Dermatology says to make four back-and-forth passes over each area, then rub in. Independent testing suggests you may need considerably more than that to actually reach the tested dose.

Treat it as reapplication, not primary protection. Use a lotion in the morning. Use the stick to top up.

0.5 oz goes fast if you try to make it your main sunscreen.

Questions people ask+
Is this mineral or chemical?Mineral. It uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
Will it leave a white cast?It can, especially on deeper skin tones.
Can I use it as my only sunscreen?It is better as a top-up and for small areas than as your whole-face layer.
Is it water resistant?Yes, for 80 minutes.
Is it fragrance-free?Yes.
What SPF is it?SPF 50.
Full ingredient list+

Active ingredients: Titianium Dioxide 6% Zinc Oxide 4.7%

Inactive ingredients: ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, BEESWAX, BHT, BUTYLOCTYL SALICYLATE, C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE, CETYL ALCOHOL, DIMETHICONE, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, ISOSTEARIC ACID, NEOPENTYL GLYCOL DIETHYLHEXANOATE, OZOKERITE, PARAFFIN, POLYETHYLENE, STEARIC ACID, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E), TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE

References+

1. Relationship between sun-protection factor and application thickness in high-performance sunscreen: double application of sunscreen is recommended (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23050556/) — Backs the page's point that sunscreen is under-applied and that the label SPF is measured at a set thickness (2.0 mg/cm2), while real-world users apply only about half that, reducing actual protection. 2. Metal oxide sunscreens protect skin by absorption, not by reflection or scattering (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26431814/) — Supports the mechanism behind the mineral (titanium dioxide + zinc oxide) filters in this stick, showing they provide UV protection mainly by absorbing UV rather than merely reflecting/scattering. 3. Adverse Reactions to Sunscreens (https://doi.org/10.1159/000517634) — Supports the claim that a fully mineral, fragrance-free formula suits sensitive skin: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide lack relevant skin-irritating and sensitizing potential, whereas most sunscreen reactions come from organic ('chemical') UV filters. 4. Sunscreen Use and Photoprotection Practices: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Adults in a Dermatology Outpatient Clinic (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40556989/) — Backs the claim that people rarely reapply sunscreen: only about 23% of surveyed adults reported reapplying during the day and only 27% used it daily. 5. Epidemiology of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the pinna (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11320842/) — Supports the claim that fiddly, easily-missed sun-exposed spots such as the ears (pinna), nose and other head-and-neck sites are exactly where skin cancers (BCC and SCC) develop.