Sunscreen research has a frustrating finding. The difference between SPF 30 and SPF 50 in real-world UV exposure is small. The difference between someone who applies once at 8am and someone who reapplies at noon is enormous. Most people fall in the first group. The second group is rare not because they're more diligent but because the format makes it inconvenient.
This is the case for a stick.
Why mineral, specifically
There are two kinds of UV filters: chemical (avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene) and mineral (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide). Chemical filters absorb UV photons and dissipate them as heat. Mineral filters reflect and scatter.
The reasons we went mineral aren't cosmetic. Three things:
Hawaii, Key West, and a growing list of marine reserves have banned oxybenzone and octinoxate. The trend is clear.
Chemical filters break down in UV light. Some require avobenzone-stabilizing compounds that are themselves under regulatory review.
Mineral SPF doesn't migrate into the bloodstream the way chemical filters can. The FDA's 2019 study showing measurable systemic absorption of avobenzone, oxybenzone, ecamsule, and octocrylene from a single use was the inflection point for a lot of formulators.
None of that means chemical SPF is dangerous. It means mineral is the more conservative bet, and we wanted the conservative bet on a daily-use product.
Why a stick instead of a cream
Practical reason: it goes in your pocket. Not a pump bottle that needs your bag. Not a tube you can squeeze accidentally. A solid format that opens, applies, and closes in roughly the same motion as a chapstick.
The application is heavier than a cream — you can see it going on, which is partially why we chose the no-tint version. We didn't want to commit to one shade. The visible cast fades within 60 seconds on most skin tones; on darker skin it can take longer. We're working on a tinted version for v1.1. For routine context see where SPF goes in a daily order.
How to actually use it
Morning: apply over moisturizer, before any makeup. Cover the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, forehead, and the strip from temple to ear — this last one is the most-missed area in dermatology photos.
Reapply: every 90 minutes outdoors, every 4 hours indoors near windows. The 4-hour indoor recommendation is conservative; UVA passes through standard window glass.
Don't bother applying SPF over body areas that will be covered in clothing thicker than a t-shirt. The protection from clothing alone is roughly UPF 5-7.
The honest limitation
This is one stick. It's 12 grams. At a heavy-application body rate (roughly 2 ml/m² of skin) you'd burn through it on body coverage alone in about three full applications. We designed it for face + ears + back of neck. If you're going to the beach for a day, you need something else for the body.
Originally published at orrbody.com
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