Some of the best new foundations come in a retro format

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

In 1947 Max Factor launched Pan-Stik, a cream make-up in stick form designed to be applied “as easily as lipstick”. My first contact with this early complexion base was in a tin of old stage make-up owned by a friend’s actor mum. Although intrigued, it was by then the early 1990s and I considered myself a teenage cosmetic guru, so I scoffed at this historical artefact as if it were Elizabethan “foundation” made from lead and vinegar.

Yet, over 75 years after Pan-Stik first hit the market, stick foundation has staged a surprising comeback. Beauty brands have revisited the format before, but now, as many time-pressed consumers seek ever more rapid ways to apply make-up, there has been a wave of new products that raise the bar on a natural finish and ease of application.

My interest was piqued by the arrival of Merit’s The Minimalist complexion perfecting stick to the UK in 2023, a creamy crayon of colour that combines foundation and concealer and covers imperfections without masking the skin. Now my can’t-live-without product, I just draw a few stripes on my cheeks, forehead and nose, a bit like being marked up for a facelift, buff away with a stubby brush and suddenly I look considerably better.

And despite the array of complexion products available, from CC creams to tinted moisturisers, the stick has struck a chord with other consumers. According to Aila Morin, chief marketing officer of Merit, “we’ve sold well over one million of the Minimalist since our launch, with one sold every 30 seconds so far in 2024. It’s clear to us that people love both how it feels on their skin and how it fits into their lives.”

Morin explains that the idea for the product was inspired by “the design of a ballpoint pen — we loved this idea of ‘editing’ and applying only where you need it. When we launched, there were foundation sticks on the market, but they were more in line with the high-coverage look we saw in complexion as a category. This deviated from what we knew consumers were looking for: multitasking, easy to use, breathable complexion products that didn’t look cake-y.”

My favourite new sticks this year include Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Balm Serum Boosted Skin Tint, a “solid serum” which gives a very fresh, no make-up look and light coverage, while moisturising the skin and Charlotte Tilbury’s Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint hydrating foundation stick, which contains emollients and pearlescent filters for a very sheer soft focus effect that’s not far off the brand’s claim to be “like a ring light in a foundation stick.” Dior’s Forever Skin Perfect foundation stick also creates a natural, blurred finish, and more coverage, while aiming to hydrate the skin for 24 hours.

However, while numerous other brands from Ilia to Fenty have also launched their own versions in the past 18 months, Max Factor shared that “the Pan Stik product is in the process of being phased out . . . We’re always looking at our portfolio and responding to trends accordingly.”

So why is this old-school product back again? According to make-up artist Lisa Eldridge “certain formats are being reinvented thanks to cosmetic science, and what goes inside them.” Now, she points out, foundation sticks can contain active ingredients to nourish the skin as well as instantly enhance it. What could be the next surprising product to come back from the dustbin of beauty history? “There is a real interest in cake mascara [which comes in a solid block]. I recreated all the formulas for vintage make-up for a BBC documentary series and the mascara went on so nicely. It separated the lashes and was so dark. I reckon that could be the next big thing.”

For Peter Phillips, creative and image director of Dior make-up, the appeal is down to the method of applying, “It’s about the change in gesture. It’s very satisfying because when you put the stick on it melts into the skin, like a lip balm but for your face. You draw stripes on your face almost like applying sun protection when you are skiing or surfing.” I use a brush for the higher coverage versions by Merit or Westman Atelier, but Phillips recommends applying the Dior one with a blender sponge and “really pushing into the skin, so it becomes one with the skin.”

And the shape is peaking in other categories too, from blush to bronzer to eyeshadow, thanks to a craving for speed that presents a liberated alternative to 12-step routines. It supposedly simplifies contouring techniques too, but to me the latter still look better on Instagram than in real life, as when I tried to “sculpt” a crisp jawline with a contour stick I looked like I had stubble.

Eldridge says that “now the consumer is king and it’s all about what [is] easy to use. They want a product to blend within seconds, to feel non-greasy, to go on seamlessly, to last, to look like real skin.” Another boon is the easy mid-afternoon make-up refresh with a product that can be reapplied without looking heavy. That’s often preferable to applying a thicker layer of foundation in the morning in the hope it’ll last throughout the working day.

But what does the stick say about what we want from our make-up now? Several brands and make-up artists talk about “swiping” it across your face — the Charlotte Tilbury website boasts an “easy 15-second application! Just swipe, blend and go!” — and there’s something about the smartphone-style movement that seems to be embedded in the psyche now, even when it comes to cosmetics. It’s modern, instantaneous . . . perhaps even treating the face as a touchscreen. Maybe better to dwell on the convenience factor than the concept of the digital face.

Sign up for Fashion Matters, your weekly newsletter with the latest stories in style. Follow @financialtimesfashion on Instagram and subscribe to our podcast Life and Art wherever you listen