Matte + Soft Finish | Celimax Oil Control Mattifying Sun Stick Review

Wearing daily sun protection is essential in Australia and is still something we’re behind other countries in doing. The kindest thing you can do for your skin in Australia is sun protection and that’s not just a layer of cosmetic sunscreen – it involves careful layers of staying in shade, wearing long sleeves, wearing official protective sunscreen and following it with re-application every two hours (most especially in the summer). 

If you are struggling with this step, a sunstick can be a helpful tool to help remind you to re-apply. It does not provide the same protection as a liquid sunscreen, which helps penetrate the skin, but it does give you a little boost of sun protection when you need it.  

It’s great for daily wear when you are mostly inside, but still expecting some sunshine, but don’t rely on any sunstick (no matter what they say) for long-term exposure. With that safety spiel out of the way – I love a good sunstick due to its re-application, as well as ease of application. I tend to forget to wear sunscreen when I’m going out – so on days I forget, having a sunstick in my bag is much better than nothing. Most sunsticks provide a whisper light application, meaning they can be used on top of make-up and they meld well with other sun protection. 

So, this year when Celimax released their Oil Control Sun Stick, it rapidly became a famous addition to their Oil Control skincare line. Designed to balance sebum and oils on the skin, it also promised to help blur pores and create a fantasy, soft finish. Having oily skin and pores, it sounded too good to be true. Does it really help blur pores in a single swipe and give you a beautiful, matte finish? Let’s test it! 

Synthetic Wax: this forms the base of the sunstick (similar to majority of K-Beauty sunsticks). This helps glide as well as forming a light, gentle layer on the surface of skin. 

DHHB (Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate): this sun filter helps maintain strong UV protection during the day. It can’t be used to go swimming (especially in chlorine pools) so should be reserved for daily, general wear. 

Ethylhexyl Triazone: another chemical UV filter, this one is well-regarded for its good safety profile and strong protection.

Tinosorb S: UV sun filter that helps provide broad-spectrum protection. Highly stable and provides good SPF. 

Vitamin E: moisturizing and gentle addition, this helps refresh the skin barrier and reduce tightness and irritation. 

Pine Tree extract: moisturizing and soothing bark extract that helps relieve itching and redness, whilst improving natural hydration. 

Kudzu extract: traditional medicinal extract that is rich in a variety of antioxidants and plumping extracts that help improve natural skin radiance. 

David Elm extract: another traditional medicinal extract, this bark extract is deeply moisturizing and soothing, helping to reduce fine lines and improve sensitive skin health. 

Evening Primrose extract: boosts skin healing and moisture, with a variety of healing compounds and antioxidants. A great benefit for inflamed skin or fine lines. 

Centella asciatica extract: hydrating plant extract that helps improve skin health, boost texture and moisture and calm redness and inflammation. A favourite in K-Beauty. 

Madecassoside: extracted from centella plant, this molecule helps boost cell turnover and inhibits melanin synthesis to prevent dark spots and freckles forming due to sun exposure. 

Calamine: deeply soothing ingredient that helps reduce acne-causing bacteria, redness and reduce pore size for a perfect calming addition to oily skin. 

This product is tailored to balance sebum in oily skin. Therefore, there would be limited benefits in dry skin types and it would be more likely to cause irritation and tightening of skin. It’s also not a sunstick you can go swimming with, so save this one for daily wear and not for beach trips or days at the pool.

As an oily skin type, I’m all about products tailored to balance sebum and refresh the skin barrier. Celimax’s Oil Control range is a famous and safe choice for a variety of oily-skin-friendly cosmetics, so the release of their sunstick for the US/Korean summer made waves. As summer is fast approaching us in Australia, it was time to put it to the test. Is this the daily wear sunstick of my dreams? 

First, its really important that your skin genuinely loves the texture of a sun-protective cosmetic. You want to be wearing it daily and enjoy wearing it, otherwise people tend to put it off and go without any sun protection. I love a light, non-clingy sun protection – that I can apply on top of my skincare routine, but underneath make-up for more glamorous days. This sunstick really seems to have it all in regards to portability, easy wear and make-up compatibility. It has a creamy, but powder-light texture that melts with your skin and within a few moments, I couldn’t tell where I had already applied it. 

I recommend a few layers for a sunstick (as the protection can also be whisper thin depending on how you apply it), and this formula layers really well on top of itself too. It holds its place well and has a perfect, non-oily finish that is gentle and matte. 

Here you can see the before and after of a single layer of application, and just as advertised it creates an immediate matte finish. This is great for when you wish to leave the house with just a light touch-up (which I do daily). I also tested it under a BB foundation. It blended well with a primer and didn’t interrupt my foundation application at all. It doesn’t pill, but you do have to be sure to blend carefully to avoid clumpy areas. It also applies well over the top of make-up for easy touch-ups and has a clear application so there’s no alterations to your glamorous look. 

Simply put, this is a great and lightweight oily-skin sunstick! It's acne friendly, light and provides good sun protection (anecdotally, I did not put this to an extreme test), with some nourishing botanical extracts to help support skin health. I would recommend it well for those with busy lifestyles who often put sun protection in the back of their mind - as summer is coming and its predicted to be hot. 

Make sure you are protecting your skin well from the sun and keeping sun safe this summer.

Looking for more great acne and oily-skin-friendly formulas? Check out Celimax's great range available on Arktastic!

Excited for more sun-safety tips? Check out our guide to pilling and make-up. Or if you like oil-friendly sun-protection, check out our review of the Medicube Zero Pore Sun Serum.

How to Stop Make-up Pilling 
Medicube Zero Pore Sun Serum Review