For several summers, stick sunscreen has been all the rage. However, it is not effective unless used in the right way. Explanation.
Sun sticks are everywhere. For several years, each brand has used its own reference. It must be admitted that the format is very practical: it fits easily into a bag for touch-ups throughout the day, does not take up much space and above all, it is very easy to use. Faced with this enthusiasm, the media 60 Millions de Consommateurs scrutinized ten products in its July issue: from Avène to La Roche-Posay, including La Rosée, Nivea, Typology and even Caudalie. The good news? They are all relatively good for health and the environment, since the grades oscillate between A and B. This, however, comes at a high price (literally): no reference is sold for less than ten euros, with capacities ranging from 9 to 20 g.
In terms of protection, the ten references range from a simple SPF 50 to 50+, or 50+ PA++++. This is an acronym widely used in Asia, and increasingly in Europe, which measures the ability of a sunscreen to block UVA rays, responsible for skin aging. Obviously, the more “+”, the more effective the sunscreen is. But in the face of so many great promises, the dermatologists interviewed by 60 Million Consumers would like to point out one thing: “Be careful to use it correctly. I explain to my patients that once the stick is applied, you have to spread the product, if necessary with your hands, to reach slightly angular areas that are not perfectly covered.“, warns, for example, Dr Stéphanie Leclerc-Mercier, dermatologist at the National Institute of Sport and Necker Hospital.
Even more worrying, the sticks almost never provide the sun protection advertised on the packaging. For them to be effective, it would be necessary to pass “three to four times in the same place”, assures Professor Laurent Misery, head of the dermatology and venereology department at Brest University Hospital, still with 60 million Consumers. An important point which is however not indicated on the packaging, to the great regret of the media.
According to the professionals interviewed, the solution to avoid making a mistake remains simple: apply sun protection to the entire face (and body obviously), and only rely on the stick for touch-ups during the day. Always with several passages obviously.
