Why Beauty Sticks Are Here to Stay: Packaging Report

Twist up, swipe on—consumers love consumers love 'beauty sticks'. Coty's CoverGirl (which is promoting its clean beauty formulas), Peace Out, Marc Jacobs Beauty, and Anastasia Beverly Hills are just a few of the beauty brands that have launched 'beauty sticks' in recent years. 

Mintel announced a “beauty stick revolution” several years ago. Now, brands are launching all sorts of new types of products in stick formats—including makeup, nail care, skincare, body, and even hair care.

Laura Gellar Beauty, which recently earned a National Psoriasis Foundation Seal of Recognition, has a new Italian Marble Blushstick featuring an innovative swirl design.

Laura Geller, founder and veteran makeup artist, says, “The marbleized formula creates dimension for fuller, lifted-looking cheeks.” The makeup-meets-skincare hybrid formula includes sodium hyaluronate and Vitamin E.

Allure reports on the rising number of “multi-balm” products due to increasing hygienic concerns. “More beauty consumers are definitely drawn to hands-free products since the pandemic,” says Andrea Greff, senior manager of design & marketing, NF BeautyGroup. “Stick formats are ideal for products that require a hygienic way to touch-up or reapply throughout the day,” she says, adding, “In addition to makeup, stick formats are ideal for sun care products with SPF.”

Demand for Packaging for Beauty Stick Products Rises

The demand is rising for packaging to accommodate stick products, suppliers say. “Stick products are extremely popular. Many of the beauty brands we work with now have at least one stick item in their range,” says Ray Lewis, president, Nate Packaging. Melanie Gaudun, business development manager, Viva Healthcare Packaging, also agrees, and says, “Our stick category is growing quickly.”

Plastic twist-up cases are often chosen for stick products, and they typically come in oval or round shapes. A cap protects the product inside, and a twist-up dial at the bottom lifts the product up as it is used. A paper stick package is another option. The user pushes up the bottom instead of twisting a dial.

Beauty Sticks Have a Long History in Makeup

Beauty sticks aren’t new, they have a long history in makeup—and some of the first brands to launch the format are bringing them back for a re-launch.

ILIA brought back its cult-favorite Multi-Stick Balm last year. Originally launched in 2013, the “buildable wash of color for cheeks and lips” comes in 12 colors, with four new hues. The new poppy red, “Dear Ruby,” is shown. There’s also a new bronze pearl, “In the City,” which is ideal as a highlighter.

The first-ever beauty brand to use a stick format for makeup may have been Tarte when it debuted its Cheek Stain in 1999. Tarte relaunched a new version of the product last March. The limited-edition water-infused blush comes in three colors. “I wanted it in stick form so that you could smile, dot it on, and blend it out with your fingers,” founder Maureen Kelly told Allure. Tarte also uses a stick format for its Skin Treat Poreless Foundation Stick, a sleek blush pink twist-up case with silver accents. The buttery stick formula comes in 12 shades. 

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna made the beauty stick format famous in makeup for a new generation of consumers with its “Match Stix” product lines. It includes “Skinsticks” in Correcting, Contour, and Shimmer styles, each in a variety of color options that work well when layered.

WYOS Launches Stick Products for Face, Body, & Hair

WYOS, an acronym for Write Your Own Story, is a new personal care brand with an entire line of stick products for the face, body, and hair. Each product is in a round twist-up stick package. The line includes a face cleanser, shaving ‘foam,’ moisturizer, face mask, and a moisturizing shampoo. The white polypropylene packages feature a screw cap and bottom dial. They are recyclable and decorated with a wrap-label printed using an eight-color process.

WYOS’ mantra is “waste-free, mess-free, and travel-friendly,” according to the brand’s founders, Jamie Glassman, chief executive officer, and Wendy Charland, chief operating officer. “Our sticks offer portability without leaks, and as solids, they’re TSA-safe,” says Glassman. “They can be applied directly to the skin, and won’t be wasted down the sink or on the shower floor,” she says.

Deodorant Is Stick Packaging's Prime Category

Deodorant is stick packaging’s prime category, and many beauty brands have crossed into personal care with deodorant launches in recent years. We may soon see even more. The deodorant stick market is projected to see a 4.8% growth rate, rising to nearly $3.9 billion by 2028, according to Data Bridge. One reason, experts say, is the rising number of beauty brands launching deodorants with clean ingredients and refillable packaging.

Glossier, which recently announced a new CEO and partnership with Sephora, now has a refillable deodorant. The packaging looks elegant in an all-white round twist-up case.

Removing the cap reveals a pop of bright color to signify the scent. Sandstone is green; Glossier You (also the name of the brand’s signature fragrance) is bright orange; and Orange Blossom Neroli is light pink. The aluminum- and baking soda-free formula includes elderberry extract, coconut oil, and potato starch.

Other brands with refillable stick deodorants include Beautycounter, Dove, Fussy, Myro—and more. Grove Collaborative’s in-house brand, Peach, uses a stylish refillable aluminum “Forever Case” for both its deodorant and body lotion.

NF Beauty offers a refillable case for stick formats—the Ammo Stick package. It features a refillable cartridge that users can slide out easily. “It’s a great option for deodorant and body sticks,” says Greff.

More Eco-Friendly Stick Packaging Options

Lombardi Design & Manufacturing is a leader in cylindrical deodorant cases, and they are exclusively manufactured in the U.S. “For years, luxury brands have used our stock deodorant case, with a custom color and decoration,” says Jack Albanese, director of new business development, Lombardi Design & Manufacturing. “Our new ‘Single Stream Deodorant Case’ is a premium option that focuses on sustainability,” he says.

