What chemicals are in modern sunscreen sticks?

I'm not exactly an expert on this, but I had to deal with it because I kept getting sunburned during my outdoor shoots in summer. With modern sticks, there are basically two main types of UV filters: mineral and chemical. The mineral ones (like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) work by just reflecting the UV radiation - they're pretty safe, but sometimes they leave this whitish layer on your skin. Chemical filters on the other hand (octinoxate, oxybenzone, avobenzone) absorb the radiation and convert it into heat. A lot of newer products are going more with the mineral versions because they seem less problematic.

Then of course you've got fillers and stabilizers in there to keep the whole thing in that convenient stick form. You typically find waxes in there (beeswax or synthetic), oils and various emulsifiers so it doesn't get lumpy when you apply it. With good sticks you'll also find moisturizing stuff like glycerin or aloe vera if you have dry skin. Oh yeah, and preservatives are obviously in there too, otherwise the stuff would get moldy. Personally I've gone with a stick that has mineral filters and antioxidants now, because it's less irritating - my cats didn't complain either when I accidentally got a little bit on them the other day 😅