Cold winds, central heating, runny noses and dribbly toddlers can be a horrible combination for delicate skin. If you’ve been searching for something convenient that you can simply swipe over dry cheeks rather than wrestling with a pot of cream, you may have come across the Mum & You Face The Day Stick.
At £14.99 on the main site and £16 on Amazon, it isn’t the cheapest moisturiser you can buy, so is it worth the money? Here’s a closer look at what it contains, who it is designed for and whether the stick format really offers anything that an ordinary moisturiser doesn’t.
What Is Mum & You Face The Day Stick?
Face The Day Stick is a 50g oil-based balm designed to moisturise the skin while creating a protective barrier against things such as wind, cold weather and moisture around the mouth.
Despite being marketed primarily towards babies and children, Mum & You says it can also be used by older children and adults. That makes it quite an interesting little multi-purpose product to keep in a handbag, changing bag or coat pocket.
The current price is £14.99 for one 50g stick, with Mum & You also offering two sticks for £26.98 at the time of writing.
What Ingredients Are in Face The Day Stick?
The formula includes sunflower oil, coconut oil, beeswax, carnauba wax and shea butter, together with vitamin E and bisabolol.
These types of oily and waxy ingredients are particularly useful in a barrier balm because they help reduce moisture loss and leave a protective layer over the skin.
Mum & You says that 99% of the ingredients are naturally derived, and the product is dermatologically tested and suitable for sensitive skin.
One thing worth knowing, however, is that the ingredients list does contain fragrance. That doesn’t automatically make it unsuitable for sensitive skin, but if you or your child reacts easily to fragranced skincare, it is something I would bear in mind.
Why Put a Moisturiser in a Stick?
This is probably the cleverest thing about Face The Day Stick.
Anyone who has ever attempted to rub moisturising cream onto the face of an impatient toddler will understand the problem. With this, you simply twist the product up and glide the balm over the skin.
There is no dipping your fingers into a jar, no cream squeezing out inside your bag and considerably less mess.
Older children may even be able to apply it themselves.
The stick is also much more convenient to carry around than a tub of moisturiser, particularly during autumn and winter when dry cheeks and sore skin can appear while you’re away from home.
Face The Day Stick for Dribble Rash
One of the main reasons parents appear to buy Face The Day Stick is for the sore, red skin that can develop around a baby’s mouth during teething.
Constant saliva, wiping and exposure to cold air can leave the chin and cheeks irritated.
Because Face The Day Stick contains oils, waxes and shea butter, it forms a physical layer between the skin and moisture. Mum & You specifically markets it for protecting skin affected by dribbling as well as wind and drizzle.
It should, of course, be treated as a skincare product rather than a treatment for a medical skin condition. Persistent, broken, infected or badly inflamed skin should be assessed appropriately rather than continually covered with cosmetic products.
Is Mum & You Face The Day Stick Suitable for Eczema-Prone Skin?
Mum & You has previously described Face The Day Stick as suitable for eczema-prone skin. The current product information also says it is suitable for sensitive skin.
I would still take an individual approach here.
The skin of someone with eczema can be extremely reactive, and the product contains fragrance. If you know fragrance is one of your triggers, a completely fragrance-free emollient may be preferable.
For anyone unsure, testing a small amount first is sensible.
It’s Not a Sunscreen
This is an important distinction.
Although Face The Day Stick creates a barrier against wind and weather, it does not contain SPF and should not be used instead of sunscreen.
Mum & You says the balm can be used to moisturise the skin after sun exposure, but explicitly states that it does not provide UV protection.
So think of it as a weather and moisture barrier, rather than a sun-protection stick.
Can Adults Use Face The Day Stick?
Yes.
Although babies and young children are clearly the main market, there is nothing particularly baby-specific about the basic idea behind the product.
It could be useful on areas that become particularly dry during winter, such as the cheeks, around the nose and other small patches of exposed skin.
The compact design could also make it useful for walking, running and other outdoor activities where cold wind leaves the face feeling dry or tight.
I wouldn’t necessarily replace my normal facial moisturiser with it, particularly because a balm is much richer than a conventional face cream, but as a targeted protective product it makes more sense.
Is £14.99 Expensive?
This is probably the biggest drawback.
£14.99 for 50g is noticeably more than you’ll pay for many straightforward children’s moisturisers or barrier creams.
What you are partly paying for is the stick format and convenience.
If your only requirement is something moisturising to use at home, there are certainly cheaper alternatives.
If, however, you particularly want something that can be thrown into a bag, applied without getting cream all over your fingers and quickly swiped across a child’s cheeks before going outside, Face The Day Stick has a much clearer advantage.
GET THE DEALPros and Cons
What I like:
- Convenient twist-up stick.
- Easy to carry in a handbag or changing bag.
- 99% naturally derived ingredients.
- Contains moisturising oils, shea butter and protective waxes.
- Suitable for children and adults.
- Designed for dry skin, cold weather and dribble-prone areas.
- Dermatologically tested.
Things to consider:
- £14.99 isn’t particularly cheap for 50g. It’s priced £16 on Amazon with next day delivery on Prime.
- It contains fragrance.
- It doesn’t contain SPF.
- Some people may simply prefer a cheaper fragrance-free moisturiser or barrier cream.
Mum & You Face The Day Stick Review: Is It Worth Buying?
I can see why Mum & You Face The Day Stick has become popular with parents.
Its biggest selling point isn’t a revolutionary skincare ingredient. It’s the fact that Mum & You has taken familiar moisturising and barrier ingredients and put them into an exceptionally convenient format.
For a child with cheeks that become dry in cold weather, a dribbly baby or even an adult wanting a portable balm for exposed areas of the face, it looks like a very practical product.
At £14.99 on Mum & You, and £16 on Amazon, I’d describe it as a convenience purchase rather than a budget skincare essential. You can find cheaper moisturisers, but very few are quite as easy to apply while you’re halfway out of the front door with an impatient child.
If that convenience matters to you, Face The Day Stick is certainly one worth considering.