The case is made with 50% chemically-renewed resin, which is ISCC+ certified, according to the supplier. “It features a recyclable mono-material PET barrel assembly,” says Albanese. “It will be manufactured at our Long Island headquarters, which runs on 80% renewable energy,” he adds.

Viva Healthcare Packaging says it has seen the deodorant category grow in recent years along with demand for stick packaging, especially in the natural product category. The supplier manufactures deodorant sticks with cartridge refill systems in its Toronto factory. “The cases have a mono-material PP design that includes all internal mechanisms, with 100% PCR,” says Gaudun.

Viva can custom color-match and decorate its cases with its in-mold label  technology on the barrel and the cap face. “This is a huge differentiator from traditional deodorant stick decoration on the shelf,” says Gaudun. “In-mold labels maximize decoration over the full surface of the sticks from barrel to cap, with high-definition artwork, and special effects, such as velvet soft touch,” Gaudun explains.

Cartridge refills can also be color-matched and reduce plastic use by 50%, according to the supplier. The sticks can be bottom-filled for hot-fill formulas. “There is also a top-fill option for semi-solid formulas,” Gaudun adds. Viva produces Sol de Janeiro’s Rio Deo’s refillable deodorant package, shown, and its formula is 98% naturally-derived.

Airtight & Paper Packaging for Sticks

Nate Packaging offers a variety of packaging solutions for stick products, including airtight cases. The supplier scored a Luxe in Green Award for its airtight, 100% PP stick that can be produced using up to 95% PCR. “It is a versatile design, since it can be top or bottom-filled,” says Lewis. “We have a variety of sizes, in options that include 100% PP with PCR,” he adds. 

Airtight packages for stick products are ideal for water-based formulas, rather than typical oil-based, according to Lewis. Nate Packaging worked with Burt’s Bees to produce its Hydrating Face Balm (shown) and Baby Chest Rub.

“Our airtight stick helps keep the product from drying out before it is used up,” says Lewis. “The brand uses its honeycomb pattern on the cap. We can do a custom embossed logo, or use different colors on the twist base, to help a brand differentiate,” he says.

Paper packaging is another option for packaging stick products, and NF Beauty says it’s often requested for stick formats. The supplier’s paper stick packages come in a wide range of sizes, and can accommodate various products, including solid fragrances, lip balms, and deodorant. “We use FSC-certified paper, and it’s easy to recycle,” says Greff. It can be decorated using labelling, silk-screening, offset printing, hot-stamping, and foils. “The colors can be vibrant opaques or kept natural for maximum recyclability,” adds Greff.

Nate Packaging also offers paper stick packaging. “We can use a variety of materials, such as white and kraft paperboard, for our push-up styles,” says Lewis. Nate Packaging’s decorating capabilities—for its plastic and paper options— include silkscreening, hot-stamping, labeling, vacuum-metallizing, and applying heat transfer labels. 

Solving Filling & Production Issues for Stick Formats

Stick formats can pose some unique challenges during filling and production, which skilled suppliers resolve, with ease. Launching WYOS’ line was not without challenges. “We worked with Intercos, and were pushing boundaries to create new types of products, so each had its own issues to overcome,” says Glassman. “For example, we had to make sure our waterless moisturizing stick, which contains oils, remained translucent. We also had to figure out how to ensure our shaving stick created foam, but didn’t overflow during filling,” she explains.

NF Beauty’s Greff says the company takes steps to prevent issues. “We always have to consider the hardness or softness of a product’s formula, and its melting point. We have to ensure the package can protect the product from heat damage, including sunlight and UV light,” she explains. “We will choose the fill method depending on how the brand wants the product to look, as well as the hardness of the formula,” she says.

NF Beauty also offers formulations as part of its full-service offerings, and one of its exclusive products is the Vita Core Stick. The skincare stick includes Vitamin C, and can restore glow, increase collagen synthesis, and protect the skin against free radicals, according to the supplier. “Our formula uses a special filling technology,” explains Greff. “The cream balm is filled at the core and the oil balm surrounds the core in a concentric application to provide dual benefits—moisturizing and protection,” she explains.

Nate Packaging’s Lewis also says there can be softening issues during filling, especially with products that contain essential oils. “The formula’s hardness level has to be correct to ensure the product will propel and repel correctly in the package,” he explains. “The formula has to set up properly in the cooling tunnels after hot-pouring, so that it reaches the crystallization point. This allows the formula to pull away slightly from the package’s sidewalls,” he explains. “Doing this correctly will ensure the brand’s customers have a good user experience with the product,” he says.

What’s Next?

As makeup and personal care formulations evolve, so will packaging. But experts say stick formats are here to stay. “Sticks are so portable,” says Viva’s Gaudun. “They’re great for applying all types of body products because they can quickly cover a large area.”

WYOS says it will continue to innovate by developing more new products in stick formats, but only if it provides users with a clear benefit. Charland explains how each product’s “reason for being” was carefully thought out.

“Applying our face mask directly to the skin allows the user to keep their hands clean to turn on the faucet. And our shaving stick makes it easier for men with beards to apply the product exactly where it’s needed,” she says.

NF Beauty’s Greff predicts, “There will be an even greater need to reduce packaging over the next several years, and offering a unique applicator along with a stick product is one solution. It is a way for brands to reduce the need for bottles with pumps and actuators,” she says.

No doubt beauty products that are easy to use and convenient to carry will always be appealing—and stick formats deliver this in spades. Gaudun adds, “I can’t see them ever going away.” 

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