The Secret to Cool Skin? | Tocobo Cica Cooling Sun Stick Review
Tocobo is a deeply beloved skincare brand in South Korea. Although its popularity has yet to soar in Australia, it’s a gentle, soothing brand that specializes in only vegan and full cruelty-free formulas designed from plant-based extracts. They are most famous for their cotton-soft sunstick, which provides a light, matte finish and perfect on-the-go top up of sun protection whilst you are out in the sunshine. Tocobo also has a beloved ‘Cica Calming’ range, which is enriched with soothing centella, to calm redness, protect and boost skin health.
So, when they revealed their Tocobo Cica Cooling Sunstick, it was an immediate hit on South Korea. Not only does it contain easy hydration with soothing centella, it also contains 10 layers of hyaluronic acid. It’s a moisturizing balm that is designed to be cooling to sensitive skin, reduce redness and provide a great daily protection in your pocket. It also has a soft, green tint – which is cosmetically used to cool the appearance of redness and create more uniform skin appearance. Finding good sun protection that cools irritation and hydrates sounds amazing – so can this sunstick provide ongoing protection with minimal irritation? Let’s find out!
How to Use Sun Sticks Correctly
If you are reading this from our beloved homeland, Australia, you know that the sun is a fiery hellscape in the summer. The UV is no joke and you have to be very, very careful. A sunstick is not enough UV protection on its own and should only be used as a top up for an initial layer of trusted, high-quality sunscreen. It’s very difficult to use enough of the sunstick to ensure SPF+50 protection every time – and instead the best use of a sunstick is top ups for ongoing protection.
A sunstick should be re-applied every 2 hours and good sunsticks can be used on top of make-up, other skincare products and sunscreen. Also ensure you are covering up wherever possible and never spend too long in the sun – the best skincare is sun safety, always!
What's in the Bottle?
This sunstick has a base of coconut oil and wax – to provide a gentle, but solid surface for application.
Niacinamide: brightening vitamin B3 that helps even skin tone and imparts a lasting glow.
Centella asciatica extract (root, leaf): a hydrating plant extract that helps moisturize and soothe red, irritated skin (including acne). Helps balance immune response for calmer, stronger skin biome.
Sodium hyaluronate/hyaluronic acid (10 weights): powerful water humectant that helps draw moisture into skin barrier for improved plumping and hydration.
Tocopherol: soothing vitamin E that helps strengthen and provide UV protection to skin cells from damaging environment.
Saccharomyces ferment: boost hydration and provides rich barrier support for stronger, improved skin health. Also helps inhibit dark spot formation to reduce freckles and melanin.
Mentha arvensis powder: wild mint extract dissected into a more-gentle powder, which provides a ‘cooling’ feeling to skin, whilst reducing acne-growth and calming redness.
Madecassoside: extracted from centella asciatica, boosts natural skin healing as well as inhibits melanin formation – to help stop dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Who Should Avoid?
This sunstick is designed to help combat redness in sensitive and irritated skin. It’s less likely to be beneficial to individuals who are sensitive to centella asciatica. It's very moisturizing, making it a good choice for dry skin. It also has a very oily residue, which although it's advertised to be acne-friendly, can lead to breakouts (especially in oily skin), so be careful.
The Results
This sunstick is a light, easy shape that fits into most pockets – giving it a good portability. I have acne-prone, combination skin and finding good sun-protection is always on my mind in Australia. It has a light application, although it does have an oily original application (which I was concerned of). It comes with a pleasant cucumber scent (which is present if you are sensitive to fragrance), which fades as the stick dries.
This sunstick is most often compared to the Beauty of Joseon Matte sunstick and I can see why. They both are designed for oily skin, with a soft-green tint for cooling redness and both contain ingredients to help combat acne formation. The Beauty of Joseon is better for classic oily skin types, with a light and powdery application that blends perfectly with oily skin. The Tocobo sun stick is more versatile, with an oil-based application that dries matte. This allows it to blend with oily skin, balance combination skin or to be applied to dry skin types without causing a drying effect.
The sunstick was cooling and hydrating, creating a nice refreshing application. It was easy, soft and boosted my skin hydration each morning. It does have an oily consistency, which although hydrating for more dry skin - can lead to breakouts in acne-prone skin.
I would really recommend this sunstick for sensitive skin and dry skin - for a gentle boost and moisture at the end of your skincare routine.
Final Thoughts
This sunstick is an easy and lightweight application for a variety of skin types. The composition is really interesting – a blend of cica, hyaluronic acid and mint powder to create a physical cooling effect. This sun stick would be perfect for sensitive/dry skin types who tend to get flushed with heat – as the triple mechanism is going to help keep you cool and calm.
Looking for soothing, gentle skincare? Check out the vegan, cruelty-free range of Tocobo on Arktastic!
Or looking for more skincare tips? Check out our guide to sun-safety and avoiding pilling in make-up or check out our Beauty of Joseon Matte Sunstick review:
